My mae rabbit is aggressive and has biten members of my family. why was he like this and how can i change it?

I bought my male rabbit from a family frind who had it for a year. big mistake. he has never been nuetered and apparently because he lived alone with the person i bought him off, i cant put him with another rabbit. he keeps humping a football and shedding hair and while he was pretty tame and let me stroke and brush him when we first got him, he now makes a grunting noise, bites and wont let us near him. we're a loving family and try to give him alot of love and attention and open space to run round in, he loves running around the garden. he has toys, constant fresh food and water nd air and lovely warm huts full of hay. what have we done wrong that he's become so bad tempered and aggressive and how can we rectify it???? any help would be appreciated, thanks v much.

My mae rabbit is aggressive and has biten members of my family. why was he like this and how can i change it?
I agree with demon. get him neutered first and allow him a few weeks for his hormones to surge and calm down. Then go to a rescue to get him a neutered female. They will do a free bonding to ensure they get on well and won't fight before allowing them home. The female will have also been health checked and fully vaccinated. If you go to a shop, you may find you get a problem or unhealthy rabbit. Rescues know the personality's of their adoptive bunnies so can advise you which will be best for you, your bunny and your environment. And in the meantime can also advise ou on how to get back in your bunny's good books but really it's his hormones causing the main bulk of the problem. Good luck.
Reply:getting him neutered is going to help sooo much!!! after the neuter, the hormone calm within about 3 months. check out www.rabbit.org this website will give info on rabbit on every detail. good luck to you and your rabbit.
Reply:Rex rabbits as they get older have a Hitler type personality and they are not good pets while they are little they are fine , letting the rabbit have his own run and space will keep the rabbit happy, if you want a rabbit that is non aggressive as they get older try a dwarf lop the floppy ear ones they make beautiful pets
Reply:he sounds like a new zealand white that i had. he was like that and no-one could pick him up.



i put him in a pen with food and water and left him alone for a day to settle in



what i did next some will say i was cruel, i went to pick him up and he went to bite me so i slapped his nose, just enough to shock him not hurt him. i picked him up by the scruff of his neck, the skin there is loose and it doesnt hurt him, and held him untill he stopped struggling, then i turned him onto his back and cradled him like a baby then put him down after ten mins, i did it 3 times before he would let me pick him up with no problems, with him it was a dominance thing
Reply:getting him neutered maybe the best option, but i had same sort of problem with my girl rabbit. she attacked everytime i changed her food or clean her cage. well i read that the best way to stop this is to let the rabbit do everything with you. for example let the rabbit stay in the cage when you clean it, and also do not directly take your rabbit out of its cage the are suppost to get out them selves. cleaning the cage with her is now a breeze. good luck!
Reply:A new rabbit may be in order is you want a pet. He seems set in his ways. Rabbit stew is a good possibility, that way you could love him (mmm...delicious!) and make room for the next pet.
Reply:he is probably scared, hence the shedding hair. you should be very quiet and comforting around him. you should not be more than one person around him at a time. and always stroke him really slowly when he lets u.
Reply:I'd say getting him neutered would be the first step. Even though he's an older rabbit, it can still improve both his temperment and life expectancy. It also opens up the possibility of getting him a friend, which could also help to calm him down. The fact that he hasn't been with another rabbit before doesn't mean he never can, so long as you get him neutered. Contact rabbit rescues in your area if you're interested in getting him a companion or if you just want further advise on getting him to accept you again.



Please ignore these people who think it would be appropriate to cook your pet simply because he's somewhat agressive. I wonder what they'd suggest for an agressive cat or dog.
Reply:time for the pot....I think
Reply:Definitely time for a visit to the Vet or put him out to stud to keep him happy!
Reply:I think that you should get him netured. its those dangleys that will create the hormone which will make him agressive. if they are removed then the problem should go away. looks as if you are giving him all the care and attention that he requires but i think he may be just getting a bit grumpy. i think if you get him netured then you would be able to introduce a female as well without fear of loads of little bunnies appearing, maybe a bit of companionship will be good for him as well.
Reply:It would be best to Neuter him. I have to male rabbits that were very aggressive but they got netured and they have calmed down,still very playful :)
Reply:Time to get mr bunny neutered. When he is grunting, does he run circles around you and try to jump over/on you?

Sounds like either dominance or mating behaviour. When a male rabbit picks its partner to mate with, they grunt, run circles, hop, jump over and nibble the other.

Shedding hair is normal, I wouldn't worry about that.

My rabbit is 6 months old now and booked in to be neutered in 2 weeks! I can't get peace to clean his room out without him running around me grunting and nibbling at me lol

Good luck
Reply:Firstly you have done nothing wrong, we had the same problem, it could be one of three things,

ours had a vision problem so got frustrated and angry,

it could be sexual frustration try giving him a teddy or simular soft toy and see what happens or lastly and worse case Rabbits can have mental problems in which case there is not a lot to be done.

I would try the soft toy approach first and then the vets



I hope this helps

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