EXTREMELY aggressive rabbit

[Leenie Bop]

First thing: this rabbit has NOT been neutered, we have an appointment for Sunday to have him neutered because we know this must be the reason for most of the aggression.

We need some suggestions because he has gotten to the point where we are afraid to try and feed him. We want to clean his cage but he is extremely out of hand. We tried letting him out of his cage on his own terms but he runs up to anyone around and bites them as hard as he can for absolutely no reason. The last time he bit me i was talking to someone and he jumped on the couch and bit me when I was not looking (very painful surprise!). The worst part is he literally takes chunks of flesh when he bites. He will cling on and he will not let go when you pull away! He has become a little nightmare.

Background info: We have had him for almost 4yrs now, he is approximately 5 years old. He has always been kind of mean but never to this extent. He recently got an infection in his eye and we figured he was aggressive because he was uncomfortable but after having completed the antibiotic treatment prescribed by his doctor and regaining his health he has only become more aggressive. He is impossible to manage because he is aggressive even when unprovoked.

We LOVE him and just want to get him to Sunday in hopes that he'll be more calm after the surgery. We were thinking about trying to lure him into the carrier while we clean the cage but don't know how to lure him out (and quickly shut the door before he attacks) because he is so aggressive (and quick!).

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

 

[Nela]

Honestly, I would wait and see if the neuter changes things. It's hard to advise without knowing if the neuter will change it or not. We could give you lots of tips only to see that they won't be necessary since the neuter changed things. The one thing I would definitely do is make sure that there is not physical reason for his aggression so when you have him in for his neuter, if the vet can check him thoroughly that would be good too. I am sure your vet can advise you as well if you bring it up. Just hang in there til then and see what happens.

Ps: He's very lucky to have people like you who are understanding and forgiving. Too often, bunnies with these kinds of issues end up abandoned or worse. I just want to say kudos to you for being such a blessing to your bunny, even if he doesn't seem to appreciate it too much right now

 

[toyabrooke]

It may take time though after the surgery too (2 months or more) to see any changes. We had hoped a neuter would fix Napoleon's aggression, but he is not worse than ever and even bit my face! Some bunnies just aren't nice (like humans) but I would definitely give it time and just play the waiting game.

 

[toyabrooke]

Oh and if he is already 5 years old, the neuter may not do as much compared to if they just hit hormones. It can be a learned behaviour after a while. There is always hope, but just something my vet told me.

Good luck with the surgery!

 

[majorv]

Neutering a rabbit doesn't solve every problem they have...sometimes I think too much emphasis is placed on neutering/spaying as the answer to a rabbit's behavioral problems. Some rabbits just don't make good pets.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

First off, gloves--very thick leather ones. We had an ND that was an absolute little monster. When he got too aggressive--me bleeding profusely--I'd snatch him up and hold him in such a manner that he couldn't bite and flip him on his back. It took quite awhile, but we finally could clean and feed him without losing chunks of flesh. His final couple of years, he became a model citizen and was even friendly.

 

[saidinjester]

Personally, I'd never keep a rabbit like this. I mean, now that he's 5, the neuter probably isn't going to change things. You shouldn't have to risk injury every time you interact with your pet, I honestly think it's a little crazy.

 

[fuzz16]

I wouldnt give up a rabbit because its mean. Without you what would it have? Put doen? Mean pets just need to be dealt with differently and behaviours normally have a reason, i dont beleive an animal is just outright mean. Nuetering could be dangerous at this age.

Force cuddling on him, wear thick gloves like earlier said. Seems like he is an angry dominent bunny

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

fuzz16 wrote:

I wouldnt give up a rabbit because its mean. Without you what would it have? Put doen? Mean pets just need to be dealt with differently and behaviours normally have a reason, i dont beleive an animal is just outright mean. Nuetering could be dangerous at this age.

Force cuddling on him, wear thick gloves like earlier said. Seems like he is an angry dominent bunny

Yeah, I'd agree. Try some extra treats too; this can be a big help for an aggressive bunny. :biggrin:

 

[Nela]

I wouldn't give up on him. However, I think you'll get a better feel for what is behavior and what is hormonal once he is neutered so you/we will have a better idea of what to work with. Shelters neuter and spay rabbits of all ages all the time and it's generally not much more of a risk than otherwise so I wouldn't be too worried about it if you have a good vet. Young buns can just as well be at a high risk too, and some just can't handle it at all. The vet can suggest a blood screening beforehand to check for possible problems beforehand as well. However, like others have mentioned, neutering may not solve everything. It may well hope though, and I do imagine it will. Now the question will be to what extent, and what sets him off more than anything...

 

[melbaby80]

That's rough. I couldn't deal with an animal that was that extreme. I think any animal that physically inflicts damage without any warrant is dangerous. Although I'd probably try to rule out a few things before I decide what would be next. My question is how can you bond with something that does not want you to? It's not really fair to you or the animal.

I've had an aggressive chihuahua before, but with her age she had become such a great dog. Had her for 21 years till she died about 6-7 years ago.

 

[ZRabbits]

Sounds like your bunny got more aggressive after the medicine for the his problem eye. I went through that with my Lion head Neville. Sweet baby, got sick, had to deal with getting medicine twice a day, now bites my gloves because he associates my gloves to that stressful time with medicine. That's why he bites everyone now.

Best bet, get those gloves and do lots of cuddling. I did that with Neville without the gloves and he's calmed down now and back to his usual happy go lucky self.

The neutering might do something but I don't think much because of his age. Lots of handling, treats and TLC could break through to your grumpy bunny.

K

 

[Leenie Bop]

I refuse to give up on him, I love him and the idea of him being put down absolutely breaks my heart. He deserves a chance and I'll try anything.
I did try some work gloves but he was able to bite through them. Does anyone know where I can find some heavier gloves?

 

[ZRabbits]

Leenie Bop wrote:

I refuse to give up on him, I love him and the idea of him being put down absolutely breaks my heart. He deserves a chance and I'll try anything.
I did try some work gloves but he was able to bite through them. Does anyone know where I can find some heavier gloves?

Did he bite through leather? Go to a hardware store or Supply Store. Get real thick leather gloves. Once you use those gloves and know he can't bite through, it will help your confidence and then he will feel that change.

K

 

[Ender]

I just want to add my two cents: I got my rabbit neutered this past week. He is almost four, and he was having some humping issues. Now, the humping has calmed down a lot. He has always been very friendly, but I just wanted to say that neutering at an older age can help. Ronin is recovering quickly and is back to his happy, binky-ing self. Good for you for trying to fix his behavior!

 

[LakeCondo]

There are metal mesh gloves made for filleting fish that are supposed to stop a knife, so I'd think they'd stop teeth.

 

[Mink]

I have used the super thick leather work gloves.. bought at places like Home Depot, for some cage-aggressive (adopted from poor situations) rats before. Rat teeth are crazy sharp, hard, and quick! After socializing the rats using the gloves, they got much better. One even learned to enjoy baths lol.

They do sell Cat-handling gloves, likely at a vet or groomer supply website, perhaps PetEdge. The cat gloves can stand up to cat bites and claws... and Lhasa Apso teeth from personal experience.

I have also used a "security blanket" for a particular freaked-out rat.. every time I would take her out, I would always have her on or in the same exact fleece blanket. This helped a lot with her feeling more secure and not lashing out.

 

[fuzz16]

Bite bustrr gloves if thick leather foesnt wotk.

 

[tamsin]

Neutering is a good start - don't expect instant results it takes a little while for the hormones to go down. In a few weeks time you'll have a much better idea how much was hormonal and what is behavioural.

I'd suggest some thick wellington boots for when you walk in the room - that allows you to not react when he attacks (so he learns it doesn't get what he wants) and confining him to a seperate area when you feed/clean etc. so you avoid getting into a confrontation. That can just be a carrier eg put a little food in - wait until he hops in then close the door.