aggressive over/to food

Question
When I feed my rabbit he lunges and bites me.  He has drawn blood several times.  I hold his head so I can put the bowl into the cage but he is starting to resist this and I am afraid he will bite me when I try to hold his head. Anyway I have a problem with him lungeing, biting and drawing blood when I try to feed him. Besided nuetering, what can I do?
The other problem is that he turns his bowl over and pours out the food. I can't help but think, what a dummy. I worry that he is not getting enough to eat. He feels pretty boney when I pet him. It pisses me off to see him waste food like that. Maybe a rabbit is not the right pet for me?

I'd also like to point out, I have no idea if the rabbit is a male or female. I only call it a "him" so I don't call it an "it".

Answer
Hi Regina,

I will need a response from you as I don't have enough info to give you as much of a response as I can.

As you mention neutering, how old is he?  If he's mature and male, you should once in awhile be able to see testicles as he's running away from you or moves about the cage (I say once in awhile as males can draw them back up if they want).  

I would definitely recommend a neuter or spay.  It will reduced this kind of negative behavior.  From the lunging I suspect he is a she, and sexually mature, and has cage aggression tendencies (hands in the cage, defending her turf - boys usually don't do this) as well as possible food anxiety issues.  Did she come from some prior owner or shelter before you?  She may have had experiences where she may have not been feed enough, or if she were with other rabbits, maybe she didn't get enough if she had to fight her way to the food and compete for it with other more aggressive rabbits.

You will definitely get a sweeter bunny back if you spay her.  You will also save her from most likely dying prematurely of uterine cancer by 5 or 6.  It will cut down greatly on the cage aggression you are experiencing, but giver her a month or so after surgery to get all the existing hormones in her body to be used up.

The food issue thing is a little more complicated and I will point you to several articles on aggression in rabbits to print out and add to your rabbit reference library:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-2/mean-rabbit.html

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/behavior/know_thumper.html

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

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

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

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html

Generally food aggression requires some work to get over, although I would expect beahvior ot improve somewhat after spaying.  If it still exists a month or so after the spay, there probably is some kind of anxiety/fear issue she picked up from prior experiences and frankly, it's too long to write down at the moment.  

I definitely will help in the future concerning the food issue, but start with the spay and the other articles first.

Write back anytime.  Lee