she feeds it and plays with it and maby didn't play with it for 3 days but did feed it and all the rest! what do we do to stop it?
2006-10-06 04:33:22 · 43 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Pie?????
2006-10-06 04:35:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
From what I've read, you've gotten a lot of bad answers.
First of all, don't discipline the rabbit unless you possibly use a water sprayer to spray it when it does something bad. If you hit or spank a rabbit, rabbits don't react like dogs or cats do. They remember it and take it as a predator trying to hurt them and get even meaner.
The first question I have to ask is: what sex is the rabbit? The second is how old is it? Female rabbits, especially when they are around 4 months old go through a kind of puberty stage where their hormones go kind of crazy. Some turn really mean around that stage and others don't. The rabbit may calm down after a month or two or it may not calm down until it has had babies for the first time if that is the case.
A third question I have is whether it bit your sister while it was in the cage or outside the cage? Rabbits are more defensive when they are in their cage, because they consider it their territory. That's why I recommend petting and handling them mainly outside of their cage, being cautious of them while removing them from the cage. Use one hand to distract them while using the other to grab them if the rabbit is mean inside the cage.
Also make sure you feed the rabbit properly. Rabbits will sometimes bite and attack if they are overly hungry and haven't been fed like they should. Also, never put your hand in front of or under their mouth, they might mistake it for food. I see so many little kids do that at fairs and that can be very dangerous.
The best way to make a mean rabbit nice is to pet it regularly. Pet the rabbit from the front so the rabbit can see your hand coming, never from the rear because you can scare the rabbit.
The best way to calm a rabbit is to pet its forehead right between the eyes. It puts them in almost a trance-like state. Even the meanest of rabbits will calm down when you pet them on the forehead between their eyes.
I've been raising and handling rabbits for over 24 years. I've handled thousands of rabbits in that timespan from really nice ones to really mean ones that will lunge at you. The tips I gave you should help.
2006-10-06 05:31:22 · answer #2 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits hate their hutches being cleaned while they are in it. If the rabbit is hunched up - it is in pain -seek a vets advice immediately. After ruling out illness and cleaning while it is out, perhaps it feels threatened. You can train a rabbit to jump into a carrier to transfer it to a run and back again. If this behaviour continues, put on a very strong glove. Each time you put your hand in, if it jumps or bites you- leave your and in there. It will eventually realise nothing happens and you don't go away. Then you can give it treats (ungloved) and start stroking again. Sit in the run if you can with a small piece if veg and let it get used to you. Make sure you rabbit is neutered, some behaviour is hormonal and neutering will calm it down. Best of luck and make sure you have contact every day.
2006-10-06 05:20:07 · answer #3 · answered by india 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds as if the bunny was scared and probably feeling a little left out. Rabbits don't see well straight on as their eyes are on the side of their head. Sometimes if you put your hand right in front of the bunny's nose he can't tell what is coming at him and he'll be startled.
Rabbits don't make many sounds, but they will softly growl. Here is a link to pointers about other noises you'll hear from rabbits:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-7/letterman.html
Rabbits do need to be out of their cage every day for at least 2 hours - more is even better. And they love your company and it's a good idea to be with them to supervise their play time.
Your sister needs to spend some time now rebonding with her bunny. These two articles helped me and could help her.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/firstrabbit.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/shybun.html
2006-10-06 07:34:55 · answer #4 · answered by Martha G 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The rabbit is very likely in pain. As rabbits do not emit much sound, they pretty much suffer in silence, unless it is extreme pain. The other reason could be that your sister might have changed something, like the colours of the clothes she usually wears around her rabbit, or the colour of her hair, or a new perfume. Tell your sister to talk to the rabbit let it smell her clean hands and pet him for a while before trying to pick him up again. It happens to me when I am wearing black, that my rabbit gets a major scare.
Good Luck!
2006-10-06 06:14:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had pet rabbits all of my life. 3 days without someone paying any attention to the rabbit is a long time for them. They have to have human contact every single day, or else they will tend to be afraid of you and growl and bite. Rabbits scare easily. They hate loud noises and don't like to be overstimulated, or handled roughly. I would make sure that you take your rabbit out of the cage everyday and give him treats and snuggles. Even if it is for a short time, everyday contact will help the rabbit not be aggressive and bite. Make sure all other household pets are not in the room when you take the rabbit out to play with you.
2006-10-06 04:40:20 · answer #6 · answered by amalia372005 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buy another rabbit. you got a really grumpy one there. I've had rabbits since as long as i can remember and i heard one growl once, in a fight with another one.Man, they were evil rabbits.Shouldve eaten em. But seriously, make sure your sister doesn't scare or surprise it when she tries to play with it and handles it carefully. Rabbits are easily scared. if it is still grumpy, you might want to ask the vet. This isn't uncommon with older rabbits, especially females.You might just have to put up with it.
2006-10-06 23:15:47 · answer #7 · answered by Pippa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd say that your sister must have done something to make that rabbit mad. Rabbits are not aggressive but rather defensive animals so if the rabbit showed aggressive behavior it was most likely defending itself for some reason. I'd ask your sister what she was doing when the rabbit acted that way.
2006-10-06 04:39:25 · answer #8 · answered by msnite1969 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is the rabbit female? Female rabbits tend to be slightly more agressive, and are more likely to growl, bite and thump their feet. They also become more agressive and prone to these things when they are pregnant, could she be pregnant? Also if she couldn't be pregnant, she may think she is. Sometimes female rabbits have the same agressiveness, because they may think they are pregnant. Don't hit it, or kill it as many have suggested, just give her more attention, and if she could be pregnant, make sure she feels secure in her cage (ie make sure she cant be scared by things such as dogs) and make a place in her cage for her to have the babies.
2006-10-09 17:25:24 · answer #9 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbit stew - yummy!
Sorry!
Not really sure, with a dog you would train the behaviour out of it, but I'm not sure if you can do that with rabbits - ask your vet for advice - you can't continue to let your sister play with an animal that might bite, and cute as they seem, I know rabbits can be quite aggressive.
2006-10-06 04:41:39 · answer #10 · answered by peggy*moo 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Is the rabbit male or female?, not that I'm an expert but if its female, could it be pregnant?
It could also be that the rabbit is "huffing" with your sister for not giving it as much attention as she normally would.
2006-10-06 04:54:07 · answer #11 · answered by debs1701 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋