New with bunny issues!!

[ChaseandBenny]

I have 2 bunnies. Chase is a 6 month old mini rex velveteen rabbit. Someone was giving him away so I took him in. We are his 3rd owner! He is a bit nippy and VERY protective over his cage. When feeding he charges my hand and you cannot stick fingers in cage or he will nip. Had him out of his cage last night and he was smelling my fiancees finger and bit him. We really want to work with him but just not sure how! Any ideas?
We also have Benny who is 2 1/2 years. He also was being given away so we took him in. Not sure of his breed (will post pics later). He seems to be a very gentle rabbit but is very timid and will not come out of his cage. We have had them both for about 4 days.

 

[Velveteen_Lop]

For the one that is protective over his cage: is he fixed? He is definitely defending his territory. If it were my rabbit I would just be very assertive and use some kind of glove protection to handle him to start forming some kind of bond with him. He isn't too old yet. For the shyer guy I would maybe see if he would be inticed with some food, like a bit of carrot or apple? He needs to know that his new surroundings are interesting and fun, not scary. I would just be careful not to overwhelm him too much. Good luck! Would love to see some pictures

 

[ChaseandBenny]

Hi. As far as I know neither is fixed. I will try the glove and pray he doesnt bite through it! lol We tried to entice Benny with food with no luck. He has taken ownership of my fiancee though by chin rubbing his hand so I'm going to keep on getting John (my fiancee) to work with him.

 

[agnesthelion]

I would get them neutered.

For the aggressive one, distract with a treat on one side of the cage and get the food bowls or clean on the other side. But it should be said that a rabbits cage is their domain. If possible it should be avoided reaching in at them in their cage or picking them up from their cage. Especially since you've only had them 4 days, they need to feel secure in their cage first before they can start bonding properly with you.

It works well if bunny can come and go as he wishes during free run/bonding time with you meaning the cage is floor level and the door is open. You should sit on the floor (this is with both aggressive bunny and shy bunny) and ignore bunny. Let him come out on his own. If he comes up you don't pick up or pet just yet, just let him smell and explore on his own.

As trust progresses, offer treats to associate positivity with you. When putting bunny back in their cage don't pick up and place them in their cage, lure with treats or usher them back in so they hop in on their own. This helps them to understand you respect their cage and can help with the aggressiveness and building trust in the shy one. If it appears the aggressive one is getting worse or seems to really think he is the boss, another tactic is to push their head down when they nip as a momma would do to a baby. However, use this one cautiously since he is new and depending on his personality you don't want to cause him to be resentful.

Even with all this being said, some bunnies are just cage aggressive and always protective of their area. They may be nice outside of their cage but bears inside.

Best of luck!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: Mostly time, patience, gloves, and neutering. We had biters and timid bunnies and they all came around.

 

[ChaseandBenny]

Thank you for the replies. I'm currently undecided about neutering for 2 reasons. One is the high risk of death involved. The other is that we are building a outdoor hutch soon (to be used Spring/Summer/Fall) and we wanted to keep the option open for breeding as they are both beautiful buns. In the meantime I will keep working with both and keep you posted!

 

[agnesthelion]

Thank you for the replies. I'm currently undecided about neutering for 2 reasons. One is the high risk of death involved. The other is that we are building a outdoor hutch soon (to be used Spring/Summer/Fall) and we wanted to keep the option open for breeding as they are both beautiful buns. In the meantime I will keep working with both and keep you posted!

I would encourage you to research neutering risks as there is not a high risk of death if done by a rabbit savvy vet. And also encourage you to research breeding before making a decision there as breeding is beneficial when done to better a breed so showing is involved to qualify a rabbit in that manner. Personality should be considered too. There are so many unwanted rabbits euthanized everyday in this country (USA, not sure your location) so it's an important fact to consider before adding to the already over abundant rabbit population. It's a personal decision to breed but that's just my 2 cents

Best of luck to you in bonding with your buns!