Blog Entry 7- You Better Behave, Young Man!

The behavior and temperament of a rabbit is an important thing for potential adopters to be aware of in order to find a good match for their family.  No two rabbits are alike, and the behavior of a single rabbit can change drastically after they have been fixed.  Patrick was a rabbit that was born at the shelter before my time.  He was adopted at the age of two months, too young to be fixed, but his new family claimed that they would get the procedure done when he was old enough.  Eight months later, Patrick was back at the shelter, never neutered, and labeled a “biter bun.”  His hormones were strong and made him terribly aggressive toward people.  He sprayed urine, grunted at anyone who walked by his cage, and was pretty much an all-around nightmare.  Needless to say, he was put on the top of the list for the next spay and neuter run.  Three weeks after the surgery, Patrick finally began to calm down.  The biting ceased, and petting was demanded.  He became the biggest cuddle-bun, ever.  His personality could finally shine.
Stella is really outgoing and great to hang out with, but she’s not a mellow rabbit like Brutus.  She’s energetic and can be quite frisky, and would be considered a dominant personality type.  She’s a love bug and loves to be pet, but also enjoys to go outside and have fun.  However, some rabbits have behavioral issues, like Domino, who is kind of like a grumpy old man.  He is cage territorial, which means if you try to get him out of his cage, he will attempt to bite you until he is out where he proceeds to act like a normal rabbit.  It’s all for show of how tough he is and once he’s out of the cage he isn’t a problem.
This is unlike the case of the first bunny that bit me, Fluffy, who would seriously bite a person with either a pressure bite or a bite that might break the skin. A pressure bite is when the bite itself is more like a bruise than a bloody bite.  Lovey also bit but she bit for other reasons, being a dominant female who sincerely did not like other rabbits.  Some rabbits just can’t be with any other rabbit because they’ll attack them and injure them.  That’s who she was.  She stopped biting people and was really good with them.  Members of the Bunny Brigade kept trying to bond her with other rabbits which never worked out.  It’s rare but it can occur in an overly aggressive rabbit.
The point is, just like people, not all rabbits are the same and behavior is very important because it can be changed.  The shelter cannot take the place of a home and the positive socialization and safety that animals receive by being a pet in a person’s home, is priceless even at the shelter, and no matter how hard they try they cannot replicate that.