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Forum BEHAVIOR Confused, Rabbit Aggressive Then Fear?

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    • Priscila
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        Hijo is my very sweet and energetic white New Zeland rabbit. Yesterday, I took him out of his cage and placed him in a big box so he wouldn’t run in and out of my room or so I wouldn’t accidentally hit him as I cleaned out his cage. I moved the box into my sister’s room that’s right next to mines, which he loves playing in when we let him run around the house, so he could run around in there. We let him out and he was fine. I left to clean out his cage, I shut my bedroom door so he wouldn’t stroll in and when I just began, I hear my sister shrieking and telling me to get my rabbit. I open my door and I see him run past my doorway and down the hall. I go see what was wrong with my sister, and she told me that my rabbit had bitten her and that she was bleeding from one of the bites. The moment she said this, he came running back and and attacked her again. He then sees me, bites my ankle and proceeds to chase me when I try to move away from him. I grabbed the box that we put him in, and trick him into going into the box and we just left him in there until I finished the cage. I was so scared to touch him, that I positioned the box so he would slowly slide into his cage. He has never done this in the few weeks we had him. The first time I cleaned his cage, we had done almost the exact thing. We placed him in the big box and moved him into the living room, which my sister had let him free and he was fine. No problems at all. An half hour or so later of keeping an eye on him , I thought maybe he was better since he seemed calm. I was wrong. I opened his cage and he walked passed me and hissed at my sister that he had bitten earlier (both of my sisters had come to hang out in my room at the time)and charged at her almost biting her again. She jumped around him, grabbed our little sister and ran out my door, shutting it behind them. He charged at me so I hopped onto a chair. I didn’t know what to do, so I grabbed a bucket lid near the chair and blocked him back into his cage. Once he was back in, I shut the cage door and locked it. He was quiet and distant the rest of the night. 

        Today, he came up to the cage door to see me like normally does when I enter or leave the room. I speak gently to him, still a little afraid to pet him so I gingerly pet his nose bridge. He didn’t do anything, but just stared and then hop back into his corner. I leave him be and come back an half hour later to spend some time with him. I talked to him, and I try asking him what was wrong. I noticed that he stopped using his litter box and was pooping all over his cage instead. He just stared at me, so when I began to google answers for his behavior, he begins to thump his hind legs. I put my phone down and acknowledge him. He just kept thumping his feet. Then I heard strange movement and knocking. It turned out to be just the workers working on the house. They’ve been here before and it didn’t bother him and he didn’t thump around either last time. I figured he wanted to get out so I built a makeshift playpen for him and let him out, since I know he hates it in there but I’m still cautious of him. He ran into his favorite corner and he began to thump in the corner. He runs back and forth looking at me and running away then thumping. He even found a loophole and got out. When I turned around, he got scared and very quickly went back into the playpen. I thought it was best to go back into his cage, and blocked him back into his cage. He hasn’t thumped again.

        I read that it may be aggression, it might be fear, it might be because he’s lonely (which isn’t likely since we interact with him often and let him run free in my room), he’s hitting puberty, and a bunch of other things. The previous owner was a nice family living in the area and was giving him away for free. I didn’t ask why or anything really about the bunny. The lady said he was about a year old, and I asked her recently if he was neutered. He’s not so I would have to save up and get it for him as soon as I can. He was doing so well with us when we to pick him up from the family, and was very sweet when he warmed up to us. He comes most of the time when I call him and he doesn’t chew cords.He listens sometimes and is always doing binkies. We know he hate’s being picked up and being in a harness. Hijo and I bonded so well and I feel like that’s gone. I don’t know what happened, I’m just afraid he’ll attack someone again and what to do with him in the meantime.


      • jerseygirl
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        22338 posts Send Private Message

          Wow that is aggressive. Maybe some fear based aggression… You handled him well when he was like this.

          How long have you had him now?

          Are you 100% certain Hijo is a boy? The lady said he wasn’t neutered. Can you see the testicles at all? I only ask because pregnant rabbits or ones having a false pregnancy can be quite aggressive and different to the character you had known them to be. So if it turned out Hijo is a female rabbit experiencing a change in hormones, that would explain a lot.

          I suppose it could be late onset puberty in a male rabbit also.

          Sudden changes like this may stem from a health issue also.


        • Mikey
          Participant
          3186 posts Send Private Message

            Definitely look for his testicles. If he doesnt have them, then he is really a she and possibly going through a false pregnancy like Jersey mentioned. He could also be a very hormonally driven male (my nethie was one before being neutered; he was so aggressive that i have scars up my arms, legs, hands, feet, ect from his angry freak outs), causing his first reaction to be aggression. It sounds like he was scared, but also sounds like it could have been a very territorial issue (chasing everyone out of the room, pooping all over his cage, ect)


          • VivaLaBunz
            Participant
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              This sounds exactly like what my previous, unspayed female rabbit BunBun used to do if you went anywhere near her Xpen or cage. She would chase, honk, lunge and bite me every time I put my hand in to feed her. You might have a female rabbit on your hands who is being territorial, they are also known to have “false pregnancies” as jerseygirl and mikey mentioned in their posts. Basically it is their hormones making them go crazy. Regardless of whether you have a male or female you definitely want to get your rabbit altered as this takes care of most territorial behaviors.


            • Buggy
              Participant
              25 posts Send Private Message

                I had no idea even females could get this agressive scary

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            Forum BEHAVIOR Confused, Rabbit Aggressive Then Fear?