Why does he attack?

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Hermelin

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My cute bunny Toste (a loop mix) have done great improvements with socializing and letting other people cuddle with him.

He no longer attacks in the cage, being picked up, petted or trying to fix in the cage. He’s no longer as scared of his surroundings and when going to new places he’s a lot calmer. My little brother can easily lift his front body up, touch his stomach and cuddle with him but no picking up.

My brother never take care of the rabbits and only meet them short times, he often cuddles with my french loop (the queen of the backyard). So the rabbits never bond with him.

I have no problem picking him up, he’s calm and not scared or aggressive. Just the step picking him up from the ground is still hard but, it’s because he won’t stay still and he will just around. But up in the arms he become a calm rabbit, half closed eyes, relaxed and will do purring sound when you scratch his cheeks or neck.


So back to Toste problem, when you are petting Toste, there a spot which will get him to react and fling his head towards the hand and bite. Most of the time for me it’s no longer a real bite. It’s more like, I will feel his teeth on my hand but then he back down or he manage to stop his attack and it only becomes a head fling.

The spot which you risk of being bitten it’s on the lower back near the hips, on the left side.

I wonder why he does that. Are he in pain?

Is it just something I can teach him not to do?

Toste eat like he normally do but don’t know if he drinks a lot, so hard comparing between the rabbits. He drinks quite a lot of water, I have to fill up his bowl twice a day (250 ml water fit in his bowl).

Toste has a lot of energy and will often do binkys and run around in circles many times during the day. So it might just be normal with all the running around and playing that he drinks that much.

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Most rabbits do not like to be touched on the back end. If he doesn't like it, then don't bother him there.

As for the drinking, I suggest getting a larger bowl. My prior rabbit would drink 20 oz per day (almost 600 ml).
 
I’m just thinking it’s unusual, always same spot and he will react like that. When he have no problem with everything else. You can touch his tail and everything but the left side near the rear, is a big no zone for him.

I never noticed the spot before, because he always attacked when being touched. It has become more apparent now, when he’s gotten used with me.
 
Might be confusing it with attempt to mount/dominate?

Shouldn’t he be reacting when you touch the whole rear end also, which I can do without a problem. He’s in a period where he’s molting the winter fur, so I have to brush his tail and lower back.
 
He have stopped attacking now, when being touched on the rear end.

The only thing I have to practice with him it’s being picked up. Can’t really pick him up because he really don’t now how to stand still. In the arms he’s a cuddly and calm rabbit.

But now I don’t have to worry when people touch him.
 

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