How to Bond With an Aggressive Rabbit

Hey everybody, hope you all very good. Today, I wanted to tackle a topic that is constantly brought to my attention, and that is aggression in rabbits. Now, before I continue, I just want to emphasize that rabbits are not inherently aggressive animals. They tend to be quite timid, bashful, gentle, and very apprehensive about everything. Because rabbits are prey animals, sometimes their defense mechanisms can be mistaken for aggression. Some examples of aggression in rabbits can include lunging, biting, grunting, nipping, and destructive behavior.

People always ask me, “Why does my rabbit hate me? Why doesn’t my rabbit love me the way your bunny loves you?” The truth is, every rabbit has the potential to be like my bunny. But remember, I’ve raised my bunny in a very different way than most people. I know I’m a very non-traditional bunny parent—I throw birthday parties for her, we go out, and I spend a lot of time with her. Sometimes it can be hard to gauge where your rabbit is coming from and what their past is, especially if they’re a rescue or you’re adopting. Maybe they’re coming from some sort of trauma, or maybe they’ve been in a cage their whole life and are not very socialized. Keep all that in mind, but remember that every learned behavior can also be unlearned, so it’s important to remain patient and understanding.

Spaying and Neutering

Now, let’s move on to different solutions. First, spaying and neutering. A lot of the people who ask me about the aggression in their rabbits haven’t gotten their bunnies spayed or neutered. I’ll probably make a separate article discussing the importance of spaying or neutering, but what I will say now is that spaying and neutering greatly reduce hormonal and territorial behavior, which can be quite aggressive. Bunnies are very territorial.

Housing

This is probably the most important element I’m going to bring up in this article. The most common way that people describe the aggression in their rabbits to me is they say, “Well, I stuck my hand in my rabbit’s cage and they bit me.” That’s your problem right there. Your bunny is in a cage, and cages can be very stressful for rabbits. That’s not their natural habitat, and if they’re not getting out of that cage very often, that cage becomes their safe space and their safe haven. When you’re reaching your hand in there completely unwelcomed, they’re going to be very defensive. Bunnies need to be able to hop and jump and binky and flop freely, and when they feel restricted, they’re bottling up that energy. They’re not getting enough exercise, and they’re going to take it out on you.

Now, I’ll be completely honest with you guys. One of the biggest reasons that my bunny and I have such a great relationship is because she’s a free-roamer. Even bunnies who are kept in exercise pens—and I always say pens are better than cages—but even with a pen, there’s still a barrier between you and your rabbit, and you’re still living very separate lives. Even if you visit your bunny a few times a day and spend some time with them, it’s not the same thing as completely sharing a space with your rabbit. When you lift that barrier, you’re going to see the dynamic of the relationship change completely. Your bunny becomes acclimated to your movements, your sleeping patterns—they just don’t flinch over every little thing. The point is, you’re giving them the freedom to choose to be with you or not be with you, and that is what you want out of a rabbit—to voluntarily be with you. When you’re sticking your hand in their cage, in their safe space, you’re not giving them a choice. You’re forcing yourself onto the rabbit.

Rule out any potential health issues

If your bunny is in pain, has an underlying health issue or impairment, or is uncomfortable, that can certainly affect their personality or behavior. A bunny that’s in pain isn’t going to be aggressive—they’re going to be very lethargic. But if there’s something that’s irritating your bunny that maybe they themselves don’t fully understand, that’s a big enough reason to get them to the vet. Bunnies who are also losing their vision or hearing can feel vulnerable and be triggered or startled easily by certain movements or sounds. You might also be dealing with a neurological issue. So again, just get them to the vet, get them checked out, and make sure everything’s okay. Some rabbits can be triggered by the scent of other rabbits or animals. So if you have been around other bunnies, just be sure to wash your hands and change your clothes before interacting with your rabbits again.

All right, so let’s move on to some final tips and tricks. Make sure the bunny is living a stress-free life. I did mention stress earlier, but stress is definitely a cause for aggression and other health issues like GI stasis. So this is really important. Make sure that their living space is peaceful and quiet. Make sure there aren’t any other predators in the house who are maybe antagonizing the bunny. Give them unlimited hay and great chew toys because that’s where they’re going to take out their aggression.

T-Shirt Method

Next, the t-shirt method. Give them an old t-shirt of yours or an article of clothing that you don’t mind being chewed. Just plop it on the ground, let them sniff it, investigate it, and get to know your scent. Once they realize the shirt isn’t a threat, then why would you be?

Bunnies don’t have the same sleeping schedule as humans. They are most active in the morning and at night, and then they’ll take little naps throughout the day. Don’t try to bond with your bunny when they’re napping. During their nap time, they want to hibernate. They go into a dark, cold space, maybe under a bed or under a couch. They don’t really want to be bothered, and if you’ve ever been woken up from a nap, then you know what it feels like. So try to bond with your bunnies when they’re most willing, which is when they’re most active.

Go for a Car Ride

Next, go for a car ride. This is actually a technique that people use to bond bunnies with other bunnies, but it can be used to bond bunnies with humans. Have someone drive you guys around the block, maybe for about 15 minutes. While they’re in the carrier, comfort them, talk to them. When the car comes to a full stop and you’re parked, take the bunny out of the carrier, place them on your lap, press them up against your body, and just again, pet them, comfort them, talk to them. Even the most aggressive rabbit isn’t going to lunge at you or bite you in a car because, as you know, cars cause bunnies anxiety. So what’ll happen is, whether they like you or not, they’ll find some sort of comfort in your arms, and then they’ll start to associate you with comfort. If you do this a few times a week, a little bit of reverse psychology, this will condition them and you’ll start to notice immediate results.

Learn to Approach Your Bunny

As you know, bunnies have eyes on the sides of their head, not in the front like we do, so they have a blind spot here. If you try to approach them from that blind spot or from up above, they’re just going to see a big shadow casting over them, and that’s enough to scare them off. So try to approach them from the sides where they have a good view of what’s coming at them. Go slowly, work your way gently up onto the head, pet them, and then you can kind of work your way around the more trust you gain.

If you have a particularly aggressive rabbit that is biting, I would suggest maybe wearing some boots or gloves, maybe oven mitts, around them just so that you don’t actually get hurt.

Now for some don’ts. Don’t try to poke any objects at the rabbit that might antagonize them. Just be your natural self. Don’t try to physically discipline the rabbit by hitting them. That’s not going to be effective at all; you’re just going to make them even more afraid of you. Simply yelling “No!” and pulling away when they do try to nip or lunge is going to condition them into thinking, “All right, that’s not quite the reaction I was hoping for.”

Finally, it’s important to remember that there’s always going to be the occasional bunny that requires a little bit more effort, and that’s okay. Maybe that bunny doesn’t like to cuddle, but it doesn’t mean that they hate you or that they don’t love you. Every bunny has a different personality, and they might display their affection in different ways.

Alright, guys, that’s it for this article. I hope it helped a little bit. Let me know in the comments below what you want to read next—I’m curious!