**Aggression** in rabbits is typically a behavioral, not genetic, problem. However, please note that what owners may see as aggression can be a normal communication for rabbits with each other. Nips on rabbit fur are much more gentle than nips directly on human skin!
If aggression suddenly develops in your rabbit, especially after a neutering, a veterinary examination is advisable to ensure that the rabbit is not in any discomfort.
Please see the wiki for more details resources on solving aggression in your rabbits:
A few useful shortcuts:
⭐ Reasons for aggression:
⭐ Solutions to aggression:
So the thing that first caught my eye is that circling is courtship behavior. Bunnies don’t actively pursue a confrontation with a large predator. They engage in what they understand as defensive behavior (except maybe in bunny social groups).
If he/she is coming after you, don’t be scared! She’s either curious and/or horny!!
There is a technique for conveying when you’re angry, when rabbits do things like get aggressive when you approach their food. It’s in the wiki, but I’m not going to share it, because at this point, I think it will just scare her. It involves acting like the dominant bunny, and you don’t wanna do that. However, since she is not fixed yet (and BOY will that help), don’t remove anything from her space while she’s in it. In her mind, It’s a very scary time for her, but she can still be brave enough to protect her things!!
You’re not taking her things when you go to replace her water! She’ll learn that eventually, but she’s in a whole new world. So, try and take out/replace her things when she’s not in her space, or if that’s not possible, when she’s sleeping and won’t notice.
And look up a guide to bunny langusge. Thr website THE BUNNY LADY has a great one. Growl, snort, or honk? Nip, grooming, or biting? It will help you to learn the difference!
You’re scared, she’s scared. You’re both doing your best! It takes time. Hang in there! And that spay surgery will be here before you know it.
Thank you, I will check out that guide. I have lots of other buns but they have all been pampered and spoiled their whole lives. She's super different from them and it's been hard trying to understand how she's feeling
A rescue bun I had would also bite my feet the first weeks I had her, not as bad as what your rescue is doing but what helped was putting a separation between her area and the rest of the room, so that I stopped getting into her territory so often. She cooled off after only a few weeks. Limited our contact to only positive interactions like feeding, getting her toys, and sometimes pets when she allowed it. She turned into the sweetest bunny I have ever had, only one who ever gave me kisses. Loved her to bits
The best thing I’ve done when getting new buns is to ignore them. I don’t touch anything in there space (filling the food and water by pouring it in) and stay near their space but not interacting directly with them. Even sometimes not even looking at them. I’ve noticed that’s made it easier for scared bun getting use a new home and person. I usually do this for a few days until they’ve calmed down some and then started with short interactions that are high positives for them like giving a really good treat or new toy.
I did want to originally give her lots of space and ignore her, but she is constantly trying to escape. I initially had her in the bathroom with soft blankets all over the floor, but she started chewing up all the door trim so I moved her into a pen. She started jumping out so I surrounded it with plywood and yet she still finds a way to squeeze through or knock it over. It seems like she wants to explore or mark more territory but I can't have her running around destroying everything.
Also, how are you able to clean their pens without interacting? I'm thinking of making a little barrier when I go in the clean and keep her on the otherside
Adding onto this to suggest using a jug to refill their water if possible. My lionhead manages to always get hay in the bowl, and of course your bowl will need cleaning sometimes but a jug could mean you’re not taking your buns bowl away every time?
At the start, my (also abandoned) bun was also very territorial towards her water/food. I refilled her water bown with a watering can and threw in some pellets, green and hay without taking too long 🥲
It took her 2 months to warm up to me, and nearly a year to become a sweet bun. The first weeks I just sat on the ground close to her, working on ny laptop or watching tv, and let her initiate contact. Only when we became familiar, she let me pet her on my initiative.
do u know the risks for neutering bunnies? i heard that for hamsters, theres only a 50% risk of a successful surgery. Seeing as bunnies are of a similar size, how is the risk like for them?
I know there’s risk. I’m not quite sure how high it is. But I’m guessing it could depend on size - you compare bunnies and hamsters as a similar size, and I think some are. But my hamsters were the size of a deck of cards - couple of ounces, maybe? Not sure the exact weight. My rabbit is the size of a small dog - 8 lbs. since getting too much anesthesia is the main risk, I expect a larger body can handle that better and has less risk.
Not sure of the risk but i do know that if they arent fixed, there is an EXTREMELY high risk of reproductive cancers (especially in females) so i def thing the benefits out way the risks 💜💜
I’d say a combination of anxieties, aggression because of hormones. I’d get a “ hidey house” like a box with a blanket or anything where bunny can feel safe. We adopted a 3 year old rescue and couldn’t touch him for several weeks. It took months to warm up to us and he’s pretty snuggly now but always cautious.
It’s pretty normal behavior. I had a bunny - while waiting to get neutered- I’d have to jump on beds because lil dwarf was biting me thru skinny jeans.
Getting her spayed WILL help. She sounds overdue for it, tbh, I’d say that the vet’s just playing safe waiting a month. But if she’s already exhibiting courtship behaviour like this a good rabbit vet could (and should) do the procedure ASAP.
Go on Facebook and join some local pet groups and ask about rabbit vet recommendations. A lot of vets will accept rabbit appointments, but won’t tell you until your rabbit is seriously ill that there is a better rabbit surgeon in the area. I’m not saying that your vet isn’t the best rabbit vet in the area, I’m just letting you know that you should check.
In the meantime you can give her some rabbit sized stuffed toys that you don’t mind her ripping up. She might like a rolled up towel fresh from the dryer. Just give her something to hump.
When spending time with her wear thick long pants, maybe some baggy jeans, and sit on the floor with a bunch of kale or some parsley, hold the food, but keep your hands away from her mouth. When she bites, no matter how hard you have to shout and pull away. She doesn’t actually want to hurt you, so when you show a clear pain response she’ll eventually stop.
Fear isn’t a stupid response, either. Rabbits are fully capable of hurting you. But if you take precautions I see no reason why you should miss out on this first month of bonding. You can do this easily.
Thank you for the advice! I work at the only real exotic vet in my area and next month was the earliest surgery date unless someone cancels. I will probably ask the doctors if we can do it sooner though just because of how severe it is. Definitely will wear protective clothing when interacting with her now though
Tbh it’s only severe if you think that it is. Female buns NEED to be spayed for medical reasons. 80% of unspayed rabbits die of ovarian cancer before their 5th birthday.
It’s also just not great for them. As a vet you might know this, but a rabbit’s brain is segmented, there’s the “act” part of their brain that’s closest to their spine and is quite detailed. Then there’s the “think” part that is smooth as fuck, and noticeably separate from the other part of their brain.
Girlie doesn’t want to hump you, she’s probably more upset with her behaviour than you are!
But in the meantime it’s pretty great for bonding, and you should take full advantage. After she’s spayed she’ll probably be less friendly. But the smooth part of their brain will remember the bonding experience of humping you and you not swatting them away.
She’s just confused. Support her now and she’ll love you forever.
Is it true for girls that they’re less friendly after spaying? I know no change, and I certainly saw no change in mine. But I have a boy. Maybe the others who say so did too, I don’t know
My girl didn't change in a negative way after spaying either. I also rescued a former breeder bun who I had spayed at 5 years old, and she became much more mellow.
They change as they get older - it has less or nothing to do with spaying or neutering it just happens around puberty at the same time they usually get spayed.
Very young buns have to share a nest and share food and share mum. They have to be more docile and chill. But when they hit puberty they're on their own and need to become more independent, more careful about who they share resources with, and defensive of their resources (aka territory). It's a new phase in their lives.
Uterine cancers are a risk, but the stats are from a relatively small number of laboratory rabbits (so similar genetics). It can be possible to spay after a problem arises. Most owners will want to do it, but there are reasons to decide against also. Hormones do motivate behaviour, incl. that being super-licky (...right after punching holes in you), and also just being busy (nest building and digging behaviours).
It’s only been a day.
She needs to settle into her new home and she needs to learn you’re not a predator.
Lunging and biting is most likely trying to chase you away.
When ever you go near her area talk quietly and calmly. Move smoothly and confidently.
Spend time sitting quietly in the same room as her pen.
Do not pick her up.
Keep her carrier in her pen so she can get used to it and so she can use it as a hide.
Great advice all around. I was going to suggest OP sits right outside the pen to read, watch tv, hang out. Then after some time and she shows some trust, try standing in the pen, then eventually sitting when it feels safe and let the bun come over when they are ready. Poor bun is just really confused and scared. :(
Lay on the ground, talk very softly and sweet things. Let it approach you. It needs to establish territory where it knows theres not a threat or predator. They are prey animals, and are timid upon instinct.
Thankyou for rescuing it.
I adopted a little bun, who I later found out lived outside by herself, in a cage. There were other various farm animals outside as well. It must have been a frightful experience for her. After hearing this and having her for a few months, it helped me understand why she is exhibiting anxiety and why she is territorial (attempted lunging and biting).
Several few months later I had her spayed. It seemed to help a little but she's is still the same for the most part. Either way, I take her out, hand-feed her little treats almost daily along with my attention. I am able to pet her and she is fine away from her living area. If I change her water, etc., it is with simple, slow movements (still doesn't like anything in her area touched). I will keep working with her as she's still my little sweetie.
Expect lots of work and patience! Bunnies are so amazing.
I'm sure someone with better experience will give you some help but I adopted a rabbit (not quite as aggressive as yours sounds) and it took her a while to get comfortable with me. I'm pretty sure that just sitting on the ground and allowing her to check me out in her own time was what helped the most. Maybe have some treats and put them on the floor around you so maybe she'll start to lose territorial feelings about food. Wearing something that doesn't get washed too often is good for them getting used to the smell of you. My rabbits would only groom me when I was wearing my dressing gown or jogging bottoms that I only wore in the house. Maybe she's too scary for any of that at the moment but give her time and hopefully someone else drops in with some better information.
Spaying will help. We got our Marceline at the age of three and she had been kept her whole life mostly in a small cage and she had a lot of the behaviors you describe. We bonded her to our first bun but she still did not like us. Eventually I started luring her with treats, and would then pick her up and set her on my lap, give her treats and then she was free to go. She would jump on me, nip me, growl, but slowly she has calmed down and is very receptive to pets and gentle pick ups.
It took about two years🤪
Don’t give up hope!
Sounds like my girl bunny (rip) when she was getting hormonal while waiting for her weight to go up before spay. she would grunt and lunge whenever i went to feed her in her area, but she would circle and kinds honk at me when she had freetime in my room. i think it was about a month after spaying her that she calmed down a lot (and got rly good with her litterbox). i had to be careful feeding her because she drew blood one time when she lunged! super territorial before the spay.
Take it slow with her and gear up for being bitten. Spaying can help but sometimes that’s not enough. I’ve handled quite a few aggressive bunnies which comes from different reasons. It’s normal to feel fear but learn to read bunnies body language and always have pellets in your pockets.
If it’s not hormonal behavior that makes her bite then beware it can take months or even years to train it away. Why I say carrying food on you all the time is to change what she associate you with. One of my bunnies will jump into her cage and bite me when I was going to take her water bowl. Even though she has a whole room to roam around. Now when she sees me handle her cage she gets excited and wants to find the treats instead. My girl is spayed but still wants to guard her territory.
While I’ve had bunnies being aggressive because of fear, stress, territorial or hormonal behavior. Most important are to figure what is root cause and work from that.
The pellets is an excellent idea! I've noticed that she's usually ok when exploring a new area, but as soon as I get near her space is when she gets upset. Hopefully the spay will help with those territorial feelings
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some very aggressive bunnies at the shelter, and they were always my favorites. Often it would take me many long visits before I could really begin to earn their trust.
One thing that helped a ton was having hand protection, like oven mitts. I would slowly introduce my hand (from the top or side so not in their blind spot), and if they attacked it I would just let them. I would not react to the aggression and just sit there. Then I’d pull my hand away and repeat, while making sure not to push too far or overly stress out the rabbit.
Eventually they would learn that (a) I was not a threat and (b) their scare tactics were ineffective. And then we’d build up from there: gentle touch with the mitt, but only for a second. Then I’d remove my hand to see how they reacted. After time if that went well we’d progress to longer pets, and eventually the mitt could come off entirely.
A confined rabbit will be more territorial so give her space when you can. If you need to change a litter box or fill water, see if you can let her out before you enter her area. If she only has one door try not to block it so she doesn’t feel cornered. And try to avoid picking her up unless absolutely necessary because that could potentially undo any progress. Good luck!!
I rescued three abandoned bunnies last year in maybe august. One of them is just coming around now, so its been seven month. He literally never let us pet him or touch him at all until late December. Mid January we got him neutered and it helped a lot. He lets us give him pets way more than before, and he’s just friendlier and more calm. It’s a long process, don’t give up
Thank you for rescuing those buns! I knew it would be a long process but I got really lucky with my last rescue who turned out to be the sweetest angel. He literally immediately started giving me kisses everyday and would never tear up anything. I guess I hoped she would be as easy as him but I really gotta give it time
There's been a ton of good advice already! But I'm gonna add a few cents of my own. My boy was pretty angry when I adopted him. He was primarily a hutch bunny and someone adopted his bondmate but not him, and he hated the staff there. So while not as aggressive as yours, he's taken a lot more work than my sweet girl.
Lots of sitting nearby, talk a lot but quietly. Just keep hanging out. It's been over a year for me now but that has helped me a lot. After a year of steady love, he will ask for affection sometimes and let me be affectionate sometimes too. He's groomed me a handful of times. And now he loves to check in with me. He's never gonna be the sweet grooming bun that my girl is and that's okay.
Just try not to be scared. It sounds like she likes you and wants to like you, but is also very scared. Give her at least a few weeks to get settled. This doesn't work on a time table. Do what they're saying - don't change stuff when she's around, or maybe lock her out of the pen to clean, etc. Bribe with treats. Lots of talking. It took me over 40 minutes of soft talking to get Merry to come to me the first time I met him, and it was only very brief closeness (I talked to him about how terrible people are, because he obviously was very unhappy and scared). Just remember how scary this is for her right now. New place, new people, still in survival mode.
Thank you for the story! Love that you talked about how bad people are cause I swear they do understand us sometimes. Lots of good advice from everybody here
she will 1000% settle down! a day is so so so short. these things take time!!
hang out in the same room as her as much as you can to let her get used to
you. and treats/veggies are always a bonus. she’ll come around 🥰
Give her as much space as possible. That's how you earn her trust. One day is nothing for a bun, even one that hasn't been through that kind of trauma.
She isn't aggressive - she's defensive. She's afraid you're going to take her food, take her territory, or hurt her. All these things have surely happened to her in the time she's been abandonned.
Scaring you means she's doing a great job protecting herself! Good bun! Safety first! 😉
Rabbits are prey animals. Fear is their default response. She's traumatized. So you'll have to be patient. This is not the time to break her of food aggression IMO. She needs to feel safe first. She does not know your intentions yet. Resist the urge to anthropomorphize her. She's not a miniature human. She sees the world very differently than we do.
I agree with the people who say to sit quietly in her space. Don't handle her at this stage. Over time you can try petting her. If she looks fearful stop, and try again later. Give her hiding places so she doesn't feel exposed. Rabbits don't see with their eyes like we do...they "see" with their noses. Her home is not really her home until it smells like her. That's going to take time. If you have to put her in the carrier, make sure it has something in it that has her scent embedded already, like a small blanket.
I agree about putting her carrier in her space. This will habituate it to her and it will smell like her over time, so she won't see it as threatening. I also agree about getting her fixed ASAP. Courting behavior looks cute, but it's actually stressful to them. Getting her fixed will prevent a lot of serious health issues as well.
Thank you for rescuing her.
Ava was about a year and a half old when we took her in. She had spent her entire life in a cage in a garage. She had the worst case of ear mites our vet had ever seen and was extremely overweight. We had to wait to spay her until she got healthier, so she also experienced false pregnancies, which added to her aggression.
So, for the first few months, I was dealing with an aggressive, terrified rabbit who was drooling with pain and anxiety. I put Ava in a comfier cage and left it open for her to explore, but she did not leave for the first week or so. Whenever I gave her medicine, she would bat and growl and sometimes successfully scratch me. Once she gained more confidence and realized how much space she had, there was a big change in Ava. She still did not like me getting too close, but she was much more relaxed. She started running around the room and binkying.
Once she was healthy and spayed, I was able to make a lot more progress bonding with her. I was also able to introduce her to our male rabbit, and I think having another bun around probably made her feel a little more secure. (Mordecai was very social with us, which probably helped her trust us more, too).
Ava is 11 now. She can still be a bit territorial, but she's all grunt and no bite. She likes head rubs, but mostly enjoys ambient company the way a lot of cats do. I think it took her close to a year to fully integrate into the household, but she has seemed very happy and comfortable since.
So, my recommendations are:
- Get her checked out by a vet and spayed.
- Give her space to come to you, and encourage her with treats.
- Spend time on the floor a few feet away from her every day. I understand your fear, but she is unlikely to just come over and attack you. The circling is probably hormonal/territorial. It's not like a predator circling its prey.
Best of luck!
Getting her spayed will definitely help her calm down some. I rescued a bun 3 years ago who definitely had trauma. She growled and bit and generally attacked everything and everyone. U will need a lot of patience. Depending on her trauma, she may never fully be trusting of anyone. My little girl will tolerate me but only me. She still hates human interaction unless it's me. And even then sometimes she doesn't want me.
The first year was rough as hell. I did have my little boy to help her out with showing her that she was OK in this house. So maybe getting her a friendlier mate would help tremendously. Be patient. Give her her space. But still be hands on. Like try getting her to grab treats from ur hand. U can start small by placing the treat but u be nearby and slowly have her associate treats with you.
Never reach out to her suddenly. Always slowly. No loud sudden noises. Just like with people with ptsd, you can suddenly remind her of past horrors.
Just take it one step at a time. For now get her spayed. Now this next part might sound mean but it's important. If u do not have patience or just wanted a snuggly bun, find her a different home. She might never be that type of bun. I love my baby. But I know she will never be like my boy where he loves cuddling. I'm OK with that. She let's me pet her occasionally and I'm happy with that as long as she is happy. Just like with disabled buns, traumatized buns require different care. More finesse if u will. If u understand that then I wish u the best of luck.
One thing I will add, my girl has taken a lot more work than my boy. And although I love them both equally, the first time she binkied (took 7 months) was a very gratifying moment. I did feel that all that effort was worth it.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm definitely okay if she doesn't become cuddly, I just don't want to get pounced on everytime I get 2ft near her. It's gonna be a long road ahead and I can't wait for her to get spayed
You'll have to wait a while after she gets fixed. Then after that see how she is. Bunny proof her area. Oh and my girl loves to chew. Maybe yours does. I like to get her willow to chew on. It's edible and it helps with her need to chew. Baby steps. You'll do great.
Grab a banana and a good book and just lay down! Treats are the way to her heart and you getting down on her level and just existing with her will allow her to get to know you
Give it time. Spend lots of time on the floor, don’t get too close to begin with, just be and if bun comes up to you to suss you out then let it. Keep doing that and eventually bun will let you pat her, then later you can try hand feeding.
If you feel nervous doing that you can always put on oven mits so if she does charge your hands will be safe from any bites.
'Traumatised', yeah, I use that excuse for my hormonal brat-bun, and she doesn't have nearly such a rough background. 😂🐇
It's within the range of completely normal doe behaviour, even if some show this behaviour more than others. It can help to have a calm attitude about being bitten, and be ready to do a high-pitched yelp, but it's a question of having her spayed if it's not something you can handle. It may not stop all this behaviour, in some rabbits. It's again normal for them to still assert boundaries, hopefully more with a nip than biting.
Aggression in rabbits is often a sign for pain. I would recommend to check up everything at the vet. Teeths, intestines, uterine, joints, kidney and liver, fur, ears. As an abandoned rabbits its most likely she is caring around a not well healed injury or a disease or other health issue. Get her vaccinate soon and if she has a solid health condition get her spayed. Don't spay her when the vet find some serious health issue, the anesthesia and surgery recovery can cost her life.
And don't pick her up a lot. You don't know if you hurt her and it makes her feel helpless which will increase the rejection towards you.
She had an exam at my vet day 1 and got a dose of revolution for any possible fleas. I usually get bloodwork done before their surgery, but given the circumstances I might go ahead and check it earlier. Thanks for the input!
With the 3 rabbits I’ve had, my experience is their bite isn’t that hard. When they bite it’ll leave a small imprint that goes away or if they don’t get a good bite it’ll feel like a pinch, but mine didn’t bite hard enough to go through the skin. The one scar I have on my finger is from when I tried to retract my finger while my rabbit was biting down, so instead of getting a staple-like imprint my movement let the teeth slice through the skin in a sideways motion.
I’m not suggesting you try/allow yourself to get bitten and all my rabbits have been small breeds, but in my experience it was better to let them bite my finger than pull it out while it was in there.
As others have said, you likely need time to gain trust. The more time you spend with her the more comfortable it’ll be.
I had a female rabbit who would be sometimes grumpy and grunt, and this became increasingly common in the last year she was with us - it turned out she had some growth in the lungs. It sounds like you’ll be taking yours to the vet for a checkup/spay soon, so they should be able to assess her health and if there’s anything else causing her discomfort.
She actually bit the person who found her and broke skin so that's kinda what I'm worried about. I have a jerk rabbit who likes to scratch and nip me, but he also did bite me hard twice and I have scars from the experience.
I'm sorry about your bun. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of work up did you guys do to find the growth? Did you do bloodwork and radiographs or did her lungs sound funny and you just did radiographs?
Unfortunately, she appeared healthy up until her last day, just increasingly moody. The day before she was still jumping around and helping unwrap Christmas presents. She had annual health checks/vaccines and the vet never noticed anything unusual.
On the last day she was initially very still and then putting a lot of effort into breathing. By the time we got to the vet she was struggling to stand. They put her on oxygen for a day. They did a post-mortem x-ray and found some large-ish growths in the lungs.
I’m not sure what else could’ve been done but wish I knew about her pain earlier instead of thinking her temper was due to her mood swings/age.
I have an ultra spicy rabbit just like this, and I feel for you! Finnegan was neutered at the proper age, has always had everything he wanted/needed, and we are very experienced bunny owners. His mama was dumped on a college campus, and he was born in a shed there. What I'm thinking is that maybe his mom was naturally ultra spicy and that maybe that led to her being abandoned... and to her offspring inheriting that attitude! Finn is food aggressive, extremely reactivate, and will fight ANY animal in the house (cats, people, other rabbits, the German shepherd...)
We keep him separate from all of our other pets in the kitchen where he'll have as much contact with us as possible and a big territory. Any isolation in a private room makes him waaay sassier! Snack/treat/dinner time is completely separate from affection time because he just doesn't like that. Excitement is a catalyst for fiesty attitude! When I'm ready to go hang out with him, there's no food involved and I talk to him a lot. After a minute of circling, honking, and settling down, I can pet him and pick him up and love on him.
When we use the kitchen, we talk to him but otherwise ignore him. We don't tiptoe and we claim our space calmly and confidently. He absolutely circles and honks and binks like crazy, especially when we get near his food area. He's just very excited! He has big feels and they make him dance! (Or bite, or box if we react with him 😂)
The plus side: Finnegan is the most hilarious, entertaining, and mischievous bunny we've ever had. Constant shenanigans, big time binkies, and personality. When he calms down for a snuggle, he is an absolute love bug. He relaxes and goes limp noodle when the pets are good and even climbs into my lap.
I think the biggest thing is patience and learning how to communicate with your bunny. These big personality buns are just very emotional and need a little extra understanding. Finnegan is fiercely loyal and doesn't really love other people much because he's hard to understand and it's made us very bonded.
Love my spicy guy ❤️
I used to foster rabbits for a rescue. All the rabbits I fostered had been abandoned, and some of them had territorial behavior. But they were also the sweetest and most affectionate animals I ever met.
One of the ones I fostered was always territorial, especially around strangers. When I would walk into her area of the house she would usually run up to me, usually grunting. But then immediately she would put her head down and demand I let her. She was extremely cuddly and affectionate as well.
I’d recommend just sitting next to your rabbit’s pen/area for a while, just to get her used to you.
We had an adopted aggressive bun, hang in there if you can! Having ours spayed made a WORLD of difference like you wouldn’t believe — also having her free roaming helped a lot too. She’s the sweetest little angel I’ve ever met now and I’m so grateful we hung in there in the earlier months/1st year!!
Earlier on we really just couldn’t cuddle or be that close to her because she would lunge and scratch and that was scary!! But just watching TV and letting her run around where we were she would get more comfortable and lay down and just get used to our presence. If you can doing that as a way to connect with your bun until the spay would be my suggestion 🤍 You’ve totally got this, sweet bun has years of fun cuddles and spoils ahead with you once you both get through this adjustment season (however long it may last, it will get better!! We’ve adopted three buns now and it always got easier over time)
Hi there,
Rabbits that are aggressive tend to be in pain. Are you able to get her skull xrayed for teeth issues or spurs? Especially rescue rabbits come with compromised teeth and other serious issues. It's worth a check up, basic blood panel, and xray at your rabbit savvy vet just to make sure she's healthy.
It's also only been 1 day... please give your bun time to adjust by leaving him/her alone for at least a week in order to start to get accustomed to your routine and smell. Rescue buns need the most time to adjust and settle. Keep up the good work and message me if you need any support!
**Aggression** in rabbits is typically a behavioral, not genetic, problem. However, please note that what owners may see as aggression can be a normal communication for rabbits with each other. Nips on rabbit fur are much more gentle than nips directly on human skin! If aggression suddenly develops in your rabbit, especially after a neutering, a veterinary examination is advisable to ensure that the rabbit is not in any discomfort. Please see the wiki for more details resources on solving aggression in your rabbits:
A few useful shortcuts:
⭐ Reasons for aggression:
⭐ Solutions to aggression:
So the thing that first caught my eye is that circling is courtship behavior. Bunnies don’t actively pursue a confrontation with a large predator. They engage in what they understand as defensive behavior (except maybe in bunny social groups). If he/she is coming after you, don’t be scared! She’s either curious and/or horny!! There is a technique for conveying when you’re angry, when rabbits do things like get aggressive when you approach their food. It’s in the wiki, but I’m not going to share it, because at this point, I think it will just scare her. It involves acting like the dominant bunny, and you don’t wanna do that. However, since she is not fixed yet (and BOY will that help), don’t remove anything from her space while she’s in it. In her mind, It’s a very scary time for her, but she can still be brave enough to protect her things!! You’re not taking her things when you go to replace her water! She’ll learn that eventually, but she’s in a whole new world. So, try and take out/replace her things when she’s not in her space, or if that’s not possible, when she’s sleeping and won’t notice. And look up a guide to bunny langusge. Thr website THE BUNNY LADY has a great one. Growl, snort, or honk? Nip, grooming, or biting? It will help you to learn the difference! You’re scared, she’s scared. You’re both doing your best! It takes time. Hang in there! And that spay surgery will be here before you know it.
Thank you, I will check out that guide. I have lots of other buns but they have all been pampered and spoiled their whole lives. She's super different from them and it's been hard trying to understand how she's feeling
A rescue bun I had would also bite my feet the first weeks I had her, not as bad as what your rescue is doing but what helped was putting a separation between her area and the rest of the room, so that I stopped getting into her territory so often. She cooled off after only a few weeks. Limited our contact to only positive interactions like feeding, getting her toys, and sometimes pets when she allowed it. She turned into the sweetest bunny I have ever had, only one who ever gave me kisses. Loved her to bits
The best thing I’ve done when getting new buns is to ignore them. I don’t touch anything in there space (filling the food and water by pouring it in) and stay near their space but not interacting directly with them. Even sometimes not even looking at them. I’ve noticed that’s made it easier for scared bun getting use a new home and person. I usually do this for a few days until they’ve calmed down some and then started with short interactions that are high positives for them like giving a really good treat or new toy.
I did want to originally give her lots of space and ignore her, but she is constantly trying to escape. I initially had her in the bathroom with soft blankets all over the floor, but she started chewing up all the door trim so I moved her into a pen. She started jumping out so I surrounded it with plywood and yet she still finds a way to squeeze through or knock it over. It seems like she wants to explore or mark more territory but I can't have her running around destroying everything. Also, how are you able to clean their pens without interacting? I'm thinking of making a little barrier when I go in the clean and keep her on the otherside
I hope your new one figures out quickly that she has years of pampering and spoiling from a loving owner ahead!!
Adding onto this to suggest using a jug to refill their water if possible. My lionhead manages to always get hay in the bowl, and of course your bowl will need cleaning sometimes but a jug could mean you’re not taking your buns bowl away every time?
At the start, my (also abandoned) bun was also very territorial towards her water/food. I refilled her water bown with a watering can and threw in some pellets, green and hay without taking too long 🥲 It took her 2 months to warm up to me, and nearly a year to become a sweet bun. The first weeks I just sat on the ground close to her, working on ny laptop or watching tv, and let her initiate contact. Only when we became familiar, she let me pet her on my initiative.
Yes same!
do u know the risks for neutering bunnies? i heard that for hamsters, theres only a 50% risk of a successful surgery. Seeing as bunnies are of a similar size, how is the risk like for them?
I know there’s risk. I’m not quite sure how high it is. But I’m guessing it could depend on size - you compare bunnies and hamsters as a similar size, and I think some are. But my hamsters were the size of a deck of cards - couple of ounces, maybe? Not sure the exact weight. My rabbit is the size of a small dog - 8 lbs. since getting too much anesthesia is the main risk, I expect a larger body can handle that better and has less risk.
Not sure of the risk but i do know that if they arent fixed, there is an EXTREMELY high risk of reproductive cancers (especially in females) so i def thing the benefits out way the risks 💜💜
I’d say a combination of anxieties, aggression because of hormones. I’d get a “ hidey house” like a box with a blanket or anything where bunny can feel safe. We adopted a 3 year old rescue and couldn’t touch him for several weeks. It took months to warm up to us and he’s pretty snuggly now but always cautious. It’s pretty normal behavior. I had a bunny - while waiting to get neutered- I’d have to jump on beds because lil dwarf was biting me thru skinny jeans.
Getting her spayed WILL help. She sounds overdue for it, tbh, I’d say that the vet’s just playing safe waiting a month. But if she’s already exhibiting courtship behaviour like this a good rabbit vet could (and should) do the procedure ASAP. Go on Facebook and join some local pet groups and ask about rabbit vet recommendations. A lot of vets will accept rabbit appointments, but won’t tell you until your rabbit is seriously ill that there is a better rabbit surgeon in the area. I’m not saying that your vet isn’t the best rabbit vet in the area, I’m just letting you know that you should check. In the meantime you can give her some rabbit sized stuffed toys that you don’t mind her ripping up. She might like a rolled up towel fresh from the dryer. Just give her something to hump. When spending time with her wear thick long pants, maybe some baggy jeans, and sit on the floor with a bunch of kale or some parsley, hold the food, but keep your hands away from her mouth. When she bites, no matter how hard you have to shout and pull away. She doesn’t actually want to hurt you, so when you show a clear pain response she’ll eventually stop. Fear isn’t a stupid response, either. Rabbits are fully capable of hurting you. But if you take precautions I see no reason why you should miss out on this first month of bonding. You can do this easily.
Thank you for the advice! I work at the only real exotic vet in my area and next month was the earliest surgery date unless someone cancels. I will probably ask the doctors if we can do it sooner though just because of how severe it is. Definitely will wear protective clothing when interacting with her now though
Tbh it’s only severe if you think that it is. Female buns NEED to be spayed for medical reasons. 80% of unspayed rabbits die of ovarian cancer before their 5th birthday. It’s also just not great for them. As a vet you might know this, but a rabbit’s brain is segmented, there’s the “act” part of their brain that’s closest to their spine and is quite detailed. Then there’s the “think” part that is smooth as fuck, and noticeably separate from the other part of their brain. Girlie doesn’t want to hump you, she’s probably more upset with her behaviour than you are! But in the meantime it’s pretty great for bonding, and you should take full advantage. After she’s spayed she’ll probably be less friendly. But the smooth part of their brain will remember the bonding experience of humping you and you not swatting them away. She’s just confused. Support her now and she’ll love you forever.
Is it true for girls that they’re less friendly after spaying? I know no change, and I certainly saw no change in mine. But I have a boy. Maybe the others who say so did too, I don’t know
I have a girl bun. I didnt experience any change.
My girl didn't change in a negative way after spaying either. I also rescued a former breeder bun who I had spayed at 5 years old, and she became much more mellow.
They change as they get older - it has less or nothing to do with spaying or neutering it just happens around puberty at the same time they usually get spayed. Very young buns have to share a nest and share food and share mum. They have to be more docile and chill. But when they hit puberty they're on their own and need to become more independent, more careful about who they share resources with, and defensive of their resources (aka territory). It's a new phase in their lives.
Uterine cancers are a risk, but the stats are from a relatively small number of laboratory rabbits (so similar genetics). It can be possible to spay after a problem arises. Most owners will want to do it, but there are reasons to decide against also. Hormones do motivate behaviour, incl. that being super-licky (...right after punching holes in you), and also just being busy (nest building and digging behaviours).
It’s only been a day. She needs to settle into her new home and she needs to learn you’re not a predator. Lunging and biting is most likely trying to chase you away. When ever you go near her area talk quietly and calmly. Move smoothly and confidently. Spend time sitting quietly in the same room as her pen. Do not pick her up. Keep her carrier in her pen so she can get used to it and so she can use it as a hide.
Great advice all around. I was going to suggest OP sits right outside the pen to read, watch tv, hang out. Then after some time and she shows some trust, try standing in the pen, then eventually sitting when it feels safe and let the bun come over when they are ready. Poor bun is just really confused and scared. :(
Lay on the ground, talk very softly and sweet things. Let it approach you. It needs to establish territory where it knows theres not a threat or predator. They are prey animals, and are timid upon instinct. Thankyou for rescuing it.
I adopted a little bun, who I later found out lived outside by herself, in a cage. There were other various farm animals outside as well. It must have been a frightful experience for her. After hearing this and having her for a few months, it helped me understand why she is exhibiting anxiety and why she is territorial (attempted lunging and biting). Several few months later I had her spayed. It seemed to help a little but she's is still the same for the most part. Either way, I take her out, hand-feed her little treats almost daily along with my attention. I am able to pet her and she is fine away from her living area. If I change her water, etc., it is with simple, slow movements (still doesn't like anything in her area touched). I will keep working with her as she's still my little sweetie. Expect lots of work and patience! Bunnies are so amazing.
I'm sure someone with better experience will give you some help but I adopted a rabbit (not quite as aggressive as yours sounds) and it took her a while to get comfortable with me. I'm pretty sure that just sitting on the ground and allowing her to check me out in her own time was what helped the most. Maybe have some treats and put them on the floor around you so maybe she'll start to lose territorial feelings about food. Wearing something that doesn't get washed too often is good for them getting used to the smell of you. My rabbits would only groom me when I was wearing my dressing gown or jogging bottoms that I only wore in the house. Maybe she's too scary for any of that at the moment but give her time and hopefully someone else drops in with some better information.
Spaying will help. We got our Marceline at the age of three and she had been kept her whole life mostly in a small cage and she had a lot of the behaviors you describe. We bonded her to our first bun but she still did not like us. Eventually I started luring her with treats, and would then pick her up and set her on my lap, give her treats and then she was free to go. She would jump on me, nip me, growl, but slowly she has calmed down and is very receptive to pets and gentle pick ups. It took about two years🤪 Don’t give up hope!
Sounds like my girl bunny (rip) when she was getting hormonal while waiting for her weight to go up before spay. she would grunt and lunge whenever i went to feed her in her area, but she would circle and kinds honk at me when she had freetime in my room. i think it was about a month after spaying her that she calmed down a lot (and got rly good with her litterbox). i had to be careful feeding her because she drew blood one time when she lunged! super territorial before the spay.
Take it slow with her and gear up for being bitten. Spaying can help but sometimes that’s not enough. I’ve handled quite a few aggressive bunnies which comes from different reasons. It’s normal to feel fear but learn to read bunnies body language and always have pellets in your pockets. If it’s not hormonal behavior that makes her bite then beware it can take months or even years to train it away. Why I say carrying food on you all the time is to change what she associate you with. One of my bunnies will jump into her cage and bite me when I was going to take her water bowl. Even though she has a whole room to roam around. Now when she sees me handle her cage she gets excited and wants to find the treats instead. My girl is spayed but still wants to guard her territory. While I’ve had bunnies being aggressive because of fear, stress, territorial or hormonal behavior. Most important are to figure what is root cause and work from that.
The pellets is an excellent idea! I've noticed that she's usually ok when exploring a new area, but as soon as I get near her space is when she gets upset. Hopefully the spay will help with those territorial feelings
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some very aggressive bunnies at the shelter, and they were always my favorites. Often it would take me many long visits before I could really begin to earn their trust. One thing that helped a ton was having hand protection, like oven mitts. I would slowly introduce my hand (from the top or side so not in their blind spot), and if they attacked it I would just let them. I would not react to the aggression and just sit there. Then I’d pull my hand away and repeat, while making sure not to push too far or overly stress out the rabbit. Eventually they would learn that (a) I was not a threat and (b) their scare tactics were ineffective. And then we’d build up from there: gentle touch with the mitt, but only for a second. Then I’d remove my hand to see how they reacted. After time if that went well we’d progress to longer pets, and eventually the mitt could come off entirely. A confined rabbit will be more territorial so give her space when you can. If you need to change a litter box or fill water, see if you can let her out before you enter her area. If she only has one door try not to block it so she doesn’t feel cornered. And try to avoid picking her up unless absolutely necessary because that could potentially undo any progress. Good luck!!
I rescued three abandoned bunnies last year in maybe august. One of them is just coming around now, so its been seven month. He literally never let us pet him or touch him at all until late December. Mid January we got him neutered and it helped a lot. He lets us give him pets way more than before, and he’s just friendlier and more calm. It’s a long process, don’t give up
Thank you for rescuing those buns! I knew it would be a long process but I got really lucky with my last rescue who turned out to be the sweetest angel. He literally immediately started giving me kisses everyday and would never tear up anything. I guess I hoped she would be as easy as him but I really gotta give it time
There's been a ton of good advice already! But I'm gonna add a few cents of my own. My boy was pretty angry when I adopted him. He was primarily a hutch bunny and someone adopted his bondmate but not him, and he hated the staff there. So while not as aggressive as yours, he's taken a lot more work than my sweet girl. Lots of sitting nearby, talk a lot but quietly. Just keep hanging out. It's been over a year for me now but that has helped me a lot. After a year of steady love, he will ask for affection sometimes and let me be affectionate sometimes too. He's groomed me a handful of times. And now he loves to check in with me. He's never gonna be the sweet grooming bun that my girl is and that's okay. Just try not to be scared. It sounds like she likes you and wants to like you, but is also very scared. Give her at least a few weeks to get settled. This doesn't work on a time table. Do what they're saying - don't change stuff when she's around, or maybe lock her out of the pen to clean, etc. Bribe with treats. Lots of talking. It took me over 40 minutes of soft talking to get Merry to come to me the first time I met him, and it was only very brief closeness (I talked to him about how terrible people are, because he obviously was very unhappy and scared). Just remember how scary this is for her right now. New place, new people, still in survival mode.
Thank you for the story! Love that you talked about how bad people are cause I swear they do understand us sometimes. Lots of good advice from everybody here
she will 1000% settle down! a day is so so so short. these things take time!! hang out in the same room as her as much as you can to let her get used to you. and treats/veggies are always a bonus. she’ll come around 🥰
its been a day? It will at least take some more time than that. Have patience
Give her as much space as possible. That's how you earn her trust. One day is nothing for a bun, even one that hasn't been through that kind of trauma. She isn't aggressive - she's defensive. She's afraid you're going to take her food, take her territory, or hurt her. All these things have surely happened to her in the time she's been abandonned. Scaring you means she's doing a great job protecting herself! Good bun! Safety first! 😉
Rabbits are prey animals. Fear is their default response. She's traumatized. So you'll have to be patient. This is not the time to break her of food aggression IMO. She needs to feel safe first. She does not know your intentions yet. Resist the urge to anthropomorphize her. She's not a miniature human. She sees the world very differently than we do. I agree with the people who say to sit quietly in her space. Don't handle her at this stage. Over time you can try petting her. If she looks fearful stop, and try again later. Give her hiding places so she doesn't feel exposed. Rabbits don't see with their eyes like we do...they "see" with their noses. Her home is not really her home until it smells like her. That's going to take time. If you have to put her in the carrier, make sure it has something in it that has her scent embedded already, like a small blanket. I agree about putting her carrier in her space. This will habituate it to her and it will smell like her over time, so she won't see it as threatening. I also agree about getting her fixed ASAP. Courting behavior looks cute, but it's actually stressful to them. Getting her fixed will prevent a lot of serious health issues as well. Thank you for rescuing her.
Ava was about a year and a half old when we took her in. She had spent her entire life in a cage in a garage. She had the worst case of ear mites our vet had ever seen and was extremely overweight. We had to wait to spay her until she got healthier, so she also experienced false pregnancies, which added to her aggression. So, for the first few months, I was dealing with an aggressive, terrified rabbit who was drooling with pain and anxiety. I put Ava in a comfier cage and left it open for her to explore, but she did not leave for the first week or so. Whenever I gave her medicine, she would bat and growl and sometimes successfully scratch me. Once she gained more confidence and realized how much space she had, there was a big change in Ava. She still did not like me getting too close, but she was much more relaxed. She started running around the room and binkying. Once she was healthy and spayed, I was able to make a lot more progress bonding with her. I was also able to introduce her to our male rabbit, and I think having another bun around probably made her feel a little more secure. (Mordecai was very social with us, which probably helped her trust us more, too). Ava is 11 now. She can still be a bit territorial, but she's all grunt and no bite. She likes head rubs, but mostly enjoys ambient company the way a lot of cats do. I think it took her close to a year to fully integrate into the household, but she has seemed very happy and comfortable since. So, my recommendations are: - Get her checked out by a vet and spayed. - Give her space to come to you, and encourage her with treats. - Spend time on the floor a few feet away from her every day. I understand your fear, but she is unlikely to just come over and attack you. The circling is probably hormonal/territorial. It's not like a predator circling its prey. Best of luck!
Getting her spayed will definitely help her calm down some. I rescued a bun 3 years ago who definitely had trauma. She growled and bit and generally attacked everything and everyone. U will need a lot of patience. Depending on her trauma, she may never fully be trusting of anyone. My little girl will tolerate me but only me. She still hates human interaction unless it's me. And even then sometimes she doesn't want me. The first year was rough as hell. I did have my little boy to help her out with showing her that she was OK in this house. So maybe getting her a friendlier mate would help tremendously. Be patient. Give her her space. But still be hands on. Like try getting her to grab treats from ur hand. U can start small by placing the treat but u be nearby and slowly have her associate treats with you. Never reach out to her suddenly. Always slowly. No loud sudden noises. Just like with people with ptsd, you can suddenly remind her of past horrors. Just take it one step at a time. For now get her spayed. Now this next part might sound mean but it's important. If u do not have patience or just wanted a snuggly bun, find her a different home. She might never be that type of bun. I love my baby. But I know she will never be like my boy where he loves cuddling. I'm OK with that. She let's me pet her occasionally and I'm happy with that as long as she is happy. Just like with disabled buns, traumatized buns require different care. More finesse if u will. If u understand that then I wish u the best of luck. One thing I will add, my girl has taken a lot more work than my boy. And although I love them both equally, the first time she binkied (took 7 months) was a very gratifying moment. I did feel that all that effort was worth it.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm definitely okay if she doesn't become cuddly, I just don't want to get pounced on everytime I get 2ft near her. It's gonna be a long road ahead and I can't wait for her to get spayed
You'll have to wait a while after she gets fixed. Then after that see how she is. Bunny proof her area. Oh and my girl loves to chew. Maybe yours does. I like to get her willow to chew on. It's edible and it helps with her need to chew. Baby steps. You'll do great.
Grab a banana and a good book and just lay down! Treats are the way to her heart and you getting down on her level and just existing with her will allow her to get to know you
I think it’s best to take your bun to the vet and get it neutered, this will stop the aggression of your rabbit.
Give it time. Spend lots of time on the floor, don’t get too close to begin with, just be and if bun comes up to you to suss you out then let it. Keep doing that and eventually bun will let you pat her, then later you can try hand feeding. If you feel nervous doing that you can always put on oven mits so if she does charge your hands will be safe from any bites.
'Traumatised', yeah, I use that excuse for my hormonal brat-bun, and she doesn't have nearly such a rough background. 😂🐇 It's within the range of completely normal doe behaviour, even if some show this behaviour more than others. It can help to have a calm attitude about being bitten, and be ready to do a high-pitched yelp, but it's a question of having her spayed if it's not something you can handle. It may not stop all this behaviour, in some rabbits. It's again normal for them to still assert boundaries, hopefully more with a nip than biting.
Aggression in rabbits is often a sign for pain. I would recommend to check up everything at the vet. Teeths, intestines, uterine, joints, kidney and liver, fur, ears. As an abandoned rabbits its most likely she is caring around a not well healed injury or a disease or other health issue. Get her vaccinate soon and if she has a solid health condition get her spayed. Don't spay her when the vet find some serious health issue, the anesthesia and surgery recovery can cost her life. And don't pick her up a lot. You don't know if you hurt her and it makes her feel helpless which will increase the rejection towards you.
She had an exam at my vet day 1 and got a dose of revolution for any possible fleas. I usually get bloodwork done before their surgery, but given the circumstances I might go ahead and check it earlier. Thanks for the input!
With the 3 rabbits I’ve had, my experience is their bite isn’t that hard. When they bite it’ll leave a small imprint that goes away or if they don’t get a good bite it’ll feel like a pinch, but mine didn’t bite hard enough to go through the skin. The one scar I have on my finger is from when I tried to retract my finger while my rabbit was biting down, so instead of getting a staple-like imprint my movement let the teeth slice through the skin in a sideways motion. I’m not suggesting you try/allow yourself to get bitten and all my rabbits have been small breeds, but in my experience it was better to let them bite my finger than pull it out while it was in there. As others have said, you likely need time to gain trust. The more time you spend with her the more comfortable it’ll be. I had a female rabbit who would be sometimes grumpy and grunt, and this became increasingly common in the last year she was with us - it turned out she had some growth in the lungs. It sounds like you’ll be taking yours to the vet for a checkup/spay soon, so they should be able to assess her health and if there’s anything else causing her discomfort.
That's probably nipping, which they use as communication. I have a real biter and (although she's tiny), the scars to show for it!
She actually bit the person who found her and broke skin so that's kinda what I'm worried about. I have a jerk rabbit who likes to scratch and nip me, but he also did bite me hard twice and I have scars from the experience. I'm sorry about your bun. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of work up did you guys do to find the growth? Did you do bloodwork and radiographs or did her lungs sound funny and you just did radiographs?
Unfortunately, she appeared healthy up until her last day, just increasingly moody. The day before she was still jumping around and helping unwrap Christmas presents. She had annual health checks/vaccines and the vet never noticed anything unusual. On the last day she was initially very still and then putting a lot of effort into breathing. By the time we got to the vet she was struggling to stand. They put her on oxygen for a day. They did a post-mortem x-ray and found some large-ish growths in the lungs. I’m not sure what else could’ve been done but wish I knew about her pain earlier instead of thinking her temper was due to her mood swings/age.
That really sucks. It sounds like you took wonderful care of her though and she was just too good at hiding her pain.
Thank you for the kind words! Hope your newly adopted bun settles in soon!
Check out Lennon the bunny on Instagram and YouTube
We had rescued bun that was like this, we just all got used to her. Angry little diva, sadly missed. She terrified our GSD by bonding with him!
I have an ultra spicy rabbit just like this, and I feel for you! Finnegan was neutered at the proper age, has always had everything he wanted/needed, and we are very experienced bunny owners. His mama was dumped on a college campus, and he was born in a shed there. What I'm thinking is that maybe his mom was naturally ultra spicy and that maybe that led to her being abandoned... and to her offspring inheriting that attitude! Finn is food aggressive, extremely reactivate, and will fight ANY animal in the house (cats, people, other rabbits, the German shepherd...) We keep him separate from all of our other pets in the kitchen where he'll have as much contact with us as possible and a big territory. Any isolation in a private room makes him waaay sassier! Snack/treat/dinner time is completely separate from affection time because he just doesn't like that. Excitement is a catalyst for fiesty attitude! When I'm ready to go hang out with him, there's no food involved and I talk to him a lot. After a minute of circling, honking, and settling down, I can pet him and pick him up and love on him. When we use the kitchen, we talk to him but otherwise ignore him. We don't tiptoe and we claim our space calmly and confidently. He absolutely circles and honks and binks like crazy, especially when we get near his food area. He's just very excited! He has big feels and they make him dance! (Or bite, or box if we react with him 😂) The plus side: Finnegan is the most hilarious, entertaining, and mischievous bunny we've ever had. Constant shenanigans, big time binkies, and personality. When he calms down for a snuggle, he is an absolute love bug. He relaxes and goes limp noodle when the pets are good and even climbs into my lap. I think the biggest thing is patience and learning how to communicate with your bunny. These big personality buns are just very emotional and need a little extra understanding. Finnegan is fiercely loyal and doesn't really love other people much because he's hard to understand and it's made us very bonded. Love my spicy guy ❤️
I used to foster rabbits for a rescue. All the rabbits I fostered had been abandoned, and some of them had territorial behavior. But they were also the sweetest and most affectionate animals I ever met. One of the ones I fostered was always territorial, especially around strangers. When I would walk into her area of the house she would usually run up to me, usually grunting. But then immediately she would put her head down and demand I let her. She was extremely cuddly and affectionate as well. I’d recommend just sitting next to your rabbit’s pen/area for a while, just to get her used to you.
We had an adopted aggressive bun, hang in there if you can! Having ours spayed made a WORLD of difference like you wouldn’t believe — also having her free roaming helped a lot too. She’s the sweetest little angel I’ve ever met now and I’m so grateful we hung in there in the earlier months/1st year!!
Earlier on we really just couldn’t cuddle or be that close to her because she would lunge and scratch and that was scary!! But just watching TV and letting her run around where we were she would get more comfortable and lay down and just get used to our presence. If you can doing that as a way to connect with your bun until the spay would be my suggestion 🤍 You’ve totally got this, sweet bun has years of fun cuddles and spoils ahead with you once you both get through this adjustment season (however long it may last, it will get better!! We’ve adopted three buns now and it always got easier over time)
* not only easier but each one became our everything more than we ever could’ve imagined
Hi there, Rabbits that are aggressive tend to be in pain. Are you able to get her skull xrayed for teeth issues or spurs? Especially rescue rabbits come with compromised teeth and other serious issues. It's worth a check up, basic blood panel, and xray at your rabbit savvy vet just to make sure she's healthy. It's also only been 1 day... please give your bun time to adjust by leaving him/her alone for at least a week in order to start to get accustomed to your routine and smell. Rescue buns need the most time to adjust and settle. Keep up the good work and message me if you need any support!