Teeth & aggression

L

LexyKitsy

New Kit
I have inherited a two & a half year old female who I have had for about 2 months. She is quite aggressive mostly when I try & get her out of the hutch & has caused some serious damage to my husbands hands. She has bitten us all, myself & my two children & it's making us unhappy & scared, I wonder if she is happy. She is ok when she's pottering around the house but then goes for you for no reason.
I have booked her into the vets to be spayed on Tuesday & was wondering if there was a possibility of taking out her front teeth while she is under the anesthetic? I haven't spoken to the vet yet so not sure what they will say. She doesn't have anything wrong with her teeth but I did have a house rabbit years ago who had problems with his teeth & these were taken out at the same time as him being 'done'.
Is this cruel of me? She is a lovely bun apart from her aggression. I'm just worried about the kids being hurt then they'll stop giving her attention & we'll all be unhappy.
 
Hello and welcome :wave:

I'm sorry you are having problems with your rabbit.

There are lots of people on here who have much experience of bringing round a "less cuddly" rabbit!

Females are often territorial and protective of their space - neutering will help to some extent here I am sure.

Eyesight is something that should be checked as poor eyesight could lead to the rabbit being surprised by the sudden appearance of a hand in the hutch etc.

I would suggest talking softley as you approach and go about your business in and around the hutch in order to let her get used to you being around before you put a hand in.

How big is her hutch? If accommodation and therefore exercise and stimulation is restricted I feel this can contribute to an "unhappy" bunny.

The children need to understand about how a rabbit works, sees, feels etc so that they can "think like a rabbit" and get the best out of her - for instance a hand in front of the face can be very alarming for a rabbit and will be considered rather rude. Rabbits are prey animals and are therefore more likely to be "on their guard", they don't in general like to be picked up or "restrained".

I don't think it should be necessary to remove any healthy teeth.

Can I ask also about diet please, what is she fed on and quantities?

I do hope we can help - I had a doe who was pocessive of her hutch, striking at us with her front paws when we reached in for the food bowl etc but with some careful management and time we were able to overcome it.
 
Spaying will calm her down a bit I think, I don't think its necessary to take her teeth out, I think its a tad cruel to take her healthy teeth out for your own sake. But I suppose its up to you! :wave: Good luck.
xxx
 
Sorry, realised I had more to say!

It is always best to allow a rabbit to come to you rather than to impose your will on it.

My rabbits will hop in to their carriers to be moved to their run on the lawn because I have been patient and put treats in to the carrier while they were new to me and in time they have realised that good things happen when you go in to the carrier - you find a treat (some leaf corriander perhaps or a piece of brocolli) and you go out in the run or come in the kitchen for a run around.

Rabbits don't like wide open spaces with nowhere to hide because of the natural threat of being preyed on from the air (Eagles etc) so providing places to hide away, carrier, tunnel, boxes, if they feel threatened will prevent the need for them to confront anyone.

I know it can be difficult - I have 3 children - but they do need to be quiet and calm around the rabbit.

I have 2 rabbits who live happily with my 6 year old, we've had them from babies when son was 3, they are different natures - one outgoing and bold, a go-getter bunny and the other more reserved but just as loving - he loves to sit next to you to have a love and a stroke - they have trained my son to get them dandilions and herbs from around the garden while he's out there and he can happily pop in to the aviary and sit with them for a while.

I would get a full health check done on bunny when she goes for her spay.

Expect at least a couple of months for the hormones to die down.

Did the vet tell you she'll need to be kept inside for at least 24 hours after the spay as they have difficulty regulating their temperature after a GA?
 
:wave:
Dustyrabbit has given good advice & poses some important questions.

I'm sure that speying & a bit more research in order for your family to 'think rabbit' & you will be able to build a good relationship with your bun.
Do you know anything of her background that may be influencing her current behaviour?
I'd be surprised if a vet would agree to remove healthy teeth for this reason alone, TBH it does seem like an extreme response.

These links may help also -
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/biting_hand_may_05.pdf

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/you_and_your_bun_aug_05.pdf
 
Dustyrabbit said:
Sorry, realised I had more to say!

It is always best to allow a rabbit to come to you rather than to impose your will on it.

My rabbits will hop in to their carriers to be moved to their run on the lawn because I have been patient and put treats in to the carrier while they were new to me and in time they have realised that good things happen when you go in to the carrier - you find a treat (some leaf corriander perhaps or a piece of brocolli) and you go out in the run or come in the kitchen for a run around.

Rabbits don't like wide open spaces with nowhere to hide because of the natural threat of being preyed on from the air (Eagles etc) so providing places to hide away, carrier, tunnel, boxes, if they feel threatened will prevent the need for them to confront anyone.

I know it can be difficult - I have 3 children - but they do need to be quiet and calm around the rabbit.

I have 2 rabbits who live happily with my 6 year old, we've had them from babies when son was 3, they are different natures - one outgoing and bold, a go-getter bunny and the other more reserved but just as loving - he loves to sit next to you to have a love and a stroke - they have trained my son to get them dandilions and herbs from around the garden while he's out there and he can happily pop in to the aviary and sit with them for a while.

I would get a full health check done on bunny when she goes for her spay.

Expect at least a couple of months for the hormones to die down.

Did the vet tell you she'll need to be kept inside for at least 24 hours after the spay as they have difficulty regulating their temperature after a GA?
Click to expand...

:thumb:
 
Thanks for your advice.

I know it's a bit selfish for me to want her teeth taken out, I suppose that's why I posted, for help.

We have just built her a mega hutch which is about 2m square & it's tall enough for her to stand upright, she can't reach the roof.
I was avoiding putting her in the new hutch until after her spay & thought this might break the possessive/aggressive behaviour assossiated with her old hutch-not sure if that's right or wrong but thought it worth a go. We do try & let her come out of her own accord but then we pounce! The things you are saying are all brilliant & it's all top advice which I really do appreciate. I'll try the coriander, sounds like a nice treat.

She hasn't had much attention for the past year & the hutch isn't large enough for her but while she's been with us we put her in a run everyday. Again it's not the best run but money is stopping us from expanding that at the moment. The girls & I go & give her a stoke & chat whenever we are passing the run & I'm sure this can only help.

I never thought about the eyesight check though, I will mention to the vet. Also I didn't realise she'd have to be kept indoors, I haven't really got anywhere to keep her as she's only in the house when we're around. I will have to sort something out for that.

Thanks for all your advice, we will keep going as she is a lovely bun & we all need to get used to each other.
 
Realised I hadn't answered you about food.
I'm giving her about 100g of Burgess excell adult food twice a day plus a few broccoli bits, and a couple of carrots. She always has plenty of as bedding & then in a hay carrier.
Is this ok? She is a medium size rabbit possibly french lop size.
 
i would slowly reduce her nuggets down - just by a little each day until she is down to about 15g of nuggets a day. I split the nuggets into two meals, and my rabbits go mad to see me when they know it is nugget time. I have used this to work on my very shy bunny Chloe who is very nervous. She loves her nuggets, so I started gently stroking her while she was eating. Now she will let me stroke her whole body without running away - so a big improvement. So maybe using her favourite food and just sit nearby quietly. slowly (over several days) move the food closer and closer to you why you stay still, and don't try to catch her or stroke her at first. then when she is comfortable by your side, start gently stroking her. Doing this each day will help to build a relationship where she associates good things ( nice food) with gentle strokes from a human.
 
Gosh, I've been feeding her far too much. I will try the sitting with her while I feed her as well.
She will be an adorable rabbit, I think it's just my frustrations.
Thanks for your help, I'm sure I'll be back on with some other questions.
 
That's great that you have a new large hutch for her and I would get her in there asap don't wait till after the spay. With the extra space you will be able to enrich her environment giving her things to play with, places to hide, things to nibble and climb on. They don't need to be expensive and many are free! Cardboard boxes that you can cut holes in are excellent to rip and claw at as well as hide in, toilet roll tubes can have hay stuffed in with a few pellets hidden inside, rectangular boxes can be adapted to make a "tunnel" (always popular), Apple tree branches can be given to chew (make sure no pesticides have been used).

That's an awful lot of pellets! Excell are often responsible for buns getting messy bottoms from soft poos which can lead to flystike. Definately reduce the pellets to an eggcupful a day. IMO you don't need to do this gradually but I know others may say differently - the introduction of any new foods must be done slowly though.

Diet should be approx 80/90% hay and the remaining 10% or so made up of fresh foods which can include grass if she's grazing on the lawn (introduce gradually of course), wild foods (see Foraging 2011 thread for ideas), veg, herbs etc and the eggcupful of pellets (at this quantity excell may be fine but if you choose to change the pellet perhaps to Science Selective or Oxbow which are high fibre, do so gradually and not when you are introducing any other new food (veg etc) over at least a 2 week period. Also make any changes well before or well after the spay - everything in isolation as stress can upset a bunny very easily. Water of couse must always be available - a bowl is easier if they are recovering from illness, spaying or if its hot - mine love a bowl in the summer!

After the spay perhaps you could use her outdoor run to house her in overnight that's what I do, I have a Guinea Pig run that's about 1m square, I put an old plastic tablecloth on the floor and cover it with thick newspapers, add a litter tray (needs to be paper after spay, no hay, straw or shavings after a spay as it can irritate the wound - same goes when she goes back out until Vet gives the all clear that the wound is healed, perhaps 10 days? Then I throw a large towel over one corner so there is somewhere to hide away, like a little den to feel safe in. Hay must be available to eat but can be fed from a hayrack. Take a look around the site, perhaps using the search facility at the top of the page to familiarise yourself with what to expect after the spay.

Its fab that you are going to see her in the run and this will help her get used to you and the children. You could use the pellet "ration" as little treats she associates your arrival with nice things.

Thank you so much for seeking help about the situation - not all bunnies are so lucky to have an owner who is prepared to do so and to help them lead happy healthy lives :D
 
Last edited:
LexyKitsy said:
Gosh, I've been feeding her far too much. I will try the sitting with her while I feed her as well.
She will be an adorable rabbit, I think it's just my frustrations.
Thanks for your help, I'm sure I'll be back on with some other questions.
Click to expand...

Dustyrabbit is on fire with super good advice!
I predict you guys will do really well with your new bun because you've found your way here for a starter :)
Feeding too many nuggets is a trap many first time owners fall into & it is easily sorted.

I found these websites useful when I was new to buns -

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/index.php?section=leaflets.html

www.rabbit.org

Obviously you can be discerning & figure out what will work for you but there
is a wealth of good info out there & you can also cross check on here too.

What is your bunnies name?
 
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