Although rabbits are prey animals, they can still show aggressive and dominant behaviors. Rabbits have a social order just like any other social animal and will enforce that order as well as their territory and their personal space. Some rabbits may also act out because of bad habits, misunderstandings, or fear. All these can cause aggressive or seemingly aggressive behavior.

Why is my rabbit aggressive and how do I stop it? Rabbits may show aggression due to learned habits, a desire to show dominance over another animal, territorial instincts, or fear and discomfort. Fixing bad behavior involves addressing the specific situation and training your rabbit to act appropriately.

What are Signs of Aggression in Rabbits?

Aggressive behavior in rabbits may come as a shock. Especially in rabbits that are intact, meaning rabbits that are not spayed or neutered, rabbits may get suddenly aggressive as they get older. Aggressive rabbits will bite or kick when you get close to them and may lash out or scratch. They may also circle you while biting or kicking as a form of intimidation. Aggressive rabbits are often territorial and may spray or poop in “their” territory in order to assert dominance. All of these are signs that your rabbit has an aggression issue regardless of who the behaviors are directed at.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards Me?

Rabbits may be aggressive in certain situations due to being startled or threatened, but if your rabbit is consistently aggressive no matter what the situation, there is a more serious behavioral issue. First, intact rabbits are always more aggressive than spayed or neutered rabbits. Spaying or neutering can take up to a month to take effect. If your rabbit is spayed or neutered and is still aggressive, it may have learned aggressive behaviors in a previous home or from a shelter or rescue. It may feel threatened by humans or feel as though it has to establish dominance.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards Me When I Try to Pet It?

Rabbits may show aggressive behavior when you try to pet them in certain ways that make them uncomfortable. If a rabbit is not comfortable being petted at all, it may bite or kick to protect its personal space. Even if a rabbit does enjoy being petted, there is a right and a wrong way to pet a rabbit.

First, don’t hold your hand in front of your rabbit’s face. This can be taken as a challenge, as dominant rabbits will sometimes get close to the faces of other rabbits to try to get them to submit. If your rabbit doesn’t want to back down, it will often retaliate by biting. Second, don’t pet it in ways that are obviously uncomfortable, such as petting its fur backwards or pressing down too hard. Being respectful and gentle while petting can go a long way toward eliminating aggressive behaviors.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards Me After I Have Handled Other Rabbits?

Rabbits get jealous just like humans! If your rabbit is particularly attached to you or even if it isn’t used to you being around other rabbits, it may bite or act aggressive when it smells the other rabbits on you. It may also feel threatened by the other rabbit smells. In this situation, your rabbit isn’t necessarily acting aggressive towards you, but towards the other rabbits it smells.

Rabbits have a very keen sense of smell, so you should wash your hands several times before handling your rabbit after handling unfamiliar animals. You can also try handling your rabbit’s hay or belongings to cover the unfamiliar scents with familiar ones. Once the smells go away, your rabbit’s aggressive behavior usually will too.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards Me When I Feed It?

Rabbits may sometimes bite when they are being fed, but it isn’t always aggression. While rabbits can be food aggressive just like other animals, sometimes they bite for other reasons. A rabbit may bite while being fed because it is excited about the food and misjudges where it bites. If you are giving your rabbit a smaller treat, it may bite your finger instead of the food. This isn’t necessarily aggressive behavior, just overexcited behavior.

Try feeding smaller treats with tongs to protect your fingers, and make sure you’re offering the food immediately and without hesitating or requiring a reaction. A rabbit may bite because it’s not sure it’s getting the food and is trying to grab what it can, so making it clear that you will always give food may calm your rabbit down.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards Other Humans?

A rabbit that is aggressive towards guests or other members of your family but not you may be territorial. Especially if your rabbit is not spayed or neutered, it may feel the need to protect you or protect its home from people it doesn’t recognize. Rabbits with these behaviors will often also spray or poop to mark their territory when you have guests as a way to remind the guests that they are in your rabbit’s domain.

There isn’t much you can do about this behavior besides spay or neuter your rabbit and keep it contained while you have guests. Teach your guests good petting practices before they interact with your rabbit, and let them give your rabbit treats and praise so that your rabbit associates them with positive stimuli. This will reduce the chances of aggression and bad behavior around your guests.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards My Dog/Cat?

Your rabbit may feel threatened by your dog or cat as both dogs and cats are predator animals. Even if they are well trained or have no interest in the rabbit, your rabbit may still lash out to establish boundaries and personal space. It’s also possible your rabbit is trying to play with your dog or cat. Just like puppies may play bite to engage with each other, your rabbit may nip at your dog’s heels to tease it or try to play.

Most rabbits are not suited to predator play, so it’s important to make sure your dog or cat doesn’t reciprocate. Being chased, play bitten, or clawed could be very bad for your rabbit and could cause fatal stress if it goes on too long. Keep your animals separated if necessary to avoid these behaviors.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards Other Rabbits?

The most common cause of aggression between rabbits is that one or both rabbits are not spayed or neutered. Aggression can happen in both male and female rabbits, and they will show aggression to other rabbits regardless of sex. Getting your rabbit spayed or neutered will usually fix this problem within a month, as this is the amount of time it takes for your rabbit’s hormones to settle down after removing the source. As long as your rabbit has not developed learned aggression before it is spayed or neutered, these behaviors will go away and your rabbits will get along much better. It’s possible to go from fighting rabbits to rabbits who become a bonded pair just through spaying and neutering.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards My Other Pets?

It you have multiple pets in your household, you likely have a “pecking order” going on. Maybe the cat rules the roost over the dog, or you have several dogs that have established a pack dynamic. Your rabbit is likely to pick up on this hierarchy and will have the social need to find its place. This can cause aggressive behavior towards the animals that the rabbit sees as being below it in the hierarchy. Your rabbit may nip or kick at the other animals to establish its place and show the other animals who’s boss. It’s very possible for rabbits to be the king of the hill even if you have large dogs in your household! It really comes down to the personality of your rabbits and your other pets.

It’s difficult to prevent or discourage this behavior, as it’s a natural behavior for rabbits in the wild. However, spaying or neutering your rabbit will go a long way to prevent this. It’s important to spay or neuter early because if the rabbit is allowed to be aggressive for too long it may not stop even after its hormones settle down. This is called “learned aggression.”

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Towards its Reflection?

Your rabbit thinks that its reflection is another rabbit! Rabbits aren’t able to recognize their reflections as themselves, so they will react to their reflection as if it is another rabbit in their territory. Some rabbits may be frightened, while others will try to play, and some rabbits will get territorial and aggressive.

If your rabbit has a problem with being aggressive with its reflection but hasn’t shown any other aggression towards you or other animals, you don’t need to worry too much. Be careful if you introduce other rabbits into the family, as this aggression could be specific to other rabbits and will make having more than one rabbit difficult.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Around Food?

Rabbits can be food aggressive just like any other animal. Rabbits are typically food aggressive because they have been in insecure food situations in the past and feel as though they need to defend the food from being taken. The rabbit may have lived with another rabbit who stole their food, or may have lived with humans who didn’t provide enough food or provide food often enough. This can also cause your rabbit to overeat or eat too quickly because it has the mindset that food may not be available consistently.

The best way to help your rabbit unlearn this behavior is to provide food consistently and without any conditions. Let your rabbit eat as much hay as it wants so that it isn’t hungry, and don’t tease it or require tricks when giving treats. Your rabbit will come to understand that food is a guarantee and it doesn’t need to be aggressive.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Around Water?

Rabbits can be aggressive around water for the same reasons they are sometimes aggressive around food. If they feel as though the water is not a guarantee and they need to protect their access to it, they may get aggressive when you try to take the water bottle away, for example to refill it. Your rabbit may also be territorial and want to control the valuable resource in its territory, which happens more often in rabbits that are not spayed or neutered.

To help your rabbit feel more secure, only remove the water dish or bottle when your rabbit is watching, but do so while it’s far away so it cannot bite and you aren’t in danger. Wear thick gloves if necessary to protect your hands. Refill the water bottle where your rabbit can see, and then immediately return it to its place. Your rabbit will learn that you will always return the water when you take it away, and this can help reduce the aggressive behavior.

Why is My Rabbit Aggressive Around the Litter Box?

Litter boxes are one of the places that rabbits can be sensitive about even if they don’t normally show signs of aggression. They may stick close by and watch you as you clean it, and some may even complain or retaliate if they take offense. One possible reason for this is that what you are doing appears to be digging. Digging near another rabbit can be taken as a challenge to that rabbit, so your rabbit may bite to show you that it won’t back down.

You may need to move the litter box when you clean it so that your rabbit can’t see what you’re doing as you’re cleaning. Your other option is to wear thick gloves as you clean and not react to any bites or kicks. This will teach your rabbit that biting doesn’t work to stop you and eventually your rabbit will leave you alone.

Is Biting Always Aggressive Behavior?

Biting is not always aggressive. Rabbits bite as a way to communicate, and they may do so simply because they don’t understand that they will hurt you. For example, a rabbit may bite for something as small as wanting you to move out of the way. They may also bite to establish boundaries or to let you know that you’ve startled them or done something they don’t like. If your rabbit bites but is usually not aggressive, let out a high pitched noise to let it know you’re in pain. Your rabbit usually doesn’t want to cause you pain and will stop the behavior once it understands that it’s done something bad. This may not always work if your rabbit is setting a boundary or discouraging a behavior that makes it uncomfortable, but in that situation you may need to think about what you did and whether you need to change your behavior to respect your rabbit.

Is Scratching Always Aggressive Behavior?

Rabbits may kick or scratch if they are threatened, but they will also scratch or dig at the ground or on blankets and pillows as a normal, non-aggressive behavior. If they are sitting in your lap or near you, they may scratch at you or nearby in a way that is not aggressive. However, digging can sometimes be a signal to another rabbit that it is challenging its authority. Ignore your rabbit when it does this and the behavior should stop. If your rabbit is scratching at you, your clothing, or your belongings and it’s causing an issue, you may need to provide designated scratching areas or remove your things from spaces where your rabbit is allowed to free roam. Scratching is a natural behavior that can’t be trained out, so you need to work around it rather than trying to stop it.

How Do I Stop Bad Behavior in My Rabbit?

Stopping bad behavior is about reinforcing actions you want to see and ignoring actions you don’t want to see. Rabbits act out in order to get a reaction, so ignoring them will show that the behavior doesn’t work to get what they want. When your rabbit does what you want, such as changing its aggressive behaviors, you should have treats on hand to reward your rabbit for the good behavior.

This process may take time; your rabbit won’t learn overnight how to act appropriately. Make sure you are enforcing the rules consistently so that your rabbit can learn what the boundaries are and how you want it to act. This will go a long way towards helping your rabbit learn more quickly.

Does Spaying or Neutering Help Aggressiveness?

Spaying or neutering your rabbit is the first step you should take to deal with aggressiveness. Rabbits with full hormones will always be more aggressive and will show other behavioral issues as well, such as being territorial, refusing to use the litter box, and resisting training. It’s best to get your rabbit spayed or neutered as soon as you get it or as soon as possible if you are adopting a baby rabbit. This keeps your rabbit from developing bad habits and potentially showing “learned aggression” after they have already been spayed or neutered.

Can I Train My Rabbit to Not Be Aggressive?

You can train your rabbit not to perform certain behaviors, but if you have a rabbit that is very dominant or strong willed even after being spayed or neutered, you may be out of luck. You can’t change your rabbit’s personality, so you’ll need to find ways to adjust the aggressive or assertive behaviors so that when your rabbit has aggressive instincts it will act in ways that are less destructive. This can mean something like teaching your rabbit to headbutt instead of bite when it is unhappy, a behavior that is unlikely to cause injury but still allows your rabbit to communicate.

On the other hand, some rabbits will be easily trained not to be aggressive because of their calmer or less assertive personality. These rabbits may react well and quickly to training, but expect that there will still be incidents occasionally when your rabbit feels there is no other way to communicate.

How Else Can I Stop My Rabbit from Being Aggressive?

Sometimes you just need to remove your rabbit from the situation that makes it aggressive. This isn’t always possible, such as in cases like food or water, but this is very possible in most situations, especially if the aggression is isolated to one subject. If your rabbit is only aggressive towards your dog, simply separate the dog and the rabbit into different parts of the house so that they don’t interact. If your rabbit is only aggressive towards guests, keep your rabbit in its enclosure while guests are over rather than letting it free roam. Finding ways to avoid the situation entirely is usually better than trying to react in the moment and train on the fly.

Related Questions

Should I physically discipline my rabbit? No. Even if your rabbit is being aggressive, it’s important not to hit or kick it, as this can cause serious injury or death. Use other techniques to discourage bad behavior that don’t endanger your rabbit.

How do I train my rabbit? Reward good behavior with treats or praise when you see it happen. This could be anything from using the litter box correctly to doing a trick you are trying to teach, but make sure you respond quickly so that your rabbit associates the behavior with the treat.

Why is my rabbit scared all the time? If your rabbit is a rescue, it may have history that has shaped its behavior and makes it more shy or timid. Different rabbits also have different personalities and some may simply be more shy than others. Be patient and reward your rabbit when it is more social and outgoing.