Agressive bunny?

Question
Hi there,
I have had my bunny for less than a week. he is an 8 week old mini lop, and has come from a breeder. he was scared at first, but has now made himself at home. He lives indoors and I have been taking him out daily and playing with him on the couch and more recently outside in a play pen (which he loves and does flips in :)) HOWEVER is is fairly aggressive. I have been reading heaps about it and can understand somethings, ie he attacks my hand when I pat him in his cage, and bit my finger (hard) yesterday when I was letting him smell me through the wire of the cage ect. So I have left him alone in his cage. i open the door and let him walk onto my knees from there take him outside. problem is he will come to me - but then when I lift him up he kicks ferociously and jumps back into his cage. same with when I try to pick him up out of his play pen. I have been told some rabbits just hate being picked up - so i will do my best to leave him alone, but some times i need to pick him up, without having to throw a towel over him. Also would like to be able to put a harness on him and take him outside. he is happy to walk on me - but as soon as I go to pick him up he gets quite aggressive. Is there anything I can do to get him to trust me?  

Answer
Hi Rita,

well, you are correct in that rabbits do not like being held, generally.  Since they cna break their backs struggling, I would advise only picking him up when you have to.

That said, you also need to train him in order to tolerate being held.  That is, when you do have him and he struggles, you can't put him down.  Otherwise you are teaching him that if he struggles he will get put on the floor.  You have to hold onto him so that he won't fall, and say "No (his name)".  He should understand what "no" means by now.  

And don't underestimate using towels, when you wrap him in a towel they remember the snugness of the nest and remember to stay still (instinct because if they kick then mama rabbit will stop nursing and leave).  They feel secure when they are wrapped.  If you get better at wrapping (get a swaddling blanket) you may find that it works well for you.  My mom has a lop that she wraps up and can stay like that with her for hours.  She can walk around with her like a baby.

Right now don't pick him up so much.  The other alternative is getting him used to being moved around in his carrier.  Sometimes we will get a rabbit into a space where they have to go into their carrier, and then we use it to put him back up into his house, for example.  Less traumatic than picking up, as they have some control over what happens.

Always move slowly when using hands and arms around him.  Talk to him and tell him what you're going to do, talk soothingly.  Pet him a couple times if you can.

Make sure you don't have perfume on, or other animals scents on you.  They also don't like smoke smell.  Part of his response may be because of this.  

He is eight weeks old.  He is extremely young and inexperienced.  I would say probably a little too young, he could have used another couple weeks of being with his mom and siblings for more socialization.  Trust takes a long time to develop with prey species like rabbits.  You are expecting probably too much from him too quickly.  You have to realize that to rabbits, we are predators.  We look like them with both eyes in front, we eat meat and drink milk, we smell like them.  When we go to pick them up it's like a hawk coming down or another animal trying to grab them for dinner.  The cage nipping when your hands are in the cage are defending his turf, or that he really doesn't want a pet from you because he either doesn't want it or he believes you are trying to pick him up.  It is partly because you've had him less than a week.  He has SO many new things to get used to and be comfortable with.  You are expecting too much from him after a few days.  Even more so because he is such a young rabbit.  He has no prior experiences to draw on.

My approach is to do the opposite of your impulse.  Do nothing.  Let them out, and just sit there and read a book.  Don't appear interested in him.  Let him come to you.  If he comes to you, don't pet him.  Let him know he can come to you and you won't try to 'grab' him.  Their natural curiousity will eventually make them wonder why you aren't paying attention to them.  This is part of trust building, and that is to let them become comfortable being around you and not worrying you'll always try to go after him with your hands.

He has to learn your hands ONLY have good things associated with them.  It will take time, and every day needs to build on the previous.  Never hit him with hands, it will destroy all the trust you have - dog discipline styles like a light whack on the nose doesn't work with rabbits.  All the trust you build with your rabbit lies in your hands.

I would only try the harness after he's gotten very comfortable with you.  YOu may want to do it sooner, but you have to realize things are going to go on his timetable, not yours.  In this aspect they are quite different than predator-category pets like dogs.  

Write back anytime.  Lee