HELP! My bunny has suddenly become aggressive

[buns_mom]

Hi all,
My normally sweet Muffin, whom I have had for over 8 months has suddenly and quite dramatically become very aggressive, literally overnight.

It has come to the point where I am very cautious in putting my hand into her cage to feed her. She grunts and tries to bite when I attempt to pick her up - something she has never done in the past. I am also noticing very restless behavior in her, she will scratch and bite the corner of her cage for what seems like hours. She seems to want to eat non-stop as well.

I am very upset over this sudden change, it seems as though she has turned into a completely different rabbit. Could this be a permanent change for her and will spaying her be a possible solution?

Thanks, Crystal

 

[Flashy]

Has anything changed in her life? Like a new addition to the household? Do you smell any different (different job? perfume? going somewhere different? Has she had any change of accommodation or anything?

Is she spayed (I'm presuming not)? How old is she? Is there any possibility she could be pregnant?

It could be a behavioural thing, it could be a hormonal thing given the time of year, equally, it could be a physical thing if she is feeling ill in some way and can't tolerate any company/contact/interaction.

If you are cautious and anxious, that will exacerbate the problem, and she will pick up on your anxiety and think there is a need to be scared and so be more inclined to bite you and attack you. It's really important to be calm around her and not have any emotions other than that. That might mean you have to use thick gloves, or find a different way to care for her, but it is important to be calm.

And welcome to the forum

 

[buns_mom]

Hi Flashy,

Thank you for the reply. I cannot think of anything that has changed in the past week or so, that would induce this behavior so I am very concerned.

Muffin turned a year old this month and she isn't spayed but her procedure happens to be tomorrow, which is worrying me since the operation might stress her out even more.

There is no way she is pregnant, she is my only bun. I thought that she might be ill but she is eating well and seems fine with the exception of her behavior. I can pet her when she is in her cage, but to grab her food bowl or pick up hay or poo pellets in her cage seems to set her off.

This situation is really getting to me emotionally. It did take awhile when I first got her to develop her trust, she was very timid but never mean but now it seems worse than the first day I picked her up.

On another note, I would just like to say that this forum has helped me out immensely since I first brought Muffin home. There are a lot of experienced bun owners who contribute to the forum, which makes it an invaluable source of information for a novice bun owner such as me. Thanks to everyone Crystal

 

[Flashy]

I wonder if maybe the spring weather has just awoken her hormonal side. It has definitely had that effect on my buns and can really give them a bit of a personality transplant.

Maybe when she is at the vets tomorrow you could ask him to give her a thorough check over and explain what's been going on.

 

[Erins Rabbits]

All of my does are aggresive right now- it's spring, they all want to breed! Normally a good thing, offset by the absence of a good buck. :rollseyes

Hopefully you will see a change in her behavior after the spay- keep us updated.

 

[JimD]

buns_mom wrote:

I am very upset over this sudden change, it seems as though she has turned into a completely different rabbit. Could this be a permanent change for her and will spaying her be a possible solution?

Thanks, Crystal

Hi Crystal :wave2

Welcome to the forum!!:welcome1

Expect your bunny to go through many changes in her life.... some temporary and some that indicate she's moving on to another stage....all good in their own way.

Spaying will most likely settle her down, but every bun is different.

I have 4 does that were never spayed for one reason or another, and they all act different at different times.
One of them ... MooShu ... is the gentlest, most timid bun I've ever seen.
However ... Binkie, on the other hand, has a nickname of "Chainsaw".


A couple of my buns are simply cage aggressive, and I needed to learn to respect their space...once out of their cages they turn into "that sweet bun I used to know".
I've gotten their body/vocal language down pretty well, and know when they're going to go for me.

It could be a seasonal/hormonal thing, too.

False pregnancies are always a treat too ... not.
I have one intact doe that goes through this every few months (that would be my Chippy girl)

 

[anneq]

"Binkie, on the other hand, has a nickname of "Chainsaw":laugh:.....oh my, i thought I was going to fall out of the chair!
Btw, very cute pic of you and the bun, Jim.
Agree with what you said - 1 of our buns was a terror if you tried to reach into his cage - once out of it, he was fine.
My doe Rosey is very affectionate but she turns into the Terminator whenever she sees our guinea pigs near her outdoor pen, even though the buck, Sam, ignores them ...sometimes bunnies are a mystery.