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help with a foster bunny

Collielover

Collielover

Mama Doe
Hi I foster for paws in edinburgh I have a female rabbit at the moment who lunges at you and bites you when you try to get her bowl or feed her anyone any ideas what I can do with her.. She has been spayed about 4 weeks ago and its not made any diffference . She was found adandon on chrristmas eve outside the rescue with her mother and 2 brothers and they are all so placid apared to her.She is sweet in other way will eat out your hand and you dont get attacked but when you put your hand in her cage she attacks ...Anyone any ideas what I cant try next
 
It can take a good couple of months for hormones to settle.

The best thing to do it to allow her to come to you on her own terms and in her own time.

Get on the floor with her and allow her to approach you - don't reach for he or attempt to grab her.

Try and tempt her towards you with a tasty treat (I find parsley or basil work wonders) and then try to stroke her gently whist she is eating.

Best of luck :)
 
been doing this since I picked her up 2 months ago ...Tonights been the worse night yet ......She lunged straight at me when I went into her pen to get her food dish so I sat on the floor and moved slowly for it .she will eat out my hand but is fine for the first bite then afterwards she lunges for the rest..She is doe to be bonded with a male we have in at the moment should I prospone this or do you think it might help she is sweet other times it just around meal times she attacks..If I havn't food with me I can sit down and she comes up for rbs and bunny hugs but if there food about she is a witch sorry if that sounds bad but she is like a different rabbit at food time
 
I have exactly the same problem with my rabbit Lilly.

We rescued her a few months ago (she was found hopping round Cheltenham) and no one wanted her :(. She lunges at us and has never bitten until today. She has also been spayed which was a few months ago. She is however the best rabbit to be picked up out of our 3 which is strange.

Good luck with your bun! Let me know how she gets on.
 
Collielover said:
been doing this since I picked her up 2 months ago ...Tonights been the worse night yet ......She lunged straight at me when I went into her pen to get her food dish so I sat on the floor and moved slowly for it .she will eat out my hand but is fine for the first bite then afterwards she lunges for the rest..She is doe to be bonded with a male we have in at the moment should I prospone this or do you think it might help she is sweet other times it just around meal times she attacks..If I havn't food with me I can sit down and she comes up for rbs and bunny hugs but if there food about she is a witch sorry if that sounds bad but she is like a different rabbit at food time
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How about scattering her food in her hay so that she can't get possessive over a dish?

As long as she has completely healed, I would attempt the bond soon if it were me. Being bonded to a mate is likely to make her feel happier and less threatened.
 
orrrrrrrr it could just be a terrorial issue, most settle after a few weeks, you say this is at feeding time mainly,

carries the same she will even attack her husbun if i dont feed quick enough, which can be hard when she wants food but wants to rip your arm off at same time, lucky biggles has had enough of her at meal times he does start nipping her, but shes fine when free range
 
jsut an idea but coco is very similar and sooty was the same both have eye problems. could she have issues with her eyes? coco has cateracts now but when we first got him they were not very visable you can tell more as time goes on and they worsen but this can often cause lunging. x

also i think bonding depends on the bunny you are putting her with, we treid coco with dora and arthur but he liked dora and attacked the male arthur he doesnt like men either(human men) due to mistreatment previosuly in life, anything male used to make him more aggressive too, though these days you cant tell so much as he has learnt to trust much more.
i have bondd him with no trouble to a sweet little girl they are very happy together! x
 
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bunlover said:
jsut an idea but coco is very similar and sooty was the same both have eye problems. could she have issues with her eyes? coco has cateracts now but when we first got him they were not very visable you can tell more as time goes on and they worsen but this can often cause lunging. x
Click to expand...

That is a good point Kate.

Also, go onto the Rabbit Welfare Fund site, they have a leaflet 'Biting the Hand That Feeds', this may help.

Sadly, with some bunnies behaviour becomes learned, I have, and have had, rabbits here who never overcome their problems.

Good luck with her, you are doing well in that she will eat out of your hand:)

Alice
 
checking her eyesight is a good idea

Also the scattering of her food
Giving her more space too as the smaller space the easier to defend
Sitting in with her is a great way to help and try to go towards her at her level not bending over her as that can be threatening
 
thanks everyone.....having a metting tomorrow at the rescue about this girl she is so sweet in other ways. I will tell them about gettinng her eyes checked see if there anything there
 
:wave:. Faith is quite like this, and she has poor eyesight although she is like this at any time someone approaches, not just food time. I need to talk to her fairly loudly before approaching. She has attacked the food dish on a few occasions (poor teeth!) but not my hand yet. She is a bit worse since being spayed 10 days ago, but I hope that she will calm down. She had a traumatic babyhood so think that this and the sight problem make her as she is, and the spaying just scared her. I have lots of daft little things I do with Faith to try to make things easier :lol:.

Good luck with the meeting!
 
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I've found with Lilly that if we stroke her whilst pouring her food into the bowl she doesn't jump or lunge. It might work for your bunny.
 
Hi there. Only just saw your msg. My Terry was a rescue rabbit and he would also lunge quite badly. We could not pick him up for about 3/4 months. We could only stroke him by holding some pellets in my hand and stroke him with the other hand. It took a good two months until he bonded with Annie, but his behaviour is alot better. I would certainly try bonding and patience :D Good luck!
 
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