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Is this cruel?

Is this Cruel?


  • Total voters
    36

Angie65

Wise Old Thumper
I was just talking to someone about this the other day & wanted you guys opinions.

I took on a temporary bun a few weeks ago, that was known to be a serious biter. He went to the vets & has been fully checked over for back/teeth problems. The vet confirmed he's been neutered, & was in good health. (He did bite her though - so perhaps she was just ensuring she never had to see him again!!! :lol: )
He lives in 2 dog crates pushed together with his new spayed girlfriend (Treacle), who is a very friendly bun & is actually very much in charge of him :D They're loose over night in a small room, & loose in the living room every evening, so he has to spend time with me. He was here 3 weeks before I got bit! :oops: He got a vein in my wrist, & bit through a nerve - so I'm still waiting to regain feeling in my right thumb. Doctor says it should be healed in 10 weeks (8 to go - weird sensation though - feels like I have a dead-thumb & keep dropping stuff :lol: ). I managed to talk myself into it being my fault that he bit me - i was hungover & ignored how agitated he was acting. We made friends the next day - he ate some brocolli from my (gloved) hand & all was good. Anyway, he was sprawled out on the settee with me last night (quite normal), & for completely no reason he flung himself at my hand again. There was no warning this time. He has DESTROYED my Fish Shaped oven glove, & I have a few scratches on my leg :roll:
I've been picking him up about 4 -5 times a week, & all his other behaviour is like a normal happy bun. He binkies in the living room, chases Treacle, lays on my knee (I wear full-body armour), comes running over for food, but then just gets really p****d off!!

ANYWAY: The point!!(finally :oops: ). How do you guys feel about teeth removal of a healthy bun. This guy won't have a normal life with this kind of behaviour - he's quite territorial & emptying his litter tray is a task & a half. He's possessive over Treacle. She's had less strokes since she's been with him, cos he gets angry with me if I approach her. I'd just like to add, I'm not intending on doing this now. I'm going to keep trying to gain his trust - but there's they thing. He happy bunny-flopped on my KNEE, then attacked. He isn't scared of me, & everything I do around him, is on his terms (since the wrist :lol: ). Just wanted people's opinions. :D

Incidentally, when he's friendly, he's lovely. If his ears go back, I vacate the room.
 
PERSONALLY I think it is :oops:

I'd love to be able to give him a home, but unfortunately I'm not in a position to do so right now

There has to be a way you both can come to a compromise, so that you don't get hurt and he doesn't get upset
 
I might get lots of hassle for this......but ..if he has caused such a serious injury to you and there is obviously danger of him doing it again I would go for removing his front teeth....they would have to be removed very well with all the root or they will grow back, something you would have to keep an eye on...but if it improves his life and protects you.....something people on here have to remember is danger to humans must be avoided and these are nasty,unprovoked attacks......discuss with you vet but I'd support you in going for it.

<<now ducks!!!!
 
Hi,

I am afriad I have to agree that I also disagree with removing his teeth. Apart from the fact it is a risky operation it is also not permenant. I have had 1 rabbits teeth removed 5 times (due to excess growing). Unfortunately she never came around from the last operation.

I have 2 rabbits that bite a male and female. The male came to us because of this (his previous owner returned hom to the pet shop after 2 years!). He has calmed down alot and I have not been biten in many months.

The female sound similar to your bun. She hates me stroking her mate, going her her bowl or touching her if it is not on her terms. She comes out first thing every morning because my OH half is scared of her and dare not change her food when she is in her hutch! Everything is done on her terms and although she does not get as much attention as the softer buns I feel she is happy (apart from when I have to risk life and limb to get her to go back in her hutch). I would not be as happy if she did not have a mate.
 
Sorry Angie but I think its cruel... :cry:

Removing his teeth will not change his behaviour in that he will still 'feel' he needs to be aggressive. The fact that he cant damage anyone is OK for THEM but will just make HIM more stressed.

He will have to undergo a GA

He may develop other Dental problems if his Incisors are romoved for non-clinical reasons (eg molar malocclusion)

His ability to consume an appropriate diet may be effected, with all the problems that can lead to (eg GI malfunction)

Janex
 
HI Angie i would agree with Gem i personally wouldn't remove his teeth, one of my buns Max is like this, one minute he's lovely you can give him tickles and pick him upo and he spends all day lounging around in his run and then does loads of binkys when he see's a person, he loves attention and is a right mummy's boy, but on occasion out of apsolutly no where he can bite, and he will take a chunck from anywhere he can get hold of, i know he's like this but i can never tell when he's going to turn to i am always very careful about where i place naked flesh when im with him, just in case!
 
Angie, is he suddenly getting the smell of another male rabbit on you. Had you been handling one earlier. My lovely house dwarf is gorgeous but he goes absolutely nuts if he can smell unneutered male rabbits and, after the Oxford 79 rabbits, he was a nightmare when I came home. He latched onto my trouser leg and was lunging. He didn't bite me because I ran :lol:
 
raine said:
Angie, is he suddenly getting the smell of another male rabbit on you. Had you been handling one earlier. My lovely house dwarf is gorgeous but he goes absolutely nuts if he can smell unneutered male rabbits and, after the Oxford 79 rabbits, he was a nightmare when I came home. He latched onto my trouser leg and was lunging. He didn't bite me because I ran :lol:

I agree Beatrix attacks me when I've been with the opther buns.

I personally wouldn't get his teeth removed.
 
I think there needs to be a difference established between an aggressive bun that nips, boxes and grunts..and an aggressive bun that bites and hangs on...
If a bun has a very nasty streak and bites, hangs on while twisting and turning thereby doing a lot of damage to whoever/whatever it has hold of then this needs drastic action. In this case I do not think teeth removal is cruel .
If a bun is just nipping etc..as Bandit was (he's now much better and quite a cuddle bunster! :D ) this is a different matter..
Angie has been badly injured and he has attacked again but luckily only an oven glove...to give the bun a proper quality of life and protect Angie and his partner I think incisor removal is a good idea.
For those of you sayong no..how would you feel if it is Angie's face he gets hold of next time?
 
Would he be more suited to being an outside bun - at least then he wouldn't be able to get you by surprise and he would have his own turf. I would be a bit afraid, I think, to have a rabbit in the house with me who might attack without warning.
 
I think that would be cruel. I think finding him somewhere where he does not need to be in much contact with peole would be the best thing to do. You are unecessarily putting yourself in his way it seems to me. He has made it clear he doesn't want to be socialised and from the damage he has done you yu are putting yourself at risk too. He could do with living outside in a big enclosure with lots of room to work off his steam. I tamed Zebedee this way, but even if he doesn't become tame, he would still get a lot out of life.
If you remove his teeth he would still hate people and be in an environment that upsets him but with fewer ways to express his upset.
I took in Frecnch lop who had been terrorising her family a couple of weeks ago. She is loving her enclosure.
If I wasn't so full I would take this fella on for you. :?
 
Awww sorry Jill, but I've had some nasty cuts off some agressives buns, granted I've never needed stiches :lol: , but I just think there has got to be another way. At the end of the day not my bunny, so you have to do whats best I was just answering the question that was asked with what I felt, I wasn't being nasty though :oops:
 
Jack's-Jane said:
honeybunny said:
For those of you sayong no..how would you feel if it is Angie's face he gets hold of next time?

I'd say send Bun to me....ALL teeth still intact :D :D

Janex

Jane If he was in my care I would not send him to ayone else with intact teeth as I would not want your arm , face or any part of you badly scarred either
I have met some very bad tempered buns and in 99% of cases would be against teeth removal..but Angie is an experienced bunny owner and the damage was bad :(
 
Spacegirl said:
Would he be more suited to being an outside bun - at least then he wouldn't be able to get you by surprise and he would have his own turf. I would be a bit afraid, I think, to have a rabbit in the house with me who might attack without warning.

yeah that's a good idea, my Pippin is horried and has taken chucks out of my bingo wings :lol: , she's outside with Buster and is happy :D
 
SOAD said:
Awww sorry Jill, but I've had some nasty cuts off some agressives buns, granted I've never needed stiches :lol: , but I just think there has got to be another way. At the end of the day not my bunny, so you have to do whats best I was just answering the question that was asked with what I felt, I wasn't being nasty though :oops:

I understand Tree...it's a hard decision as REALLY aggressive buns are rare and if you have a grumpy biter then teeth removal would seem very uneccessary... :D
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I'd say send Bun to me....ALL teeth still intact :D :D

Janex

Same here :wink:

I think the same as Tree, but he's not my bun, so its really up to Angie as to what she decides to do with him :?
 
honeybunny said:
Jack's-Jane said:
honeybunny said:
For those of you sayong no..how would you feel if it is Angie's face he gets hold of next time?

I'd say send Bun to me....ALL teeth still intact :D :D

Janex

Jane If he was in my care I would not send him to ayone else with intact teeth as I would not want your arm , face or any part of you badly scarred either
I have met some very bad tempered buns and in 99% of cases would be against teeth removal..but Angie is an experienced bunny owner and the damage was bad :(

I am very sorry Angie was so badly bitten :(
But I still say removing incisors of a Bun for non clinical reasons is cruel... :cry: :cry:
If I were a Rescue I would keep such a Bun myself. I just could not contemplate putting a Bun through Incisor removal if it was not necessary on a clinical basis. Just my personal opinion

:) :)

Janex
 
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