HELP??? Part two

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mochajoe

mochajoe

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
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Location
Milton Mills, NH
I posted about our bunny with behavior issues a few weeks ago...after several months of trying to deal with his behavior, asking all of you for help, consulting 2 bunny savvy vets, and 2 bunny experts and with NO SUCCESS, we decided to take the "he is who he is" advice...not forcing him to do anything he doesn't want to do...just letting him be!

Just some more background (so I don't get "hate" mail) I have had pet bunnies since 1991, my daughter showed bunnies from the ages 6-9, she is now 13 and this is her bunny and she has been the primary one handling him since we brought him home at 8 woks old. Sadly despite ALL our efforts, including pain medication for a week, his behavior has only escalated! Now he is lunging and biting when you put your hand in his cage to feed him, remove old hay or his litter box.


Given is aggression and behavior, i dont feel rehoming him is the right thing to do as I dont want him to be abused or neglected...I feel like we have come to the point that having him put down is the best option for everyones safety, his and ours...we LOVE him and this is a heartbreaking for all of us, especially my daughter. :( I would like to know what you would do in this situation as I am at a loss, heartbroken and don't know what to do! Would you have him put down? Please remember in your commenting that I am an animal lover to the core and this is a heart wrenching decision...I just want to know it's the right one....
 
I use to pet sit for a family that had a really aggressive bun, I had to bait him to come out of his cage (to try and bite me of course) then I would maneuver the ex-pen around him so I could freshen up his cage. They had his cage/ ex pen right near the door which was a high traffic area. They built him a large air conditioned hutch outside where he had less traffic, he is now gentle again and much happier. I can't believe it is the same bun.

I learned from the cotton tails I bottle fed quite a while ago that pulling your hand away only encourages an attack. Those little guys are rotten! The only thing I can think of causing such a drastic change is the stress at the vet perhaps he was injured or frightened by someone reaching in his cage before surgery causing him to react in fight mode. Poor bun, I am sad for you and your families difficult decision.
 
I'm sorry you are at this point with your daughter's bun. Wish there was an easy answer for you & your family. I'm not there so I don't really know what you have been through with this bun so my response is just my thoughts from reading your post. I personally think if it were me & my bun, I would try to set up a safe pen/hutch where I could safely feed & clean his cage. Leave him alone except for feeding/cleaning & once in awhile treats, I would try to sit beside his cage/hutch as often & long as I could & monitor his reactions. If he seemed to come to the pen/hutch seeming to get a closer look I would try to give him a treat but otherwise leave him alone. Give it some time, pray about it & when you see that things are changing for the better, staying the same or getting worse, I think you will have a good answer that you can deal with whether it is good or bad. I hate to put down any animal unless it is absolutely necessary but I do understand your position. Ultimately it is your decision & I will be praying that you make the best one for your family & this bun.
 
I can not say for sure what I would do in this situation as there are so many variables to take into account. I would do my best through vets to make sure it is not a medical issue causing the behavior. If everything medical was ruled out and I felt I did everything I could to try and turn the behavior around in every other possible way then I would build or buy a pen to keep the bun in.

Putting a bun down due to aggression would be my last alternative if an alternative at all. I am not saying this to put anyone down it is just how I honestly feel.
 
I agree that you don't want to pass him over to another home where he will do the same thing. If you've tried every conceivable thing to change his behavior then it may be better to put him down. Don't do what my next door neighbor did...because of aggression issues, their bunny stayed in a cage all the time and noone touched him. The only person who would dare feed him was the Dad and he did it quick. I know because I had to feed him for a week while they were on vacation. That's not a life, IMO. I'm sorry you're in this situation and I don't envy the choice you have to make. :hug2:
 
A little negative re-inforcement may be needed. When one of ours would behave like that I would snatch them up very quick so I wouldn't get bitten, roll them on their back and talk to them for a minute or two, just to let them know who the alpha was. I can ignore hutch aggression but when I get bloodied it's just gone over the line of acceptable behavior. We had 4 like that and it worked fine with 3 and the fourth was susceptible to bribery so I carried veggies and never had to worry about him again.
 
Another optiona is the possibility of re-homing him to someone who is very experienced and dealt with aggressive bunnies before. If they know what they're doing they'll provide a good home even if his issues can't be resolved.

I definitely agree though that with your young daughter, it's not right that she should have to risk being bitten. Until you decide what to do, perhaps where some tough garden gloves so you're not afraid tp deal with him and don't have to back down because of risks of bites.
 
Is there anyone on here or in your area that can come over and work with you and him? He sounds like he needs a lot of reconditioning and a lot of patience. Although I have seen very vicious rabbits before (one was a netherland dwarf at my bunny friends house who had an oven mit hanging on the cage for whenever she needed to be messed with) they can usually be worked with.

If you haven't changed his cage up I think thats what you need to start with first. . .We had a really bad brit who was horrible in normal cages where your hand was coming at her. I put her in a smaller carrying cage that opened from the top. She did get better with time. We werent at the oven mit point yet but i got out of breeding brits gave her to my bunny friend and she turned out to be the sweetest rabbit ever. Is there something anything that could be setting him off? Noises other animals anything?? Maybe get down to his level and see if there is anything you can see that might be doing it. I would definitely opt for a change of living space. Smaller room and preferably a cage that opens from the top. I didnt follow your other thread too closely but i do remember it.

Ours looks exactly like this but its one big cage. I dont know the exact dimensions but i would guess it's either 12"x24" or 16"x24". A brit only weighs about 2 lbs so this was okay for training her in a short amount of time (maybe 1-2months). Alot of breeders say that changing a mean rabbits environment frequently helps alot with cage aggression.

https://www.bunnyrabbit.com/equipmentpix/2compt_2lid_1818-blk.jpg
 
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Thank you all for your support and suggestions...it is greatly appreciated! Unfortunately, short of rehoming him or having someone come to our house, we have tried everything! Vet to rule out medical, pain medication to rule out pain, the "alpha bunny" strategies, consulting with two vets, two bunny experts, the breeder we got him from, we moved his cage, we moved his cage again, we put him in a different cage and put him out in the barn, where it is more quiet and less traffic.

So frustrated.....I don't want him rehomed only to be neglected or abused or spend his life in a cage....and I don't want himto spend his life in a cage at my house either...that's not a life! I don't know what I am doing...heart wrenching decisions....I just wish we could have the sweet bunny we had for the first few months back!!!
 
***UPDATE***We are NOT having Cheerios put down, we are keeping him! It is not going to be easy, but I just couldn't do it! He is a beautiful, healthy bunny, and most of all, despite his behaviors, we LOVE him!!! There are times, when love does win in the end!!! :) Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions and support!!!
 
something you may wish to consider.

Build him a divided cage. One side with his food/water dish... and the other with his potty/resting area. Make them both fairly large and just away from everyone. A sturdy outdoor cage where he can just be himself. I would put a divider in the cage that you can shut up when you need to change/clean him up.

I'd up the bribes through the wire of his cage and do quick and careful handling. (basically be quicker than he is) and wear an apron which he can nibble on without reprisal.

this gives you the options of giving him time out of his cage to run in an x-pen on the grass, or give him some free time in another safe/secure area (not just for him but for you too). BUT if you build the cage large enough and with things to do your bun will be quite content. I'd be looking at building a 4 x 4 cage with rabbit doors you can open and shut to various parts (aka an attached run).

I hope you can make it work out for all of you concerned.
 
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxV0j7SwBbk[/ame]

This is a neat video I watched about an aggressive bunny. Perhaps this would help you guys out?
 
So glad you've decided to try and keep working with him, let us know how it goes and feel free to ask more questions. Best of luck, I admire your determination.
 
My sister has a rabbit that is a bit anti-social, I learned from her reaction what her tolerance level is for being scratched so I would stop being greedy and stop scratching her before she would have a reaction (chasing my hand out of her cage), now she asks for scratches all the time and doesn't spin and try to get my hand. It didn't take long before she was allowing me to scratch her for longer periods of time.
 
Just had a thought. Do you maybe live near a field where hawks, owls, coyotes may snatch up other rabbits? Perhaps he hears their squealing and is not terified of everything.
 
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