Lunging and grunting getting worse!

[LloydFerris]

My 9 month old bun (Clover) had started lunging and grunting at our Pug, but only when he was on the couch. She would jump up, see him there sleeping, and spring at him! She hasn't bitten him, nor does it look like that's what she is trying to do.
Now she's doing it to me, too! She's very defensive, jumpy and grumpy! When I am sweeping the floors and she is in the way, I will just sweep the broom around her and then she jumps up, spins 180 degrees in the air, lands, lunges and grunts at the broom! She has been doing this jump, spin, lunge and grunt at me when I am sitting on the couch as well!
What is wrong with her? Is she just a bratty bunny? I wonder if one of these days she is actually going to bite me or the dog..... I am seeing her getting progressively worse and don't know what to do.
Oh, and she was spayed a few months ago and is one of a trio (her with another female and a male) of bonded bunnies. There is no aggression within the trio whatsoever.
Thanks!

 

[Tamsin]

My first question was going to be is she spayed but I see you have that covered Was she spayed because of her behaviour and if so did it get any better before getting worse?

How is she if you approach her in her hutch/cage/pen - any aggression there? Brooms can upset a lot of bunnies as they are strange things running head first at them. So excluding that, is the rest of the aggression just associated with you or your dog sitting on your couch?

 

[MichG]

Maybe she is scared of the pug? So is using her defence mechanism to try to scare him away?

Also if you put your hand in her pen does she do it then? I have had a bunny who does this.

 

[LloydFerris]

Clover and the other 2 buns have an area of their own where their food, water and a litter tray is kept, but no enclosure. None of the buns seem to have a problem with me being in there as I am always refreshing their hay (Clover LOVES her hay and eats like a horse). Even when I am cleaning in there, none of them have issues with my presence.
I don't know why she would be scared of our Pug. He avoids her and when she charges at him he drops his head and skulks away.
It really seems to be related to the couch, even though we usually have it so they cannot jump up there at all because they like to pee there when no one is looking!
Clover had started lunging a bit and behaving like a bit of a grump before she was 5 months old. She was then spayed at 5 months.

 

[helgalush]

I was thinking perhaps fear aggression as well - I think the two main types of aggression in bunnies is either fear or territory. Either way it could make sense because rabbits are very smell-sensitive so there could be something about the smell of the dog that has unsettled her, obviously that scent would also be picked up on you, or seeing the dog as invading her space - or somewhere that she sees as hers, like the sofa. Or maybe she is just fearful of the dog as a predator.

I think it is possible to get them more used to each other - there is a section in Living with a Houserabbit by Dykes and Flack about it - might be worth getting it out of the library or buying it from Amazon.

 

[Elena]

How is her eyesight?

Nutmeg hates the broom. I tend to fill their trays with fresh hay and then sweep up while she's occupied.

 

[LloydFerris]

There's PLENTY about the scent of our dog that unsettles me as well!! :lol:
As far as the dog goes, I could see her being territorial about his being in her 'space' as he doesn't spend much time in the LR anyway.
But why is she so crabby to me when I'm on the sofa? Well, Schuette raised a great point! Clover was attacked by a cat when she was very tiny and had one of her eyes badly damaged. (She is a domestic bun that was born in the 'wild'.)
Take a look at pic 3. You can just make out the foggy scar over her pupil.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=237676

Her vision must be a bit impaired. Why did I never think of that?

 

[Elena]

Nutmeg has similar and she sometimes reacts in the same way. I just have to be careful when I approach her and make sure I do so in the right direction and that she knows I'm coming. Now she's settled she doesn't do it so much.

 

[GrahamL]

Dustpan + Brush + Ginger = Doom. She'll lunge at it, bite it, scratch at it.

Biscuit just runs away from it, the wimp.

I agree, clean after while they are distracted :wave:

 

[Elena]

Funnily enough Nutmeg tolerates the dustpan and brush :lol: It's just the broom she despises.

 

[Tamsin]

I think with the cleaning the best option is to remove her whilst you do it, that way she won't be stressed out if it is a fear issue and won't start a pattern of when I'm scared I attack and i goes away.

I think the sofa aggression sounds more territorial. You mention the buns wee on the sofa - that's territory marking. Lot's of bunnies seem to do that to sofas, I guess because the are a high point and because we spend a lot of time sitting on them they contain a lot of scent.

Her behaviour with your pug also sounds territorial. The top rabbit charging and the bottom rabbit giving way it classic dominance. If that's the case you can see how she might be mad at the lowest ranking rabbit (your pug) sitting in a prime spot of territory (the sofa). He's upsurping her authority! Her reaction is to reinforce it by charging at him and making him back off.

Did the aggressive start with your pug and move on to you? If so it could be once the pattern of behaviour started it got transferred to anyone sitting on the sofa.

Of course understanding what's going on in her had still leaves how to fix it practically :? I'm guessing removing the sofa is a bit drastic. You could try retraining not to wee on sofa so she's allowed to hang out there too, but I'm guessing your pug wouldn't be impressed with losing his sofa spot.

How exactly does the attack go? Is she going after your legs when you sit? Does she jump of the sofa to get your pug or bite from below? What do you do when it happens?

 

[LloydFerris]

Her aggression started when she first realized that she could jump up onto the sofa. She looked so proud of herself - hehehe! When she saw our dog (Pickles) snoozing there she grunted and lunged at him. She may have bopped him in the face, but obviously isn't trying to bite him or hurt him. I can tell she's trying to say "get lost!". At first I assumed she was thinking of attacking him, so I gently put my hand on her nose/forehead area and pressed down a bit. I was told this is what you should do to stop the habit of biting from forming. Pickles takes her orders and gets out of her way. Anyway....when I reached to put my hand on her, she turned around and lunged at me. It's like Pickles' presence puts her in a crabby mood.
She doesn't go for anyone's legs. She jumps up on the sofa in a fine mood, realizes others are in this 'coveted' space of hers and says 'Hey! MINE!'. She hasn't done this with either of my boys yet, but they don't try to touch her because they know she doesn't like being touched/petted.
With me, it's only when I reach out to her. Otherwise she is fine to zip about on the sofa and climb over me and hop around me.....what a strange little girl. Oh, and as far as dominance goes, she's not the top bunny. Lloyd is. Maybe she's just the queen of the couch!