Agressive Rabbit

Question
Cookie is the dominant one in between the two. She recently started grooming him but he's been doing it since the first day.
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Followup To

Question -
I think that the only real change that has happened was adding Mildred into his life. After she came in he was aggressive. So we got him neutered hoping to help him be back to normal but it only made it worse.
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Followup To

Question -
I haven't been doing anything differently that I know of. Even when I started school I have found way to spend MORE time with the both of them. I got him when he was only 8weeks from someone who didn't know anything about rabbits so he grew up with me. I have been doing the head press on the floor thing for a while then after I praise him for not biting me.
He's only okay with me alone when he's inside his cage and I don't seem to be a threat to him.


Another question I have is when he is in the cage with Mildred, He pulls out her fur. I know that it is normal behavior but when I was grooming them, I noticed that Mildred was getting a bald spot on her hind leg. Should I keep them separated in the cage time so prevent this from happening too much? He doesn't try to pull out her fur when they are outside.
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Hi Lee

I wrote to you about my spayed female and my unaltered male bunnies before. Well I have had the male(cookie) neutered but he seems to be more aggressive than before he was neutered. He's fine when he is with Mildred but once she's not around her, he charges at me growling and trying to bite me. I've already taken two bites to the leg, one on my hand, and another on my face. Is there something I did wrong to make him hate me? He wasn't like this before. I used to be able to take him to the park and he would play with the kids. Now I'm afraid if I try that, someone other than me will get hurt.
Is there anything I should do to help him be nicer around me?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
~Rivv

Answer -
Hi Rivv,

I guess I would ask you, is there anything you can think of that you have done (or that Cookie would think you did) that would make him not like you?  Does he associate something about you that is triggering this behavior?

Have you been wearing a new cologne?  Do you know his background (ie adopted from a shelter, possibly abused?)  Many times a smell or gender of a person may cause them problems if they still have issues about their past treatment.

Have you been spending less time around him and Mildred has been around him more?  

I have heard of this type of behavior in dogs that fall in love with a person and have problems with the spouse.  This obviously can't be allowed to go on if that is what this is.

It seems to fall into this kind of explanation because males will tend to be this kind of agressive with other males when there is a female rabbit in their midst.  They will fight for dominance and the chance to be the suitor of the female.  He may regard you as competition.  Or he may just regard Mildred as the alpha bunny and when she is gone, he won't behave and will go after you.

In any case, I would be as nice as possible to him.  Is he okay with you at any time? In his cage? Anywhere?

If he does charge you, grunt back and hold your ground.  Make a thumping sound on the floor with your palm to express "Hey, stop it!"  Say "No, Cookie!" assertively.

If/when he tries to nip, a "No Cookie!" and gently but firmly use your hand and press his head into the floor for several seconds, keep it there a little while.  This is an expression of your dominance and that you are not happy with what he just did.  You have to do the "No" and the head press immediately close together in order for Cookie to associate his immediate prior behavior with the head press.  If he starts to show a positive attitude change, you can stroke his head and say a "Good Boy".

You may need to have Mildred nearby, and possibly Mildred may need to come in and do a "No Cookie!" and head press on him if he will not listen to you.  He may listen to her if he regards her as the alpha bunny.  But somewhere down the line he has to recognize you are higher up the chain than he is.

Other than that, I'd move slowly and talk to him when reaching towards him or into his space.

Write back anytime.  Lee

Answer -
Hi,

sorry, I thought Mildred was a person.

You say you have started school recently.  Did his behavior change towards you after your schedule (normal routine that he was used to) changed?

Can you pinpoint his change towards you to any specific time period?  If so, you will need to look at what changed in your and his life at/around that period of time.

As far as Cookie pulling out fur on Mildred, he is just grooming her.  It is their shedding season now so he is probably pulling out a lot of loose hair.  Mildred would be unhappy if he was actually pulling out fur by the roots.

The bald spot on her hind leg is not due to grooming (they don't groom each others' back leg areas), it is what is called 'sore hocks'.  She must have very short hair on her back leg and it has worn down to nothing due to friction of whatever surfaces she sits on.  She also may be overweight as that will make these bald spots wear faster.  She also could have a sitting posture that puts her weight on these areas harder than if she sat another way.  

I wouldn't separate them if they are not fighting; grooming is a sign of close friendship between rabbits.  If she's not getting stressed out about it, it falls under grooming.  

Lee

Answer -
Hi Rivv,

there may be a possessiveness Cookie is expressing about Melinda, or that when Melinda's gone, he wants to 'take you on'.  Or a combo of both.

Do you know if Cookie or Melinda is the dominant bunny? Who groomed the other first?

I'd point you to this section of articles at the House Rabbit Society web site:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/aggression.html

and see if there is anything helpful there.

Lee

Answer
Hi Rivv,

with rabbits, whoever grooms first is the submissive one.  So Mildred is actually the dominant one if Cookie had been grooming her since the first day.

It is good however that she finally started to groom him back.  Generally the dominant one grooms less frequently than the submissive rabbit.

So there may be something to 'when the alpha bunny is away, I'm the boss' stance Cookie has taken.  It is probably combined with his desire to make sure you don't crowd him out on his 'own turf' now that he has a girlfriend.  Male rabbits will chase away competition and fight with them in order to keep his girl (or girls) to himself.  Male rabbits want the females; the females want real estate.

Let me know if the HRS articles give you any additional insights into what you are facing.

Lee