# Rabbit Attack!! (To be Expected, Or time to Butcher?) (pic on Post #7)



## jktrahan (Mar 16, 2011)

I picked up this 11 month old Californian buck Sunday. The previous owner told me he had scratched his daughter pretty badly and they were looking for a smaller calmer bunny for her. 

I let him out of his cage when we got home so he could run around our 25' x 30 ' fenced in garden. He acted fine and friendler than any of my other rabbits. He would come up to me and sniff then wonder off and roam around.

Yesterday I let him out with my other 4 month old bucs and it was hump central, so the 11 month old californian went back in the cage.

Today when I got home and checked on the rabbits the californian sprayed urine on me as i passed by and about 2 hours later did the same thing again. A few minutes later I put my hand in his cage (Slowly). As soon as my hand entered his cage he latched on to my hand *WITH HIS TEETH *and ripped off the thin yard glove i was wearing. With the glove still in his mouth he laid on the bottom of the cage humping the glove for about 20 seconds.

My rabbits are in 3' x 2' x 2' cages and the males and females are in cages next to each other.

Is this behavior to be expected? Is this how an adult male responds when in breeding mode, or is this a flaw in the temperament?  I was hoping to breed this Californian due to his good size but do not want to chance another attack.


Video of buck and cages:
YouTube Vid


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## tortoise (Mar 16, 2011)

Freezer time!  

No, seriously.  I've never seen anything like that and I wouldn't breed it into my herd.


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## jktrahan (Mar 16, 2011)

He kind of reminds me of your avatar. Put 2 deep cuts into my palm and scared the crap out of me and my son.


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## currycomb (Mar 17, 2011)

breed him, he is in "rabbit rut"


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## cattlecait (Mar 17, 2011)

currycomb said:
			
		

> breed him, he is in "rabbit rut"


Agreed, it just sounds like he wants bred. Breed him and see if his attitude adjusts.


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## hoodat (Mar 17, 2011)

Sounds as though he'll be a good breeder. Spraying urine is just marking territory. You're the one who brings the feed so he wants to mark you as his "property". You can buy or make a urine guard about 5 inches or so wide and wire it to the bottom edge of the cage so he can't do it again.He may have also become more aggresive due to being exposed to other bucks.


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## jktrahan (Mar 17, 2011)

cattlecait said:
			
		

> currycomb said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Would love to breed him but doe's will not be old enough until August. So i'm assuming you have seen aggression like this before? if so how do you handle it?

There is no way i will ever be able to stick my hand in the cage with him again and will not be able to trust him with my son or wife.


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## Melissa'sDreamFarm (Mar 17, 2011)

Holy crow, I think I like fried rabbit. 5 months of sexual frustration and you might not have a hand left.


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## dbunni (Mar 17, 2011)

In our barn he would have been invited to dinner ... that night. No questions asked.  Yes, spraying is a territorial thing, but attacking is a dinner thing.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Mar 17, 2011)

Yikes!  I don't breed rabbits but there is no way I'd tolerate that kind of aggression from any species on our farm.  If he were one of my roosters he'd be dinner for sure.


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## jktrahan (Mar 17, 2011)

He's enjoying a nice hickory smoke treatment as I type this....


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## DKRabbitry (May 2, 2011)

LOL Glad you made your decition... I just want to add my 20 pennies
For those of you that suggested breed him WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!!?  I have had rabbits for a couple years now, and a lot of bucks and does have passed through my hutches, and I have NEVER had a rabbit behave like that.  Sure we have had sprayers and those that mount their litter mates and such, but never attacked or humped objects like a glove.  The very LAST Thing you would want to do is pass on those mentally unstable genetics.  Just my opinion....


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## Bimpnottin (May 2, 2011)

We had a rabbit when we were kids (so don't remember the breed) that hated women. My brothers or Dad would go in and feed him and he was fine. Mom or one of us girls and he would charge at us.  My Mom started taking a hammer in with her when she had to do the feedings and that's how that lousy little SOB met his end.  No matter how pretty they are or what size they are, I would never pass those mental genes on to a future generation.


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## Okie Amazon (May 2, 2011)

God, that is a horrid looking bite! I hope you are on some antibiotics and DO soak in strong Epsom salt water as hot as you can stand.  Spread the BBQ sauce on that bun!


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## cattlecait (May 2, 2011)

DKRabbitry said:
			
		

> LOL Glad you made your decition... I just want to add my 20 pennies
> For those of you that suggested breed him WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!!?  I have had rabbits for a couple years now, and a lot of bucks and does have passed through my hutches, and I have NEVER had a rabbit behave like that.  Sure we have had sprayers and those that mount their litter mates and such, but never attacked or humped objects like a glove.  The very LAST Thing you would want to do is pass on those mentally unstable genetics.  Just my opinion....


I posted that before seeing the photo, he sounded like our bucks when they don't get bred for awhile. After seeing the photo, yes, beyond just being a horny butthead. Glad you decided to butcher him!


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## PattySh (May 2, 2011)

Glad he's being BBQed. I had a NZ male that was nasty tempered and   peed on me several times the last time he got me right in the face. He was a lousy breeder had trouble "hitting the target!".As soon as I got cleaned up from being peed on he got butchered. His son is  fine, I didn't raise the rabbit not sure what happened with him. All offspring had fine temperaments.


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## norcal (May 3, 2011)

I've noticed our buck's personality seeming a bit different this last month or so (not as friendly & he seems grumpy).   

We bred him the first time about 2 months ago (he's 1 yr).   

I was wondering if he's "frustrated" now that he "KNOWS what his purpose is" (breeding).  

However, that said, if he ever bit me like that he'd go in the freezer.   I just don't put up w/ that, but I don't put up w/ roosters either, because we've never had a nice rooster.


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## Lizzie098 (May 6, 2011)

Yeah I have a pretty wild buck too. He likes to 'scent' any thing I give him almost before it touches the ground! At first he was really crazy and bit me all the time but now he is very sweet.  
     Although your rabbit seemes pretty wild, I think he has just reached his breeding age and should calm down a little, after a few months. We had some crazy males that tried riding anything in sight, but after a while they calmed down too. I guess it depends on what you want him for, because if its for breeding he should be perfect for that   . Or you can give him 4-5 months (some times longer)and see how he is then. I now know I almost got rid of one of my best Rabbits. 

    Oops!! Just see he's already being fried!!! Hope he atleast tastes good!!!


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## hoodat (May 6, 2011)

My buck is the sweetest tempered bunrab you ever saw but he's a walking sprinkler system. Everything in range gets hosed down. So far he hasn't hit me but I don't want him to get any ideas.
My grandpa used to say,"The more they spray the better they breed".


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## rabbitgeek (May 7, 2011)

Aggressive behavior like that should not be tolerated.

I wanted to address statements that made it sound like you have to wait a year to breed a buck.

I routinely bred bucks starting at 6 or 7 months. I have a friend who oftens breeds bucks at 5 1/2 months when pushing a bloodline through generations.

She's trying to get a new variety recognized (Blue Rhinelanders) and she needs the generations to turn over so she can see how well the markings are coming along.

The only problem is that young bucks can be intimidated by older, larger does. So I have to be present to intervene if the doe tries to mount the buck (dominance behavior).

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## Shiloh Acres (May 8, 2011)

My buck was probably very sexually frustrated for a long time. He was older than the breeder told me, and I had my does bred before I got them, and he had to wait through the summer (I don't breed in summer). And had a doe caged next to him. (I really didn't MEAN to be cruel to him LOL). 

He ripped up his cage, but NEVER acted aggressively with me. 

He is finally getting lots of breeding. And in a stronger cage LOL. He still doesn't act aggressively, no longer rips at his cage, and in fact runs over to the door and hunches down, wanting to be petted, whenever I pass by his cage. 

He's a lot happier now. I can't say for sure about the rabbit in question, but I wouldn't breed that kind of behavior into my animals either. 

Hope he was delicious! I'm probably going to have to slaughter a few yearlings myself, as I don't want to breed them after all and don't feel right about selling them if I don't wanna deal with their issues.


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## dewey (May 8, 2011)

Shiloh Acres said:
			
		

> and in fact runs over to the door and hunches down, wanting to be petted, whenever I pass by his cage.


That sounds familiar, lol...one of my bucks does that and has to be physically moved out of the way to even be able to shut the door, lol.

OP, that's a wicked bite!  Bet dinner was especially good.


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## CYGChickies (Jul 28, 2011)

My Lionhead buck BigWig is breeding age and my NZR Hazel is about half way there. The first one of the boys that sprays me is getting it right back with the hose. So far they don't spray eachother (they're hutch neighbors) or the lovely ladies across the way. Hopefully I keep them busy enough or disinterested enough in me to avoid being sprayed. I think I get grossed out enough getting peed on by ones I'm holding; I can't imagine getting sprayed in the face!!!

You guys have me shopping for a hazmat suit!  

CYG


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## 4-H forever!<3 (Mar 4, 2012)

I have a mini Rex that does the same thing. Sometimes, there's just nothing that you can do.


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## AZ Rabbits (Mar 5, 2012)

4-H forever!<3 said:
			
		

> I have a mini Rex that does the same thing. Sometimes, there's just nothing that you can do.


I know of one thing you can do...


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## PinkFox (Apr 13, 2012)

spraying is one thing, humping also...
But that is a NASTY bite and that kind of agression woudl not be tolerated in my rabbitry.
i have a self black doe whos afirst time momma and a little "overenthusiastic" right now, she tried to give me a good scratch today when i whent to feed her...BUT shes also got a 1 week old litter in the nst box...
once the babies are weaned though...if she doesnt settle back to the sweet bun she was shell make perfectly good stew...(or can go to a comercial breeder whos not interested in temperment)  i wont stand REAL agression in my rabbitry, i expect some thumping lunging ect from a doe with young...but otherwise...too many LOVELY buns out there to be fussing with bad temperments, i need to be able to take them out safely, clip nails, check glands ect...if i cant do that...they cant stay.


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## adorable (Apr 28, 2012)

I have to second that pink fox. Very well said and agree 100%


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## Chris (Apr 28, 2012)

jktrahan said:
			
		

> I picked up this 11 month old Californian buck Sunday. The previous owner told me he had scratched his daughter pretty badly and they were looking for a smaller calmer bunny for her.
> 
> I let him out of his cage when we got home so he could run around our 25' x 30 ' fenced in garden. He acted fine and friendler than any of my other rabbits. He would come up to me and sniff then wonder off and roam around.
> 
> ...


If you would/would have caged you buck further from the does then your problem may have ended.
I had this problem with a little Netherland buck and all I had to do is move him away from the does and his meanness ended.

Chris


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