Territorial Behavior

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Leowyldemi

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Monongahela, Pennsylvania, USA
I'm a bit worried about howie's behavior lately, since he's begun to come out of his shell he seems to be getting a bit territorial.He tries to taake the scoop out of my hand when i scoop his cage, and the other day our guinea pig was out,howie was in his cage, she came up to sniff the cage and howie lunged, warning her off.I'm a bit worried about what will happen in the future if this continues, and i would like some advice from experienced bun owners.Will this lead to bad habbits such as biting? if so i would like to stop it before it becomes too bad without repressing his social behavior and making him become withdrawn again.
 
Bunnies can be very territorial of their cage. We have a buck, Tony, who will bite me if I reach in. Sometimes it's because he thinks I have a craisen, and other times he's protecting his house - he will knock the feed scoop out of my hand also.

We remove the bunnies when cleaning their cages if possible. It's less stressful for them and less dangerous for us!
 
Is your guy neutered?

Often they can act that way if a foreign smell goes in, so if you smell of another animal, or something, that is an invasion and he won't take kindly to that, no rabbit will. Most of mine are fine with me in their territory but if I put my hands in after touching someone else, they often launch and bite, because they operate on smell.

Also, if Howie a rescue? If he is, remember that he will have a past and that will impact on how he acts now, so try not to blame him for it.
 
Toby is very protective of his cage, too. Like Bo B Bunny, we have to let him out of his cage in order to clean it. He also gets over-excited thinking my fingers are treats :?

If he isn't neutered, that is a lot of it. Once neutered, they tend to calm down a bit.
 
i got him from petco after a lady who couldn't take care of him brought him in,he is neutered, i think maybe he's acting this way because it's the first time he was on his own, he was always with another bun before, do you think getting him a mate would calm him down?he's never bitten anyone,but he is definately territorial over his things.
 
Maybe having a spayed girlfriend might help him, especially if she is very laid back and confident. My Cloud used to be incredibly vicious due to an anxious nature, but a neuter and a very confident girlfriend have helped him no end and he is a different bunny. It might be worth looking into, certainly. But obviously if you get another bun you will have to be prepared that they may not bond and you might end up with two separate buns.
 
About your aggressive rabbit == and my response is going to sound crazy, I know. But, does your rabbit see you dressed differently every day == different colors on your clothes, different shoes etc?

If I change shoes, wear a different color, or even don't put my housecoat on over my clothes, all my critters == goose, hens and rabbits will act up. Gooney, my goose, will even bite me, and my rabbit, Baby, will bite me.

It took a friend of mine to clue me in. I can't remember faces, why I don't know. But I have a friend who's husband will tease me by wearing a hat so I can't tell who he is. There's no hard feelings, it's all in good fun. She is who recognized that when I wore something different around by critters, they got upset and even aggressive.

It took someone else to let me know there are things about my little critters == that are just like me!! I can tell you from personal experiences that it is indeed scary when you can't figure out who someone is and they are doing things and saying things that lets you know that they know you == and you can't recognize them. It makes you feel afraid and makes your brain buzz.

I hope this helps.




 
You know they don't see in color, but Bo can definitely tell if I have something on that's different - he lets me know if it's good or bad too! He likes my sweatshirts but chews my tshirts. He loves soft shirts and blankets but will dig and nip at certain shoes I wear. He chins my feet in socks LOL!
 
I don't know if they can see in color or not. I do know they will react to color. It's funny, really. We went to a public aquarium and the fish followed me around! LOL!! People got a lot of delight out of that and then one of the smiling workers told us the person who always fed the fish wore a blue t-shirt every day. I had on a blue t-shirt.

And I know wild birds will react to color too. I can't imagine rabbits living in a colorless world.

It's interesting, isn't it!
 
I really hope we can find lots ofinfo on this subject. It is sooooo interesting!

My family is pretty sick of seeing me in that old blue bathrobe!! LOL!!




 
I just read the article. Great article!!! I've noticed when I wear black baggy sweat pants, they get upset. Ojo, who is my black rabbit, hides in a corner while Baby, who is my white rabbit, jumps up and bites me.

Maybe they think I'm a big black rabbit??? I dunno. Gooney -- my goose -- doesn't like those black sweat pants either. One of my little hens even squats and extends her head and will run at me aggressively. She actually jumped up and attacked me. (She couldn't hurt a fly, even with all her bluster.)

This is so interesting!


 
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