Kiwi is being rude??

Ok so kiwi is around 10 months old, and recently he’s a been really acting up. Usually, whenever I go in his cage he bites my legs/hands and he runs around me grunting loudly. He also bites my clothes whenever I’m playing with him. He used to be pretty calm and would let me pet him and touch his stuff but now every day is a struggle. If I walk by his enclosure, he will bite the cage bars and grunt at me. We had just finally started bonding, but now suddenly it seems he hates me! He isn’t neutered, but I’m planning on having it done as soon as this quarantine situation is over. Could puberty be the cause of his behaviour? Isn’t ten months a bit old for all this to be starting? He never did any of this stuff before...

Oh, also I forgot to mention, he’s been digging like crazy! He never used to dig before, but now he digs everything. It’s so frustrating when he digs in his litter box because he flings poop everywhere. Does anyone know why this is happening??

I imagine it is hormones that's causing these behaviours and neutering is likely to help once isolation is over. He could also be a bit frustrated, how big is the cage and how much time does he spend in it? Rabbits should have the space equivalent of a 6ft X 2ft hutch and an 8ft run, I'm not up to date with how much square feet this should be for an indoor rabbit but may give you an idea. Does he get the opportunity to perform digging behaviour? Some rabbits have a strong urge to do this, as it's such a natural behaviour for them. One of mine is a digger but she's indoors so she would dig the carpet etc, I use a large underbed storage container filled with no chemical compost as a digging box. Alternatives could be a box with a couple of blankets/towels or shredded paper if you have any?

I’d say that the behaviour he is displaying could in fact be hormones, as digging and grunting are often hormonal behaviours. Although, the biting etc could also be cage aggression. Bunnies should not be kept in cages in my opinion, as cages almost always do not provide enough mental stimulation for bunnies, as well as not enough space. The ‘biting at cage bars’ especially indicates frustration. Therefore a bunny proofed room, a large x pen or even free roaming your rabbit are much better alternatives. Rabbits need lots of things to prevent them from becoming bored and leading to such behaviour as described, including a variety of toys and space to get their energy out. Toys that can be used to prevent digging could include cardboard, sisal or seagrass mats as well as DIY/store bought digging boxes.

The change in his attitude towards you, however, could be a result of the bonding, particularly if it is highly stressful, in which case I’d reassess how you are choosing to bond your rabbits. However, most bonds should have little effect on the human-rabbit relationship if done properly. Also, just a note that you should not be attempting to bond a rabbit which is not spayed/neutered, as this could cause territorial behaviour interfering with the bond as well as aggression. I’d completely stop bonding for now and try again once he is neutered and ask for your vet’s advice for how long after he is fixed that you should try bonding again.

thanks for the advice, I would like to say that kiwi is not being kept in a literal cage. when I said cage I actually just meant his enclosure! his enclosure about 5ft by 5ft, is that big enough? I also let him run around my room for about 2 hours everyday, and I bring him downstairs to have free range of my living room around twice a week. is the issue that he needs more freedom? I don't know if I can provide him with any more space because he lives in my room, but I can certainly let him out more often. Also, I didn't mean I was trying to bond kiwi to another rabbit, I just meant I was trying to make a bond between the two of us! sorry for any confusion! and thanks again for the helpful advice.

Neutering will help calm him down but meanwhile can you give him slightly more space, say 8 x 5 and does he have plenty of hay to chew?

You've got a normal juvenile there, actually a well behaved one since you're not dripping with pee from nose to toe now

One of my free range house bunny is an intact, 4yo buck. Was outside until he was 2, spraying a lot, by then he started venturing into the house and behaved perfectly there, so I took him in when I ran out of hutch space, no problem whatsoever. Then I got him a spayed cuddlebun, yeah, he looks happier now, but sometimes there is something to mop up when his instincts get the better of him and he sprays her. I'm considering to get him neutered, poor driven guy is a PITA to his cuddlebun at some times of the year, but he has problems with athrosis and is on metacam now, need to talk to the vet...

Kiwi_the_bunny said:

thanks for the advice, I would like to say that kiwi is not being kept in a literal cage. when I said cage I actually just meant his enclosure! his enclosure about 5ft by 5ft, is that big enough? I also let him run around my room for about 2 hours everyday, and I bring him downstairs to have free range of my living room around twice a week. is the issue that he needs more freedom? I don't know if I can provide him with any more space because he lives in my room, but I can certainly let him out more often. Also, I didn't mean I was trying to bond kiwi to another rabbit, I just meant I was trying to make a bond between the two of us! sorry for any confusion! and thanks again for the helpful advice.

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Thank you for clarifying, however I’d still say it’s be better if you could give him more space and freedom to get his energy out. He is a young rabbit and therefore has lots of it. Is it possible you could bunny proof your room enough for him to free roam in it? If you need any help with this then feel free to ask any questions on here and I’ll do my best to help. I’m sure your bunny would appreciate the extra space as well as removing the barrier between you and him which is likely to help improve your bond with him.

Thank you all so much for your replies! as for bunny proofing my room, the only issue with that is if I let him have free range of my room he will pee on my bed nonstop! every time I let him out of his enclosure, I have to make sure my bed is off limits. is there any way I can free range him in my room without having to deal with the pee mess? will he stop peeing on my bed after the neuter? Also, I my room isn't carpeted and has hardwood floors, currently I have blankets laid down in his space to keep him from slipping, but can I still let him free range if I have hardwood floors? thanks again for the replies!

Kiwi_the_bunny said:

Thank you all so much for your replies! as for bunny proofing my room, the only issue with that is if I let him have free range of my room he will pee on my bed nonstop! every time I let him out of his enclosure, I have to make sure my bed is off limits. is there any way I can free range him in my room without having to deal with the pee mess? will he stop peeing on my bed after the neuter? Also, I my room isn't carpeted and has hardwood floors, currently I have blankets laid down in his space to keep him from slipping, but can I still let him free range if I have hardwood floors? thanks again for the replies!

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Peeing on the bed is a territorial and hormonal behaviour in the vast majority of cases. This will most likely stop once he is neutered and his hormones have died down. In the mean time, you could free range him and keep a close eye on him that when he is on the bed and looks as if he’s going to pee then move him quickly to the litter tray. Also make sure that the litter tray is of a suitable size (big enough for him to do a 360 degree turn in it). Large cat litter trays I’ve found work best and fill the litter tray half with litter and half with hay to encourage good litter habits as rabbits like to eat and use the toilet at the same time. Also make to clean the bed if he does pee on it as his scent on it will only encourage him to do it even more. Also you could protect the bed with a plastic sheet or tarpaulin when you are not home, and this is much easier to clean if he has accidents. As for the hard wooden floor, it isn’t ideal but all depends on the rabbit. One of my rabbits hates floors with no grip and refuses to go on them whereas the other doesn’t care. There is some research to suggest that rabbits being on solely hard floors (no grip) can lead to problems such as splayed legs, so I’d say adding a large rug/play mats or a few blankets in the mean time would be best as this allows the rabbit to gain some traction on the floor and make him feel more comfortable.