# Help! My bunny bites hard!



## Lhucky (Jan 31, 2013)

Good day, last year I purchased 2 dwarf Angora bunny... Female and Male... They were about 4 months old. They looked cuddly, and funny because I've never really seen a bunny with a lot of hair before, aside from ordinary rabbit that I recently found out they were called Dutch. ( I never knew that I'm an animal lover then, I don't like dogs or rather I don't like the hard responsibilities for having 1 ) Until last year, when my husband took 2 Dutch bunny home ( which will be my next story )

Anyways, From the time I bought my 2 Angora. They were thin, and looks like they wouldn't last a month with us, every day I make sure that they're well fed. They stay in our room with 24/7 aircon. Now, they're 1 year old. My doe Lhucky, she's an angel! Although the first 2 months she's very aloof doesn't want to be touched, doesn't play, she looked so sad, even if she had 3 playmates with her. My buck, Lhousio on the other hand was a total opposite of Lhucky.. playful, loves to explore, and he blends well with our 3 does. Since he's an Angora, I started searching online how to care for long haired bunny. I combed his hair every week, my husband bought this wire brush, but when I used it on them, it seems like I'm hurting them, I had to brush it a little bit too hard to reach for the tangled hair underneath them. And they never seems to enjoy hair brushing time... So we switched on just cutting their hair instead. Last September, I went out of the country for a month ( my husband is the one taking care of them ) when I came back, missing my bunnies, I hug them one by one.. Lhousio just bit my palm so hard that it bleeds. So I thought that maybe after being gone for a month he doesn't recognized me anymore. Next morning, I get his bowl to put food in it and when I put it back, my other palm was again been bit but it was another kind of bite, he won't let go, even when I'm shouting out so loud until he fell on the ground from about 2 feet high. I put him inside his cage before attending to my sore bleeding so hard palm. I never give him food from that day on, I envied my husband for he was never been attacked hed by Lhousio the way he attacked me. I never really knew what happ to my playful Lhousio. Then I read from internet that they're some bunnies can become too territorial, I just need to let him get accustomed to me again by putting my finger inside his cage until he learned that I am not going to him. I tried that method after a month, as my both palm healed. I put a finger inside his wire cage, he bit again! I ended up having a broken nail and cut on my nail bed. For a very tiny creature, he could really bite my skin off. It happened twice... So I need another strategy... Outside his home. He was playing outside 1 day when I woke up, I lean down, say hi enthusiastically. He jumped and reached my wrists for another bite that he again won't let go and fell 2 feet. My husband put him inside his cage as a punishment... Again my with skin bleeding and a much bigger cut I don't want him to go. ( I came to the point of giving him up, but can't ) so again, no solution from the net. I also tried the cold treatment, let him out of his cage and I will ignore him, he bit my foot. Twice. I bought boots, so that whenever his outside, my feet are safe... How hilarious is that, inside my room and I'm wearing boots. So to make the long story short... I was bitten so many times including my lips, cause I used my face to meet his gaze so that he won't get scarred. We can't have him neutered because we don't know a reputable doctor in Philippines that can conduct 1. Most animal doctors here are dog experts. 

Sooo... Now, I'm scared whenever Lhousio is around... I don't already know what else can I do to turn my Lhousio around... I know he can sense my nervousness... As he pee whenever he saw me around. It's quite hard for me to relax for I had been in pain for the past 4 months. I missed hugging him, I missed him on my lap, I missed touching him. I missed his licks...


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## JBun (Jan 31, 2013)

Here are some rabbit vet listings for the Philippines. Don't know how good they are though. 

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/rabbit-savvy-vets-phillipines-42273/

Neutering is your best chance of changing this aggressiveness from your rabbit. It doesn't always stop the aggressive behavior, but there is a good chance that it might. Another thing you can try is have a thck pair of leather glove that you wear when your hands are around him, and when he bites you, you gently but firmly press his head/shoulders area on his body, to the floor for several seconds after he stops struggling, then let go. This is a form of discipline that mother rabbits will use with their babies. He may struggle to get away at first, which is why you have to hold him firmly, but you also need to be gentle so that he doesn't get hurt. Do this every time that he bites you and hopefully he'll start learning that he's not allowed to bite anymore. And don't put your face near him anymore as he'll just keep biting and you'll get hurt again, until he learns not to do that behavior anymore. But get him neutered if you can find a vet to do it. If you are lucky it may fix this behavior, but it might take a month or two after the neuter for his hormones to wear off all the way. And if he pees when you are around, you should make him go back into his cage right away for a several minutes.


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## tamsin (Feb 3, 2013)

I've some info on aggression here: http://www.therabbithouse.com/behaviour/problem-aggressive-rabbit.asp

As Jbun says if you can get him neutered that's really the most likely to help


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