What is wrong with my rabbit? He is crazy.

CanucksStar#17 · Nov 20, 2013

The other day I noticed that one of my butchering males was hurting his brother but couldn't separate them cause I didn't have any empty cages until yesterday when my brother butchered up a bunch of rabbits, I separated them putting him in a new cage. This morning when I reached in to grab his water dish to fill it up he bit me!!! I figured he just had gotten startled or something cause I don't reach into his cage that often but then tonight when I reached in to grab his water dish he big me again and wouldn't let go (thankfully I was wearing gloves! I wasn't going to go in the cage again without them) I tried shaking him off but he would budge he was also kicking like crazy I finally grabbed his scruff and pulled/shook him off, unfortunately he had kicked his water dish all the way across the cage so I had to reach my hand in again he tried to bit me again but I yanked my hand out in time, this time I grabbed a piece of wood and locked him in the one side of the cage and quickly grabbed the dish and watered him after I took the piece of wood out he tried to jump out of the cage but I was able to slam the lid down in time, he ran around the cage jumping and digging, he seems a bit crazy. Has anyone heard of a rabbit going crazy before??? I have never had this happen before! All my rabbits are really nice, and I have only been bitten by a rabbit twice before, once when I stuck my finger in the cage (I was like 5) and I guess she thought it was a carrot or something and kinda bit me, and I got bitten by a male once when I was taking out the female after breeding her and I guess he didn't want her to leave. Before I separated him he was fine.
My brother is getting rid of him tomorrow and I was wondering if we should eat the meat or not, any ideas?

Thanks.

Bad Habit · Nov 20, 2013

I think the meat would be fine to eat. If he was fighting with his brother, it is probably hormones. If you smelled like another buck when you reached in, or if he's close to another buck, he might have mistaken you for another rabbit, and attacked you. My vlop buck is a butthead, and I have to feed and water him first before I go in any other cage, or touch any other rabbit, otherwise he tries to bite me. If I don't smell like any other rabbit, he's sweet as a doll. I had to dominate him a few times to get him to mind me. I do that by grabbing the back of the neck(like scruffing a kitten or puppy) and pushing the head down to the cage floor and holding it for a count of five. Finn(the vlop) doesn't go after me anymore, if I smell like another rabbit he goes to the back of the cage and sulks, because he knows that biting or boxing me results in him getting a "time out".

... Not that you want to get him under control if he's going into the stew pot, lol! but good info to have, at least I think so