Poppy has become aggressive

[beatrixpoppy]

I am completely at my wits end, Poppy is driving me crazy with her behaviour, some days i think its just a bit naughty but days like today make me wonder why i give her house room (obviously i know why) she was so lovely and cuddly - not usual for a bunny - and these last few months she has gotten progressively worse aggression wise, its getting to the point that if i try to feed her she's gonna have a go at my hand, she will lunge, bite, scramble, refuses to be picked up hates being touched - i know that the probable cause is her hormones and that spaying should help a lot but i guess i just wanted some advice and stories from you guys of your females and what spaying did for you. I think it's a definite for the to do list as soon as possible, i hate seeing her like this and can't help but think that the hormones are probably driving her crazy too

 

[JBun]

Spaying won't necessarily solve the problem. It may help some, though. I have a 7 mo old rabbit that developed cage aggression issues. She'll lunge and try to bite anytime I try to put my hand into her cage, but once I get a hold of her and am holding her, she loves to snuggle. So it's not that she doesn't like me or want to be held. She just doesn't want anyone reaching into her cage or initially picking her up. I did get her spayed and it didn't change her behavior at all. So I have been working on teaching her that lunging and trying to bite, aren't allowed, and it seems to be working. She'll pause now when she tries to do it, kind of like she's remembering that maybe she's not supposed to do it anymore, and even lay her head to the floor when I reach to discipline her, so it's getting a lot better. What I do is I wear leather gloves, and reach into her cage, and when she lunges to bite or bites, I press her head/shoulder area to the floor gently but firmly, and hold for a few seconds after she stops struggling. This is something a momma bun does to discipline her babies, and also a dominant rabbit does this to discipline other rabbits. At first she tried to wiggle out of my hand(so that's why you have to be a little firm with them) but now she let's me do it with out a fight, and I'm having to do it less. I'm still careful reaching into her cage because she's still in the habit of lunging, it's just not as bad as before, and I either have gloves on or I hold her down if I need to reach in to do anything.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Totally agree with the above. Great reply and info. Any animal will walk all over humans if given the chance to

 

[beatrixpoppy]

am beginning to think gloves might be a good option if nothing else just so i feel confident enough to do these things and she doesnt get what she wants

 

[agnesthelion]

I agree that hormones can be a factor but spaying won't always fix all the issues. Was this an overnight switch in personality for her? It does seem odd for a bun you've had since a baby all of a sudden switched. Were there any signs when she was little that she was getting "grumpy" about her cage?
Also, how often is she handled and spends time with you?

 

[beatrixpoppy]

no signs nothing it was just like someone flipped a switch and since then shes gotten worse. She spends about an hour everyday with me minimum has done since she was a baby

 

[JBun]

I don't think it really has to do with how used she is to you or how well socialized. My bun that is cage aggressive was held and played with all the time, and one day she just decided she didn't like me reaching into her cage, and bit me. And it does get worse if you don't do something to discipline her, because she realizes that it works to keep you out of her cage. So once you start to discipline her for lunging and biting, I'm fairly certain you'll start to see positive results.

One thing I will mention is that if she has any eyesight issues, that could play a part in it. I have a pink eyed rabbit that doesn't see very well and she'll get nervous about weird smells and sounds, and she'll bite if I put my hand near her nose, so I've just learned to be careful where I put my hands with her.