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Forum BEHAVIOR Bunny Aggressive? (please help!!)

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    • AmandaKelly9
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        I rescued a rabbit back in October (he was estimated at under 6 months at the time) . He loves his cage and rearranging his bedding and nibbles on his toys a little bit in the cage, but when I take him out to sit him on my lap to Brush/Groom him, he gets either very excited or very aggressive..I’m not sure which, I usually put a few toys in my lap to give him something to do but he DESTROYS them..like he rips them apart quickly and violently..and then he starts digging at me and trying to get out of my lap..sometimes even peeing.I think hes stressed or angry but I’m not sure If its normal or if I am making my bunny unhappy or if its normal, but the longer he is sitting there he will start breathing heavily and I’m scared I am hurting him! Is it because he is a male? would getting him fixed stop the aggression? Please Help!


      • Mikey
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          Thats not aggression. Rabbits are not lap animals. He is attacking because, in his eyes, you are holding him hostage on your lap. He doesnt want to be there, and he doesnt like it


        • Tgbarber
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            I have a tv tray that i can adjust to be quite high off the ground. I put a towel on it, give him his Greens and brush him while he’s eating. The only way i can brush him is while he’s eating his Greens. My bun will not sit in my lap unless he thinks i have more banana, then he crawls all over me, bumping my face, giving me kisses. I jusy have to not give him very much or he will get poopy butt.


          • AmandaKelly9
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              Would this also be the cause for his aggressive chewing?


            • sarahthegemini
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                That doesn’t really sound aggressive at all, he just doesn’t want to be forced onto your lap. It probably is very scary for him. Hence the very heavy breathing. It has nothing to do with him being male, and no getting him neutered probably won’t stop it because his behaviour doesn’t sound hormone driven.


              • sarahthegemini
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                  Posted By AmandaKelly9 on 2/16/2017 2:32 AM

                  Would this also be the cause for his aggressive chewing?

                  Aggressive chewing? Can you elaborate? 


                • Mikey
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                    Hes not aggressive. He is reacting in fear. If you mean “aggressive chewing” as tearing the toys in your lap apart, yes. Hes trying to get away from your lap by anything that means necessary, even if that means destroying his toys our of fear driven frustration. The easy fix is building trust with your rabbit and to stop forcing him into your lap. Find a new way to groom him


                  • Luna
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                      I agree. When I trim Luna’s nails (which she hates), I place her on a towel and I can tell she’s had enough when she starts digging furiously at the towel. It’s her way of saying “No more, I’m done for today!”


                    • AmandaKelly9
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                        I have trust with my rabbit. He follows me around the house and sit beside me on the couch, that isn’t the issue, it’s trying to groom/bathe/clip nails without him destroying things and biting. I have also tried doing it on the floor, the behavior is the same.


                      • AmandaKelly9
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                        • AmandaKelly9
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                            Does she kick at you and scratch?


                          • Mikey
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                              Posted By AmandaKelly9 on 2/19/2017 6:47 PM

                              I have trust with my rabbit. He follows me around the house and sit beside me on the couch, that isn’t the issue, it’s trying to groom/bathe/clip nails without him destroying things and biting. I have also tried doing it on the floor, the behavior is the same.

                              You should not be bathing your rabbit. It is bad for their fur and skin. Still, you need to find a new way to groom and trim nails. For nail trimming, you can do the bunny burrito tactic; that seems to work for a lot of people with nervous buns. For grooming, one of my bunnies only calms down enough for grooming if i have him in the bathroom (he sits on the mats and will sprawl out; the small room pleases him), so i groom him in there. Often for my other bunnies, treats/greens/pellets for them to munch while i brush them helps


                            • Yilina
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                                Hi there,

                                Your bunny is acting normal, nor aggressive or excited. Most bunnies hate being picked up or sat on laps. It doesn’t matter that he trusts you or not, they are prey animals and being picked up means, for them, that they are going to be eaten. They’ll kick, scratch, bite and do anything they can think of to free themselves. What I think Mikey means by “building trust” is that you need to gain his trust, not that having him trust you will mean that he will let you sit him in your lap. You are losing his trust now with this behaviour.

                                You need to find another way to groom him. My bunny allows me to comb his fur while I am petting him (on the floor) with one had and holding the comb with another. Also, bathing is completely unnecessary and can be damaging for his fur and very scary for him. Rabbits are like cats in that respect: they keep themselves clean.

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                            Forum BEHAVIOR Bunny Aggressive? (please help!!)