Aggressive Rabbits!!

HaileyB1

I really need help! I have two rabbits (male) just over a year old and they are kept separate from eachother and outdoors in hutches and were never spayed(a huge problem). There was never a problem at the start but now they viciously attack anything in their path. I dont mean nip they full on scratch and bite and its become very serious as I have young children in my house quite alot. I never thought I would be like this but im actually scared to feed them (obviously I do)! They are more like wild animals then pets. Someone please tell me what to do. Is there places that will take them as they have gone for my mother and younger siblings already.

ferretone

Oh dear, you have really set yourself up for a problem here. I'm very sorry, but it is hard not to be judgemental on this one If only you had sought advice before you got yourself into this situation, as it is very late in the day to be trying to fix it now. I'm guessing you tried to keep them together, but they developed aggression for one another, so had to be separated? I'd imagine a petshop advised you they would get on just fine, but as they matured that went wrong.

This is just as big a problem for the rabbits as it is for you guys, believe me. Rabbits are highly social animals, and it is pure torment for these poor guys, that they have no possibility for any social interaction whatsoever.

The first thing I would do is to get both of them neutered, as they have scant possibility to remedy this as things stand. The very least that can be done for them is to hopefully pair each of them with a spayed female at some point, so they can at least have company, but they really ought to be neutered before this.

Next, is there any chance you can attempt to get them used to being handled, by using a space you can sit in with one at a time, a stout pair of gardening gloves, some healthy, high-value treats, such as dandelion leaves, applewood twigs, small pieces of carrot or the like, and a great deal of patience? Even if you feel you will eventually need to rehome at least one of them, this will be immeasurably easier if you can get them at least somewhat used to human contact.

There are sadly a great many rabbits just like yours out there looking for homes, and well, I'm sure you can imagine how unattractive they are to potential owners as they stand. I'm sorry, these are harsh truths, but both time and money (vet bills for neutering) will have to be expended here if you are going to find a solution.

I really hope you will put this effort in here. I'm sure you understand that it is no fault of the rabbits that things have turned out like this, and as I say, it is late in the day, and there is no easy solution. It will be difficult to work with the rabbits at this stage, and will require an enormous amount of patience, and no little courage on your part either, as you say you have become frightened of them. It can be done though. You will find a great deal of information and advice on socialising rabbits on the internet, and you really do owe it to them to really try on this.

I wish you the best of luck, and if you post up the area you live in, I'm sure you can get recommendations on the best clinic to take them for the neuter. Not all vets are expert at rabbit surgery.

Edited to add: oh, just realised you said they are kept in hutches. How much space do they each have outside their hutches? Lack of a decent runis another big problem you likely have with them. They actually need a lot of room to run around, and also must be able to stand up on their hindlegs when they wish. Those hutches that come with a built-in run don't adequately accommodate either, so if they are living in those , that also really must be remedied at some stage. It isn't very expensive to build a better-sized run, you just need wood and chicken-wire, although you must dig the wire into the ground for at least a foot or so, preferably more, as they will just burrow under it otherwise. The other problem with those run/hutch things is that their feet are on wire all the time, which is not the best for them.

HaileyB1

Thank you very much for all your advice and I will see to it that all the steps you said will be followed. I really appreciate it. I have been in contact with vets today to get the process started. Thanks again!!

jellybear

Ferretone your advice on this topic is fantastic! It is so detailed and thorough!

I don't really have anything to add but as a mammy to seven rabbits I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with everything! Well done on taking the first steps to changing things around for the better for you and your buns.

My gang absolutely love toys which give them hours of fun and mental stimulation. They particularly love tunnels which I got online from www.petbliss.ie. They also love inexpensive toys like toilet roll tubes. Stuff some hay and treats in them and twist both ends, like a Christmas cracker and it should keep them entertained for a good while. I've also bought cat toys such as a ball with a bell in it and they love to pick it up and throw it. My lop Benny even fetches it when I throw it!!:)
Small steps and changes everyday will definitely help and again I wish you the best of luck!:)

Sigma Force

Some great advice there. Rabbits need to be handles regularly it sounds like they were left to their own devices for too long and they can become more skittish and narky so getting them used to human contact again and neutering etc. will help. Keeping them occupied too, there are tons of really fun toys for buns now zooplus.ie or check amazon cardboard boxes, plain paper bags (no handles) stuffed with hay and safe herbs etc. give them something to do.

ferretone

Just another thought. It's well worth purchasing a copy of Rabbits for Dummies. A lot of the advice you need is laid out in good format there, so I'd say it should be a big help.

Very glad to hear you're willing to put in the effort there. It's so easy to go wrong acquiring new pets like that, especially as there is such a lot of bad advice being dispensed out there. I really wonder why some people want to go and work with animals, especially selling them, without bothering to put in the effort to learn as much as possible about them first. Some people have a lot of suffering to answer for in that regard, both on behalf of the owners and the pets.

Sorting out the problems that ensue requires an awful lot more effort than those people learning to give better advice would have cost. I wish you all the best of luck with that. The advice of Jellybear and Sigma Force regarding toys and amusement should be a good help too, and the dummies books are actually really good on the small pets. I know the ferrets one was brilliant when we started keeping them

Best of luck again, I hope your rabbits and you will have a decent outcome from your effort.

yellowcrayon

Ferretone has given some excellent advice to you there, and I would definitely recommend giving them a bit more space (individually) as being cooped up in a hutch for their whole life is likely to cause them to become aggressive.

What breed of rabbits are they? As I have found myself that certain breeds are more aggressive than others. Any rabbit I have ever bred myself has always turned out to have a good personality, but some Netherland Dwarfs that I have bought and rescued have been very vicious and would take the hand off you!

Some of the rabbits I have here don't like each other, and Ive found that if I rub one of them, and then go to rub the other, they will react badly as they can smell the other rabbit on your hand.. so if you do this it might be best avoiding it.