# Lionhead suddenly turned aggressive



## Amaakir (Jun 26, 2016)

Hey, guys
Once again I come seeking advice on Ender, my Lionhead rabbit.
He's suddenly become very hostile, grunting whenever I get close to his cage and lunging at me whenever I leave food on his plate. I'm a bit concerned about his behaviour and I don't know what to do so I need some advice.
A couple of things worth mentioning though:
1.- When I got him, the pet store owner said he was 3-4 months old approx. He hasnt been neutered yet so maybe that's causing it?
2.- He only acts this way whenever he's inside his cage, I usually let him out all day and he's got a couple of cardboard boxes to hide in and a big cardboard castle I recently made for him, he'll come close to my feet whenever I get close and let me pet him, but I have a small apartment and Ender resides in the room where I work, so when I go to sleep I'll usually trick him into getting into his cage. By the time he's inside, he'll cold butt me and start grunting and lunging at me.
Any ideas on how to handle this little devil? I'm concerned that he acts this way, he becomes specially hostile in the mornings, I usually hand feed him but recently he won't take food from my hand and whenever I try to leave him food in his plate which is inside his cage he lunges at me and grunts a lot.

Thanks in advance!


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## JJNad (Jun 30, 2016)

It's most likely due to him not being neutered. Rabbits that reach sexual maturity without being neutered can start displaying these behaviours so neuter him asap! Is also sounds like he has becoming territorial about his cage. This can be because it is too small for him (don't know how big his cage is so might not be the problem) he's spending too much time in (although the you said you let him out all day) or again because he is not neutered! After neutering a rabbit they usually calm down significantly, although this is not the case for a rare few. It may also be because after spending a lot of time in a big space he does not want to go back to his cage and so is taking him frustration out on you. Good luck wth Ender, I hope this helps!


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## Blue eyes (Jul 1, 2016)

Sounds like hormones. Aggression, lunging, and even biting are all potential signs of hormonal behavior.


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## Nancy McClelland (Jul 1, 2016)

:yeahthat:


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## Aki (Jul 1, 2016)

Yep, hormones : he's protecting his territory. I wouldn't wait too much before getting him neutered - it's never good to let bad habits setting in. If you do it soon enough, hormone related problems can vanish on their own 24h after the neuter. Tybalt was a nightmare as a teenager and he stopped ALL his naughty habits instantly after the neuter. I was so relieved I could have married the vet XD


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## edwinf8936 (Jul 3, 2016)

Next he will start spraying you with his urine.


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