Attack rabbit?

[zzGypsy]

ok, so I'm new to bunnies, got my first 4 (buck, 3 does) as a trial on how I like them with an eye to raising meat rabbits.

I've got three that are straightforward to handle, but the forth... well any time I reach into the cage, remove the water dish, fill the food dish, etc, she comes right at me - ears down, eyes wide, stomping with the front feet straight out in front of her.

to pick her up, I'm tossing a hand towel over her head, then pinning her (gently as possible) and scruffing her to lift her out, hand under her butt to support her.

hutch is 30x36, front door (not top)

I did do a quick search on this and didn't see a thread that seemed to apply - if there is one, a link would be great, or advice on how to address this, get her to calm down. not looking to make a pet of her, just want to be able to move her out of the cage for cleaning with no fight.

thanks for your help!

 

[DianeS]

Congrats on entering the world of rabbits!

I had a rabbit like that once, that never got better. Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. A few attacks too many, and she was served for dinner.

If you still want her for breeding (knowing that her temperment can be passed to the babies), I'd recommend a wire-bottomed cage that you don't have to clean, and a feeder and waterer you can fill from outside. Then you only have to deal with her when she has kits that need checking.

 

[lastfling]

Ditto to what was said in the previous post. Since you didn't mention how long you've had them, she may still need more time to adjust to the new environment / handler. Some though are genetically inclined to be mean as snakes and will not get over it. Is she biting or just boxing when you go in the cage? I've got one doe who will box from time to time, but has never bitten. I've also got another one that will nip while in the cage, but if you put hands on her from the top she settles down and enjoys a good ear scratch/back rub. Women, what can you do with em?? Sure as the world can't figure them out.

 

[nerissad]

With the eye towards breeding I would bred her, 2X in a day spread apart by a few hours. Make sure to take the female to the males cage and then let them do their thing. I would try to be patient through the gestation and then through the raising of the kits. If her personality is still bad then I would take her to the freezer with the knowledge that she provided some foder. I wouldn't raise any of those kits though as it could be a genetic thing in which case the kits could be mean too.

Good luck!

 

[secuono]

Keep one of her offspring girls and replace her if you don't want to risk being bitten all the time.

 

[zzGypsy]

wait... rabbits BITE?!?
ha! ok, well I guess everything else that has teeth does ...

I'm guessing she'd bite me given half a chance. she sure looks mean enough when she's coming at me

I've had them about 3 weeks, so I'm reeeealy new to this. I'm thinking she's bred, certainly she should be, as she had her turn with the buck sometime in the first couple of days. she's pretty, and a nice size, but we have a standard rule here...

If you're tasty, you shouldn't also be mean.

soooo... in light of her agressive attitude, if she doesn't soften up, we may be finding out how tasty she is once she's raised the kits.

noted that I'll have to watch them for her temperament. dad's nice though. so are the other two does.

other than tossing a towel on her, any other suggestions for handling her?

 

[Bunnylady]

Has she always been such a crank? You said you've had her for three weeks; was she like that when you first got her? I ask, because some of my does become real "touch me nots" when bred. I have seen it happen often enough to put a personality change on my mental list of "things to watch for" when breeding. Some of the does that develop such an attitude get better once the babies arrive; some continue to be "dragon rabbits" until the babies are out of the nestbox. On the other hand, some does are fiercely territorial under any circumstances; those don't get a chance to pass the attitude on around here!

With rabbits, "high" is dominant, "low" is submissive. Approaching a cranky rabbit with your hand low in the cage is just asking to get smacked or worse. If I need to handle a rabbit that I think is going to actively resent my attention, I keep my hand high in the cage, and wait until the rabbit hunkers down to try to get my hands on it (I've only had a couple that had the nerve to come after a raised hand!). Once I can get one hand on top of the rabbit, I keep it there while I do whatever I need to do in the cage with the other hand. When it comes to removing a rabbit from a cage, I flip them feet side upward as quickly as I can; it seems to take the fight out of most rabbits. When returning a rabbit to a cage, I usually carry the rabbit to the cage in that position, and put them onto their feet on the cage floor in one swift movement and remove my hands immediately. A lot of rabbits will struggle when they see their cages, so keeping them upside down until just before their feet hit the cage floor saves me from a lot of scratches.

 

[zzGypsy]

hmmm... I'd have to say no, she wasn't this cranky the first few days, because I remember being surprised the first time she did it. so I'd say maybe a week after I got her she started this.

I haven't learned how to speak rabbit yet, so the high/low thing is useful information.

she typically retreats to the back of the cage when I open the door, then boxes if I reach more than half way into the cage space. I keep the feeder near the front door, so unless she's shoved it around, it's not too much of a big deal. she did come up to the door today for a finger sniffing... maybe she'll settle, or... maybe not!

guess she'll be telling me who she is.

 

[BJnMe]

Tons of other good info in this thread, I will keep my post short and to the point.

Female rabbits can and very often are protective of their home. That is what it sounds like to me.
She comes at you when you enter HER space.

Some get over it some don't.

 

[zzGypsy]

Tons of other good info in this thread, I will keep my post short and to the point.

Female rabbits can and very often are protective of their home. That is what it sounds like to me.
She comes at you when you enter HER space.

Some get over it some don't.

ha! useful and to the point. thanks!