But while bunnies can be quite independent, they do need a close eye. Rabbit owners must get to know what’s ‘normal’ for their individual rabbits and pay attention to even the slightest change in behaviour. Any nuance could indicate an issue that needs to be fixed. This is particularly important because, as a prey species, rabbits tend to hide signs of illness. This means that any sign of illness is usually significant. Is there such a thing as a ‘low mood’ in rabbits? Many things can cause stress for a rabbit. Even if you think that you got all their needs covered, they can still become stressed. The types of behavior that will typically offend a rabbit are when you hold your rabbit or put them into a scary or stressful situation. If you ever need to handle your rabbit, whether it be to move them from one place to another, clip their nails, or give them medication, the rabbit is likely to be upset and hold a grudge against you. Being held and handled is a scary situation for rabbits because they feel trapped with no way to escape. They will recognize that you are the cause of their fear and hold it against you.

A stressed bunny can also show aggressive behavior. Due to the stress they feel, they can’t help but misbehave. If it’s only by mistake, don’t worry. If they saw or heard you react negatively, they can remember it.Though it takes time and patience, it is possible to build a strong, loving bond with an aggressive rabbit. Aside from working with an exotics-savvy veterinarian to rule out underlying health concerns, it may take some investigative work to uncover the root cause(s) of your bunny’s anger issues. As soon as your bunny displays signs of aggression, regardless of how small they seem, stop what you’re doing and evaluate the entire environment. What were you doing just before you noticed the behavior? Were you making any sounds? Were you touching something in their line of sight? Were you approaching their enclosure/environment? Is it possible you smell or look different than you usually do? If you can determine the cause of the behavior, you can take appropriate steps to limit future occurrences. Choosing a name is easier said than done. You need to keep the following points in mind before naming your bunnies: Review Your Rabbit’s Diet: A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for all living things, but it rings especially true for small herbivores, like rabbits. Thanks to their unique physiology, rabbits must have a near-constant intake of fiber to keep their specialized digestive tract running smoothly and keep their constantly growing teeth worn down. If their diet is inappropriate or insufficient, it could lead to a host of health concerns, which may manifest as aggressive behavior in your little one. Rabbits are undoubtedly one of the cutest animals you can bring home. Their sweetness and fluffy nature is unmatched in the animal kingdom. They are no less funny either. With the right name, they can hop around your little kingdom and draw many smiles all around. But that’s where some people stumble.

A: Everything is imported directly from Japan to Grumpy Bunny headquarters in the UK and our base in New Zealand. It shows that it wasn’t their intention to hurt you. That’s why they get surprised by your reaction. In 1988, the couple moved to Maine, where they have written everything from beginning readers and novelty books to historical fiction and graphic novels. As a tip, don’t rush it by giving them extra food in one day. Try increasing the food in small portions each day. Inappropriate Environment: Though less common, some rabbits will resort to aggressive behavior due to an inappropriately small, chronically unclean, or under-stimulating

Why Do Rabbits Resort to Aggression?

Rabbit memory holds negative and scary situations more prominently than positive or neutral memories. If you are constantly putting them into stressful situations, your rabbit will remember. While the first couple of times your rabbit may have only held a grudge for a few hours, they will begin to trust you less and less every time. Eventually, their behavior when they are shunning you will become their long-term behavior unless you take the time to make amends and change your own behavior. 5 behavior signs your rabbit is holding a grudge against you Once it reaches that point, your rabbit might resort to using force. They’ll bite your hand as if to say, “I demand some food”. They have over 100 million scent cells. Compared to humans with about 7 million scent cells, their noses are more sensitive. Further reading: 13 Things Rabbits Do When They Are Scared (Behavior) “Are rabbit bites dangerous?”

Adorable. Docile. Friendly. All words rabbit parents frequently use to describe their fur babies, but the truth is rabbits are just as capable of having grumpy attitudes as their human companions. Like their wild ancestors, domesticated rabbits generally prefer to express themselves through body language, often displaying clear signs of aggression before physically lashing out. Learning to understand the cues your rabbit displays, determining the root cause(s) of aggressive behaviors, and patiently establishing trust can lead to a mutually rewarding, long-lasting friendship with even the most cantankerous of bunnies. Common Signs of Aggression in Rabbits For example, a bacteria some dogs can carry won’t be too harmful to dogs. But for rabbits, it can be life-threatening. Chinning” is a way for them to leave their scent. It’s their way of saying, “This is mine now, it’s got my scent on it.” If you get creative, you can construct many punny bunny names based on their burrow, what they love to eat and the burrows they live in.

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Alert, upright posture – either with all four feet on the ground, or sitting up on their haunches (sometimes called a “boxer stance”) Aggression in male rabbits is usually an inherited condition, a predisposition to this type of behaviour being passed on from parent to offspring. By aggression I mean severe open mouth biting in and out of the hutch, rearing up in an attempt to bite one’s hand often accompanied by lunging with the fore feet. Growling and grunting is often heard during these episodes. This pattern of behaviour should not be confused with frustrated sexual “courtship” whereby a male rabbit will circle an object, whether it is your hand, your feet, or whatever, often accompanied by gentle grunting noises, followed by “nipping” (not biting), mounting, and possible spraying of urine. This latter behaviour is usually rectified by castration, a very straightforward veterinary procedure now considered routine. See separate article on neutering. The list below covers some of the more common reasons rabbits lash out, but it is important to note that there may be other factors playing a role in your bunny’s bad behavior. It is important to speak with a trusted, rabbit-savvy vet regarding concerning behaviors as soon as they appear. Female rabbits, by comparison, are more straightforward as most of their aggressive behaviour is hormone driven and as a result usually responds well to spaying. The added advantage of neutering a female rabbit is that it also protects her from uterine cancer and associated problems – responsible for up to 80% of deaths in older female rabbits. However, spaying on its own is sometimes insufficient to completely resolve the aggressive tendencies in females, and the same procedures as suggested for males should be attempted. It is not uncommon to find that during the early part of the year a normally manageable female suddenly becomes grumpy and aggressive. This is a result of the lengthening daylight and possibly a general increase in temperature, which is a trigger in wild rabbits to mark the start of the breeding season. Even spayed females can react in this way, as the pineal gland in the brain reacts to the increase in day length to stimulate a change in behaviour independently of whether they are neutered or not. The good news is that this phase does not last very long, and usually after a month or so the rabbit will return to normal again. Neutering will help, however, as although it will not prevent the mood change from happening entirely, it will make the change less extreme. Not all rabbits are affected, but enough of them are, to justify the inclusion of this information here.

Happy rabbits have a lot of energy. They enjoy running around and playing. They’re also very social creatures, so spending time with their family members – human and rabbit – is essential to their happiness. If you’re in doubt about their behaviour, it’s always best to discuss it with your vet or a rabbit expert. Make sure they have a companionGet Your Rabbit Spayed or Neutered: Spaying or neutering your rabbit can go a long way in minimizing the risk of aggressive behavior, especially if the operation is performed before your rabbit has reached sexual maturity. It can take several weeks for a rabbit’s hormones to stabilize after the operation, however, so it is not an instantaneous fix. It’s natural for rabbits to give each other a gentle bite as a playful gesture. Most of the time, it shouldn’t hurt at all.