A bitting female rabbit

Question
We have two rabbits, one a desexed male and the other a 12 month old female. Both rabbits are free range during the day and locked in their separate hutches at night. The female has always been more timid than the male and has recently started bitting when we try to catch her in the evening. They are not little bites but big and quite deep(I thought my daughter was going to need stitches with the last bite)she is even running at us when cornered and making terrible noises, the kids are getting too scared to even go near her. what can we do many thanks anne  

Answer
Dear Anne,

Before this behavior becomes ingrained, she needs to be spayed.  The presence of a male, even if he's neutered, is likely causing her to have false pregnancies, which can make her very defensive (which is why she's attacking this way).  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

Be sure to bring her mate along when she's spayed, so they won't become unbonded, and for moral support.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If after 2-3 weeks post-spay she's still aggressive (not likely, but not impossible), please write back and we'll move to Phase II.

Dana