Oh My. Shes a maniac!

[Lorsi]

Hi everyone!



Well, its been about 3 months since i got my dear Midgie. Shes a norwegian dwarf rabbit, about 4 months old, she is not spayed/neutered either.

The problem with this bun is she is horribly agressive! When i want to pick her up out of the cage, i remove her little home to get to her, but she freaks out and will take her bowl and move it around with her teeth! I find this really unnatural. She at first was very calm when i got her, but thats probably 'cause she was scared. Now she is used to her cage and surroudings, and is totally out of control! Also, when i try tofeed her, or move her hay in the cage,she lunges at me making strange grunts!

My mother seems to love her though, being the animal lover she is, she will always try to pet her. The scary part is, she bites her very hard and frequently draws blood! My mother doesnt seem to mind it though, she keeps on getting bit! I, myself got bit once on the wrist, andtwice on the fingers never once drawing blood, luckily.

I dont know what to do! Im not sure what midgie's problem is. Is she too territorial? Ive tried to get her to know me already, i spend time with her as much as i can, school does get in the way ,and i read her a book sometimes, but she seems to not listen to anyone!

Is there anyway i can get her a bit calmer? Im not going to give her up unless totally nessecary, because i think she can be changed!



Help anyone?



Thanks,

Lorsi~

 

[pla725]

Welcome. I think your rabbit is actually a Netherland Dwarf. It sounds like her hormones are in full swing. I would recommend getting her spayed.

 

[naturestee]

Hi! Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have a spunky little girl there, just like my dwarf girl Mocha was at that age.

First, here's the thread on Aggression in the Library:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12319&forum_id=17

I recommend reading at least several of the articles and threads in there. Different things work for different rabbits. This is what works best for me.

First: Spay. She's hormonal and she's in her "teenage" phase. I'm guessing she's actually 5 months unless you got her when she was frighteningly young (some people do sell them at that age). Some vets prefer to wait for 6 months but many will spay her now, especially since as a Nethie she's just about full grown.

Second: Cage. She needs a cage that she can go in and out of on her own for playtime. This is crucial for many rabbits. The cage is their safe space and for hormonal girls it is also their "nest" where their body tells them they'll put their babies one day. It is THEIRS and you are an intruder. She's flinging her bowl around because she's mad, it's called displaced aggression. Interact with her outside of her cage, and also clean her cage while she's out playing. Also, get the largest cage possible. If you bought it at a pet store and it's not a dog crate, it's likely too small. Yes, even for dwarf buns.

Third: Toys. I've learned this one well. Aggressive rabbits need proper toys to take their aggression out on. Different buns like different things. Since your girl is throwing her bowl, give her throwing toys like plastic baby key rings or cat balls with bells in them. I've been able to turn this into a game by handing them the toy, they rip it from my grasp and throw it, repeat, and they realize it's fun. My hand-shy abused girl Sprite loved this. Shredding toys are also great such as newspaper, cardboard boxes,or a paper lunch bag stuffed with hay and tied closed with twine. Those "punching bags" are fun for all rabbits but there was one particular rabbit at the shelter that we'd give those to and she'd be much calmer for a good day or three after that.

As for the biting, what exactly are you and your mom doing and how? I'm guessing you're either petting her in her cage (which rightfully earns me a quick smack of the paws from my 5 month old Brittania Petite girl) or you're misreading her body language. Rabbits have different body language than cats and dogs and it's hard to read at first. This site helped me a ton when I got my first bun- coincidentally it was Mocha the similarly-aggressive dwarf bun.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

There's a lot of other techniques and such but start with working on the first too. I volunteer at the local Humane Society and we get a lot of rabbits at this age because people can't/don't want to deal with puberty problems. But it's really not so bad once you know how to work with a rabbit like this, even in an environment like the shelter where they're in smaller cages and can't come out on their own.

Done with my book, lol! I'd be happy to answer any more specific questions too. My guess though is she'll be a lot less "aggressive" once you know more about what she wants.

 

[Pipp]

Hi Lorsi, welcome to RO!

:welcome1

The best way to get along with a bunny is to think like a bunny. Dwarfs can be maniacs, but that's what makes them so endearing. You just have to get human trained.

If you were living in a house and hanging out in your bedroom (your 'personal' space) and someone kept reaching in, lifting your roof off and grabbing you, you'd be upset, too.

You'd be more upset if your embedded instincts were that when you were grabbed or confined, it meant you were about to be eaten.

You have to get her a set up where she can come and go on her own and you don't have to grab and lift her, and she needs a 'safe zone' hidey box that you don't go in at all (unless it's an emergency). Rabbits (especially dwarfs) don't hide much, if at all, they're very curious and outgoing, she will interact with you. Just let her do it on her terms.

It's going to take awhile to rebuild trust, but it can be done, and the spay will help. (Just get someone else to take her in so you're not the bad guy).

My dwarfs will ALWAYS come when they're called, they can never resist running up to me when I'm down on the floor. They eventually began regularly jumping on my lap, bed or wherever to interact with me.

Pipp is bonded to me, she never leaves my side. I get a constant flow of bunny kisses as she grooms me.

Give her a chance. Just be patient and gentle and work on a better set-up.

Good luck!


sas :bunnydance: