• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

I really need some advice

I don't really know where to start.

Am new here...
I love my rabbits to bits and take alot of pleasure in looking after them.
But recently i have had a big problem.

I am a hobby breeder and i breed a litter every now and then... (not for commercial gain, but more because i like to bring up the babies and any money i make goes on hay, sawdust and food for the rabbits i already have)

I have 8 rabbits which are my own.
2 dutch females that belong to kids.
1 female dwarf lop & 1 male dwarf lop.
1 female lionhead & 1 male lionhead (though these are only babies)
1 female lion lop and 1 male lion lop (this is the one giving me the problems)

Well a few months ago i bought my male lionlop from a woman who shows rabbits. He was 6mths old and she felt that he had gotten a little heavy and she didn't want to cut his food back, just to keep him on the table.
I was very happy... he was lovely...
White with pink eyes.

Then i got him home and realised he was swaying his head from side to side... I researched and it said that it was common with pink eyes and that he probably couldn't see well.
This wasn't a problem for me, though i did hold off breeding him.
Then one day i was cleaning out his pen and he just threw himself on my arm, sank his teeth full in and wouldn't let go... I was so surprised that i put my hand back in and he bit me again. This left me with a very bruised, swollen arm and 2 deep puncture wounds and a sore hand. My dr advised me to go for a tetanus shot.
It took a few days for me to pluck up the courage to lift/handle him again... But i do handle him now and he doesn't seem aggressive...
BUT.......... Now everytime and i mean everytime i go to my shed to see to my rabbits, as soon as i walk anywhere near his hutch he sprays me all over... EVERYTIME!
This is driving me insane!!! I am a mother of 3 young children and it's very hard to find the time to shower everytime you want to spend some time with your rabbits... It's turning into a chore and taking the fun away from it all.
It also stops me from letting my kids come out to the rabbits with me, as i don't want them to be sprayed if they stand too close! Also, i would never let them pet him as i couldn't be sure that he wouldn't latch on to one of them the way he did to me!
I also think that he may be deaf. A few days ago i went into feed them and he was laying in his hutch with his back to me and i was inside the shed a good 5 mins before he got up and realised i was there...
I really just don't know what to do!!!
I can't keep getting sprayed every day... I don't want him neutered, as he was being kept for breeding (though with his problems, i would never breed him)
I can't trust him!
I would like to see him re-homed with someone who didn't have kids and could give him everything he needs. I don't really want him to be put to sleep as he is only a baby (8mths).
When i get him out and handle him, he is fine... but he does have some real problems.
I just need to know what to do.
I feel so bad about this... I want to keep him, but i can't... This is taking over my life... I want to spend more time with my rabbits and my kids at the same time... But can't trust him not to spray and they like him and always ask to pet him, but i have to say no... cause i cant trust him.
Please don't think bad of my, i never thought i'd ever even think about re-homing one of my pets...
HELP
Stacy x
 
Can you imagine being partially blind and potentially deaf and all of a sudden you see a big object appear out of the blue.. would be pretty scary wouldn't it. Poor soul acted through fear, not through an aggressive motive.
I have some rabbits with REW in their parentage (Gabriel is even a REW himself) and they 'scan' as their eyesight is poor.
My advice would be to neuter and vaccinate and find him a loving home.
 
His semi blindness will make him nervous - and his hormones will make him aggressive.

If you have him neutered by a good rabbit vet he will settle his tempremant and stop spraying - but may always be slighty nippy if 'surprised'.
 
I agree, I don't understand the problem either. Neutering will fix his spraying problem and if the alternative could be pts why not neuter?

Ditto...... :?

You've said you won't breed him. You've said you "can't trust him" so why not just have him neutered?! Even if you do end up rehoming him he'll be a happier rabbit neutered and passing on a rabbit that is so hormonal would not really be fair anyway. With his territorial behaviour (whatever the reason for that may be) it would be very unwise - even irresponsible - to breed him and pass on those genes to other rabbits.
 
help

the only reason that i have held of neutering him, is because i don't think i could keep him anyway as i can't trust him with my kids.
I do understand that youz may think bad of me for wanting to re-home. But i have to think of my children.
I don't go crashing in and startle him.
He never ever seems to be frightened, when he is spraying it is more aggressive than fear.
I totally understand that things must be awful when you are potentially blind and deaf and someone appears out of the blue.
oh and he has been vaccinated already....
 
I do understand that youz may think bad of me for wanting to re-home. But i have to think of my children.

No-one would think bad of you if in worst case scenario you have to rehome him.

But it would make **far** morse sense to have him neutered even if you do rehome him, surely?! Why should someone else have to deal with his behaviour?

And neutering him might solve all his problems anyway......

ETA: In my opinion; neutering is the responsible and kindest thing to do. Unless you are hoping to rehome him / sell him as a breeding rabbit. Which as I've already pointed out together with other people would not be a sensible course of action given his behavioural problems.
 
But surely it is worth trying the neuter and then see if his behaviour settles. If after a while you still don;t feel you can offer him the home he needs, then put him up for rehoming. He is more likely ot get a new home if he is already neutered, plus you will be positive no-one else wil be irresponsible and breed from him :)
 
I think he deserves a chance and I think that neutering may give him that chance, it can make the world of difference and if it doesnt you can rehome him but at least you know you have tried everything and done your best by him!
 
I can't keep getting sprayed every day... I don't want him neutered, as he was being kept for breeding (though with his problems, i would never breed him)
I can't trust him!

I don't understand either why you can't get him neutered, surely you owe it to him to try something as you made the decision to take him on. He sounds like he needs lots of care and patience, maybe you could teach your children about how to care for special needs animals by working out some ways to make him less nervous and comfortable around people, e.g. teach them how to approach him etc.
 
help

oh and when i say re-home... i didn't really mean re-home to someone who answered an ad... i more meant to a centre who could maybe work with him and find the right person who could give him everything he needs.
i am a stay at home mum of 3 young children and my husband works away from home and i'd love to have the time to help him. But really, it's very sad to say... with all my other rabbits and my kids and my dog... it's hard to find the time for that amount of 1 on 1...
At least my other rabbits can get some of their 1 on 1 with my children. He can't.
x
 
oh and when i say re-home... i didn't really mean re-home to someone who answered an ad... i more meant to a centre who could maybe work with him and find the right person who could give him everything he needs.
i am a stay at home mum of 3 young children and my husband works away from home and i'd love to have the time to help him. But really, it's very sad to say... with all my other rabbits and my kids and my dog... it's hard to find the time for that amount of 1 on 1...
At least my other rabbits can get some of their 1 on 1 with my children. He can't.
x

Wouldn't it be best to have friends of their own species?
 
I don't really want him to be put to sleep as he is only a baby (8mths).

???

I think you have made a wise decision asking for advice on the forum...

I also think though that you seem to be having difficulties with the number or rabbits you have... So why continue to breed them?

I think you would do well to stay part of the forum and do some research- as spraying and territorial aggression is 'bunny basics' - and I dont think you should continue breeding until you have a better understanding of rabbit health and behaviour...
 
I think the whole problem will be solved by neutering.

If you know he's got problems with his eyesight and possibly ears then the best thing for rabbits in general would be to neuter him so he can't be bred from in the future and pass on his problems. That's just my opinion. I would never turn down a special needs bunny but by preventing him being able to "sow his seed" if you like, you're stopping the potential of unhealthy kits.

It just seems the kindest way and if it works then he can stay with you. It's a win win situation :)
 
oh and when i say re-home... i didn't really mean re-home to someone who answered an ad... i more meant to a centre who could maybe work with him and find the right person who could give him everything he needs.

Ok. Again. It is really not someone else's responsibility to have him neutered though is it? You must surely agree that his behaviour needs to be worked on and until he is neutered his behaviour probably won't improve.


Again. In my opinion it is your responsibility to have him neutered, not someone else's. I don't see why you won't do this for him if you care about him so much.
 
I don't understand either why you can't get him neutered, surely you owe it to him to try something as you made the decision to take him on. He sounds like he needs lots of care and patience, maybe you could teach your children about how to care for special needs animals by working out some ways to make him less nervous and comfortable around people, e.g. teach them how to approach him etc.

hi,
see this is what i find strange about him.
he is in no way at all nervous or strange around people. he comes to see me everytime that i go out the the rabbits. he likes to be lifted and handled. he is in no way frightened by human contact.
if he hadn't attacked my hand out of the blue, i wouldn't even be posting this.
i don't even understand why he did that... as he was so friendly (still is) am just a little scared of his un-predictable nature...
i think i probably will look into neutering him.
but even when neutered, would you let kids handle him? what he did to me was pretty horrific and i was very shaken for the rest of that night... he'd hate for him to do something like that to one of my children.
???
 
To be frank if you've got several unneutered rabbits including other unneutered males then I think you will need to get used to being sprayed by one rabbit or another as it's a very common territorial/sexual habit of unneutered rabbits...especially male ones and especially ones who can smell other rabbits around! Absolutely nothing unusual about that behaviour.

If the little chap does have sight/hearing problems then it's great that you recognise that he shouldn't be bred from as it could be genetic, but if you are considering rehoming him, I really would encourage you to neuter him beforehand. Not only will this give you a chance to see if he calms down, it will also mean that no-one else could attempt to breed from him and if you were to give him to a reputable rescue centre they would ask for a donation to cover the cost of neutering anyway so you may as well do it yourself to see if it solves the problem.

In the meantime, I would suggest dealing with him first - the smell of the other rabbits on your clothes and hands might also be encouraging him to attack you, whereas if you go to him before you smell of the other buns, this may be lessened. Coupled with neutering, this should really help.
 
Back
Top