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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Lunging

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    • Hannasue
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        Hi so sushi my lionhead bunny it 10 weeks old ive had her for two, going on three weeks now.
        I am able to hand feed her and feed her from the palm of my hand.she gets stuck on the second level of her cage (to lazy to use the ramp) so i have also pick her up now as well lol. She doesnt like pets and doesnt come to investigate me anymore besides a few second then goes about lounging around.

        So i noticed recently i put my hand in her cage and she lunges at it. Sniffs it and hops off on her mary way…?!? She never thumbs afterward, growls or bites. Just a few sniffs. Likewise when i had to clean her cage this morning she was in my way so i usually tap her to let her know i would like to be there. She didnt care so i gave her a head rub with my finger and she jumped into the air. No thumps no growls just a hop and moved.

        Is she just a sassy but kind bunny? Or does she wanna play maybe? Or is she excited? I cant tell.
        Thanks


      • Mikey
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          Are you putting your hand in her blind spot? Rabbits have a hard time seeing in front of them. If youre putting your hand on the sides of her/within her seeing range and she still lunges, I would question if shes blind or has a seeing problem

          My Blue does the same thing, and has a harder time seeing when the lights arnt on. If Im standing in a shaded area, he will scope me out and slowly inch towards me to sniff before he realizes its me. He has hooooorrible eyesight


        • Hannasue
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            She has a LOT of fluff covering her eyes and yes it is towards the center of her face when she does lunge. Sometimes though it is diagonal and she still does it.
            Shed make a great guard bun i suppose lol
            Thank you i never thought about that idea


          • Mikey
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              Sounds like she cant see you well, then Try to keep your hands on the sides of her face instead to help her see better. You can also talk to her while sticking your hands around her, to help her know its you around her and not a stranger


            • Hannasue
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                Thanks i’ll try that


              • tobyluv
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                  Some rabbits are very cage/pen protective and will lunge at hands and arms coming into their territory. I know someone who has rabbits like that and they are adult rabbits who have been spayed and neutered. Since this behavior has just started recently, it could be that her hormones are starting to come into play. Hormones can make them crabby or have an attitude. Doing as Mikey says should help too.


                • Hannasue
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                    thanks i’m questioning if its aggersive though because she just sniffs me. I have seen her get angry at me and thump even bit me once cause i didnt understand she was upset. So if shes angry it has to be pretty tame.
                    I will try and move slowly in the cage and talk to her so she knows im there and not a threat


                  • Luna
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                      Do you ever hand feed her treats through her cage? She could also be lunging at your hands and sniffing them to see if you have a treat.


                    • Hannasue
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                        I hand feed her as much as possible though right now its hard because she is so young she gets unlimited pellets so theres nothing else she wants lol. I have had treats in my hand, then she lunges, sniffs my hand and eats the treat.
                        Thanks guys


                      • Hannasue
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                          Update: i just cleaned her cage and she lunged at me so i slowly moved my hand back and to the side of her face where she promptly nipped me. Welp. So much for “excited for treats” idea. Sigh.


                        • BunnyFriends
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                            Winter came to me with a cage aggression problem. She nip and lunge whenever I fed her, moved a toy, or pet her in her cage. Now she’s a total sweetheart after two months of working on it.

                            Might not work for you, but I covered her eyes when I opened the cage. Then once she’d calmed down I removed my hand and let her sniff me.


                          • Hannasue
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                              Idk if i can move my hand that close to her but i can try thank you
                              Im starting to really think she might be a “dont even look at me” kind of bunny which really sucks but ill try my best


                            • Mikey
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                                Are you sure shes only about 2 to 2 1/2 months old? Rabbits can start reaching puberty (with puberty comes hormones and moodiness) as early as 3 months. It would explain her flip foppy feelings about you in her cage


                              • Hannasue
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                                  I feel like its a bit to early for hormones to kick in. She might havebeen territorial this entire time abd just didn’t want to bite or nip. Im really hoping things improve i’ve spent so much time trying to be with her and make her happy. Im just a little crushed all my hard work feels like im making no progress


                                • skysblue
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                                    Posted By Hannasue on 5/16/2017 11:45 PM

                                    She has a LOT of fluff covering her eyes and yes it is towards the center of her face when she does lunge. Sometimes though it is diagonal and she still does it.
                                    Shed make a great guard bun i suppose lol
                                    Thank you i never thought about that idea

                                    Did you try coming from above?


                                  • Hannasue
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                                      I have not though i feel like that would scare her more and trust me less because she cannot see my hand. Since she is aggressive i think i need to give her space and be even more painfully timid


                                    • Hannasue
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                                        I have not though i feel like that would scare her more and trust me less because she cannot see my hand. Since she is aggressive i think i need to give her space and be even more painfully timid


                                      • Hannasue
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                                          I have not though i feel like that would scare her more and trust me less because she cannot see my hand. Since she is aggressive i think i need to give her space and be even more painfully timid


                                        • BanditCamp
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                                            Females can get territorial about their nest if there not spayed, and my friends who have females all tend to be a bit sassy about their personal space. My boy is super accepting of me being in his space as hes inside my space all the time. I also do not reach inside by bunnies cage unless its ABSOLUTELY NECCESARY while hes inside and if I do I make sure im loaded with a treat or two. I want him to know that his habitat is his human free space and e can go there and feel safe.


                                          • Hannasue
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                                              I could understand that however her problem is she isnt an explorer. I open her cage door for 4+ hours and ive seen her put her paws on the wood floor maybe sniff the carpet thats about 2-3 inches from the cage opening. Then feeling content and running back into her cage. Today im planning to move a few toys outside so she has to move out of her cage to play with them. Along with treats and pellets.


                                            • skysblue
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                                                Posted By Hannasue on 5/18/2017 7:22 AM

                                                I have not though i feel like that would scare her more and trust me less because she cannot see my hand. Since she is aggressive i think i need to give her space and be even more painfully timid

                                                It’s actually easier coming from above, less likely that she will lunge at you. She can see better.


                                              • BanditCamp
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                                                  Wait you said wood floor. Try putting a large fleece or towel over the wood. Bandit will not travel on anything that isnt coveres by carpet or something soft he hates hard surfaces.


                                                • ThorBunny
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                                                    Yes I agree, we have wood floors and for months I had to put towels down in-between the rugs so Thor would run between them She only recently got over her terrible fear of hardwood floors (6 months in) and even then she prefers rugs.


                                                  • Hannasue
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                                                      Funny thing about that i covered her cage with fleece when i first got her and she pushed it aside to lay on the linoleum i removed most of the fleece and she loved her cage a lot more. I could try the carpet or fleece idea just to make sure maybe she only likew curtian hard surfaces.
                                                      Thanks guys

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                                                  Forum BEHAVIOR Lunging