Storm has gotten very cage aggressive

Shop deals on ebay
Love your rabbit
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Mrs. PBJ

Mrs. PBJ

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2008
Messages
3,729
Reaction score
2
Location
Galveston, Texas, USA
Ok so storm has gotten very cage aggresive. Like when I try to clean his cage he grunts at me and bites me. he never bite hard enough though to break skin. this has started over the past week .

Nothing in his inviroment has changed I got a foster cat but he does not know she is even here. I have a friend little dog for a week.

He has been spending more time in his cage. But I am preparing him for me to go back to work soon so he will have to be in his cage. I have been giving him 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. He has a 4 by 2 cage condo. With 2 levels so he has a lot of room for a dwarf. he is only 1 1/2 pounds. So he has a lot of room to me to at least. Is this enough room?

He has also gotten very treat aggresive like when I give him treats if he does not get what he wants he attacks me. If he does not get it fast enough he bites me. This has all happened very resently.

He has a ox bow tude to tear up that he has been working on quite a lot resently. Cat toys with bell, toilet paper tubes empty and some full of hay. Hanging parrot wood toys to tear up throw around wood toys. Those balls made of hay with a bell in the middle. A phone book. The colorful wood ball with the nut in the middle

I dont what what could be wrong cause him being bored should not be the issue.

Can any one help me? I just cant figure out why he would be like this. He is neutered. Has been sense Jan 7 of this year. Which is when he came home also.

He is done wioth his molt he looks very nice. He does not seem to be in any pain. eating and drinking normally. I have not heard any grinding of teeth or seen anything out of the norm. beside this aggresion.

It has all been within the past week.
 
I think something may be wrong he is not eating his pellets this morning.

So now its time to figure out what his tummy is not hard. So now I think a trip to the vet is in order what is today oh thursday. I will watch him for the day and if he seems off I will take him in tomorrow.

It is a little early for me to give him his pellets.

I have to go make a speech at the humaine society about emergency kits for the up coming hurricane season so i have to make sure everyone has theres together as in my gang I am doing rabbit dog and cat. Another person is doing bird and other small animals and then another is doing reptiles.

They want people to be prepared this year in advance. I just need to go get some bedding for storms emergency kit. And I have to make the cat one. Luckly I dont have to be there tell noon
 
Yes, if you think something is not right, then the chances are it's not. Being aggressive can be a sign of something being wrong.

I agree with angieluv that the other animal odours could be doing it. Rabbits obviously have a much heightened sense of smell, and he will smell both the animals on you, even if he can't see them. Therefore it might be like a dog or cat is invading into his space, which he would then obviously want to protect.

Good luck at the vets if you go, keep us updated :)
 
I took him to the vets cause he is eatng but has gotten meaner. So they checked him over no pain signs anywhere. Did a fecal checked him teeth. He has small spur but the vet said that could wait. Nothing out of the norm he said he had pretty good teeth to be a dwarf and a house pet.

Ran a fecal did a ex ray considering insurence is paying for it. Took some blood for a few test I have to pull the paper work to see what it was for but some of it wont come back for a few days he said.But he said all in all storm seems even more healthy then when he fixed him.

He said he is a little on the heavy side not much but watch it.

I ended up not going to lunch cause I had to give storm hay and he took a chunk out of my hand. I was like we are going to make sure your ok.

I left before the ex ray was done. Hesaid he will email me the results if any.

I also noticed that storm has peeed all over the carpet I never put his flooring in cause there was never a problem. Well he has gone hay wire in the last week or so. They checked for UTI they did everythig I can thinkof. I was like lets find out if it could be anything.

So now I came home and cleaned his cage. Put a towel down tell I can get his flooring cut. And he took another chunk out of me. That time I got mad and slapped him real good on the butt.

I felt bad for it afterward but it was a reaction out of pain. Now I have tohide the bites from hubby cause he will have a cow. he is already on the edge about storm he always has been. One day he loves him the next its like you know i never wanted that rabbit.

I am upset cause storm was not this bad when we first got him. and hewas bad. If it is the cat will he get used to her smell or will this be forever. I dont want him upset me getting hurt and getting mad. But the cat is here will he ecept that.





It upsets me the most cause he is my favorite. I am so upset right now. I love him to peices. But he is like I dont like you anymore dont want to deal with you and hate you. May makes five months that I have had him. Could it also be that time a year even though he is neutered his clock has to think something

 
Please don't take your anger out on him. It's not a reaction that is personal to you, it is because of something. If you hit him then you will make him worse because you then give him a reason to be aggressive to you.

The way he is behaving is as a bunny behaves sometimes. It's not personal, he is just being a bunny and communicating the best way he can. As the more intelligent being in this relationship its down to you to work out what the problem is and do your best to fix it.

I hope that the vet is able to give you some answers, not because I want anything to be wrong, but it's easier to fix if its medical than if its behavioural.

Yes, spring can have an effect on neutered buns and can make them nasty, but I wouldn't think this nasty.

If it is the other house guests then it will depend really, on why he is acting as he is. If its because its a new smell then it may settle, if its because he is terrified then it may not. You need to be creative and try different things, like make your hands smell of different things, maybe try the cat in the room where his cage is and see how he reacts. Rabbits are creatures of habit so breaking that habit can also help, so not giving him a chance, changing the routine that you 'do' him, or not allowing him to hurt you (gardening gloves can be useful), or rearranging hisis cage, or cleaning it with white distilled vinegar regularly so it doesnt feel like his territory, things like that.

This is not his fault. He is just being a bunny. Don't punish him for being a bun.
 
I did not hit him to punish him it just hurt real bad it was complete reation. I felt real bad about it aftewards.

I would never punish him like that on perpose. He does not understand shoot really never punish any animal like that on purpose.
 
The fact you felt bad is a good thing because it means you shouldn't do it again. Whyever you did it, potentially it could make him worse, so be prepared for that.

Essentially we all make mistakes, but its what we learn from those mistakes that is important.
 
I agree, it's probably the smell from the other animals. The only time Alaska has ever bitten me was when Max was first brought home, I had held him just prior to picking her up, she smelled him on my t-shirt and bit me HARD on the chest. Try changing your shirt and washing your hands before dealing with Storm to see if that helps. Make sure that he can't smell the other animals on you.
 
If I let him see and smell the cat could that help.

The other dog is going home saturday. Its a friends I am just pet sitting. The cat is being treated for earmites thats the only reason I have not let them see each other
 
I took a bath and came straight down stairs afterwards.



Storm was his normal old self so it is the cat can I let them meet face to face and solve this problem or will storm work through it.

I am glad I figured it out he is a happy bun tell I pet the cat.
 
Wasn't there something also about putting a smidgen of vanilla on their nose to mask the other animals scent?
Not sure, thought I had come across it in the forums..
 
Mrs. PBJ wrote:
I took a bath and came straight down stairs afterwards.



Storm was his normal old self so it is the cat can I let them meet face to face and solve this problem or will storm work through it.

I am glad I figured it out he is a happy bun tell I pet the cat.
Click to expand...

It may help him to meet the cat so he can figure out for himself that the cat isn't a threat. Alaska is fine with Max now (they live next to each other) so it doesn't matter who I pet before I cuddle Alaska and she's perfect, no aggression. Strangely enough, she didn't act that way when I brought Takumi home, only with Max.

I'm glad you figured it out :)
 
That's great you found something that works. The fact it's the cat makes it easier to understand, and something you can work with.

Them meeting each other may help, it may not. It's going to be trial and error to see what it is that helps him, but you know this works, which is great because you could make change his routine so that you only go in/near his cage after you've had a bath/shower or something.

In regards to the vanilla, yes, you can use vanilla over the nose to mask a scent, but with a vicious bun its a bit hard to get the vanilla there in the first place (I'm speaking from experience there). You can, however, use vanilla on your hands, or another pleasant scent, or spray a bit on the cage (or somewhere else near him) so that he gets mainly that smell.
 
Hes not vishous this is the first time I have ever seen this out of him I mean when we frist brought him home but he was scared then.

He is a sweetie even with other people. He wont just jump up to anyone hey I like you but he is not vishous either.

He is coming around I took him up the and he charged her but he does that to phoenix even now. So thats nothing new.

I think it will be ok but when the babys come he is going to have to learn how to deal with it. I dont have a set time I deal with him he free romes during the day so he come in contact with me all the time.

Thats the thing this was only around his cage and at treat time. But I am teaching him tricks now
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top