SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
I need advice on how to help Rory adjust to our new bunny! We're getting him tonight, he's a young male that was neutered a week ago. The reason I'm concerned about Rory's adjustment is that last time we brought home a young boy bunny (Skyler), he attacked me and I still have the scar even though it was a year ago. Poor Skyler also has a scar on his face from Rory.
I think Rory gets very jealous when he sees me with other bunnies, intact boy bunnies especially. The reason I think this is that when I brought Tallulah home and introduced her and Rory on the bed (she was in the carrier), I was able to grab Rory and pick him up even when he was growling and lunging at her and he NEVER tried to bite me. He also didn't see me holding her. A few months later, when he was more used to her (she loved him and was always sticking her nose in his cage), I tried again. This time holding Tallulah in one arm and petting Rory with the other. He was okay for about a minute, then lunged at poor Lula and grabbed ahold of her back. I said "no!", pushed him away gently with one hand while hauling Tallulah up my chest and away from him with the other. He got very mad at this and growled and lunged again, this time at ME. I told him "no!" and pushed him away gently again, then got up, turned my back on him and left. So he only tried to bite me when I was holding the bunny he didn't like.
Skyler came home at 4 months of age and unneutered. I carried Rory in to meet him while Skyler was in his cage. Rory's reaction was to growl at him and get mad when he saw him. He also looked scared. I was holding him and again, Rory did not try to bite me. He also didn't see me holding or touching Skyler. I think it was the next day that Skyler jumped out of his makeshift cage while I was messing around in Rory's cage, came up behind me without me knowing, stuck his face in Rory's cage and got a great big chomp on the face that he still has the scar from. Poor baby.
It was the next day or the day after that when Rory was out playing in the living room, and I was sitting in the kitchen with Skyler on my lap. Skyler is a very cuddly boy, so I was holding him and petting him and kissing him and telling him what a good boy he was. Rory was sitting a mere 3 or 4 feet away in the living room observing all this (he hates linoleum with all his might and absolutely will NOT go in the kitchen, no matter how mad he is). I put Skyler in his cage and immediately went to pet Rory. Paul was petting Rory, no problem. I remember being filled with love for my sweet Rory when I reached down to pet him. He responded by growling and jumping up into the air and biting my hand (I still have the lovely scar. The vet was kind of afraid to touch him after she saw it!). I had to shake my hand to make him let go. Then he jumped in the air again to grab hold of my shirt sleeve and was actually DANGLING FROM MY ARM. When he let go, he lunged at my leg but by this time I was turning around and running into the kitchen. He ran to the edge of the carpet and was growling and lunging at me but wouldn't go on the linoleum. The whole experience was very upsetting for me because I couldn't believe Rory would do something like that. He was very mad at me for about 2 months after this and wanted nothing to do with me, but he never bit me again. Skyler was neutered shortly afterwards. He still hates Skyler but doesn't react if he sees me petting Skyler then I pet him. That's a relief!
Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to show that Rory only seems to feel aggressive towards me when he sees me cuddling a bunny he doesn't like. He doesn't seem to react to scent. I think he just gets really jealous when he sees me with another bunny. He also hates Phoebe Mae but has never had the chance to bite her and hasn't bitten me over her either, maybe because she's a girl and I've never been holding her while he was angry and within biting range.
For obvious reasons, I don't want poor Rory to get too upset by the new bunny, especially since he's a boy and was neutered recently so his scent hasn't changed yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do? The first thing I want to do is make sure Rory doesn't see me paying attention to the new bunny, so new boy's cage will be either upstairs or in the kitchen (which Rory can't see from his cage) at first. I was also thinking of getting a wash cloth or stuffed animal and leaving it in the new bunny's cage for a day, then putting it in Rory's cage and giving Rory lots of treats at the same time. Maybe also bringing the new bunny outside to play in the play yard, then bringing Rory out right after so it still has his scent. Rory loves going outside so maybe it would help him associate the new bunny's scent with good things.
Does anyone have any other advice? Since the new bunny was just neutered, should I hold off on the stuffed toy for a few more weeks until his scent has changed?
Thanks for any tips!
I think Rory gets very jealous when he sees me with other bunnies, intact boy bunnies especially. The reason I think this is that when I brought Tallulah home and introduced her and Rory on the bed (she was in the carrier), I was able to grab Rory and pick him up even when he was growling and lunging at her and he NEVER tried to bite me. He also didn't see me holding her. A few months later, when he was more used to her (she loved him and was always sticking her nose in his cage), I tried again. This time holding Tallulah in one arm and petting Rory with the other. He was okay for about a minute, then lunged at poor Lula and grabbed ahold of her back. I said "no!", pushed him away gently with one hand while hauling Tallulah up my chest and away from him with the other. He got very mad at this and growled and lunged again, this time at ME. I told him "no!" and pushed him away gently again, then got up, turned my back on him and left. So he only tried to bite me when I was holding the bunny he didn't like.
Skyler came home at 4 months of age and unneutered. I carried Rory in to meet him while Skyler was in his cage. Rory's reaction was to growl at him and get mad when he saw him. He also looked scared. I was holding him and again, Rory did not try to bite me. He also didn't see me holding or touching Skyler. I think it was the next day that Skyler jumped out of his makeshift cage while I was messing around in Rory's cage, came up behind me without me knowing, stuck his face in Rory's cage and got a great big chomp on the face that he still has the scar from. Poor baby.
It was the next day or the day after that when Rory was out playing in the living room, and I was sitting in the kitchen with Skyler on my lap. Skyler is a very cuddly boy, so I was holding him and petting him and kissing him and telling him what a good boy he was. Rory was sitting a mere 3 or 4 feet away in the living room observing all this (he hates linoleum with all his might and absolutely will NOT go in the kitchen, no matter how mad he is). I put Skyler in his cage and immediately went to pet Rory. Paul was petting Rory, no problem. I remember being filled with love for my sweet Rory when I reached down to pet him. He responded by growling and jumping up into the air and biting my hand (I still have the lovely scar. The vet was kind of afraid to touch him after she saw it!). I had to shake my hand to make him let go. Then he jumped in the air again to grab hold of my shirt sleeve and was actually DANGLING FROM MY ARM. When he let go, he lunged at my leg but by this time I was turning around and running into the kitchen. He ran to the edge of the carpet and was growling and lunging at me but wouldn't go on the linoleum. The whole experience was very upsetting for me because I couldn't believe Rory would do something like that. He was very mad at me for about 2 months after this and wanted nothing to do with me, but he never bit me again. Skyler was neutered shortly afterwards. He still hates Skyler but doesn't react if he sees me petting Skyler then I pet him. That's a relief!
Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to show that Rory only seems to feel aggressive towards me when he sees me cuddling a bunny he doesn't like. He doesn't seem to react to scent. I think he just gets really jealous when he sees me with another bunny. He also hates Phoebe Mae but has never had the chance to bite her and hasn't bitten me over her either, maybe because she's a girl and I've never been holding her while he was angry and within biting range.
For obvious reasons, I don't want poor Rory to get too upset by the new bunny, especially since he's a boy and was neutered recently so his scent hasn't changed yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do? The first thing I want to do is make sure Rory doesn't see me paying attention to the new bunny, so new boy's cage will be either upstairs or in the kitchen (which Rory can't see from his cage) at first. I was also thinking of getting a wash cloth or stuffed animal and leaving it in the new bunny's cage for a day, then putting it in Rory's cage and giving Rory lots of treats at the same time. Maybe also bringing the new bunny outside to play in the play yard, then bringing Rory out right after so it still has his scent. Rory loves going outside so maybe it would help him associate the new bunny's scent with good things.
Does anyone have any other advice? Since the new bunny was just neutered, should I hold off on the stuffed toy for a few more weeks until his scent has changed?
Thanks for any tips!
