Rabbits may look adorable and harmless, but don’t let the cuteness fool you. While they may be harmless to humans when unprovoked, it’s a different story for smaller rodents or other creatures.
A rabbit may attack a hamster. Rabbits are highly territorial and may react aggressively toward anything entering their perceived territory, even if they don’t necessarily feel threatened by the trespasser. Because of the size difference, a rabbit can seriously injure or even kill a hamster.
The rest of this article will explore the nature of rabbits in terms of territoriality and aggression toward hamsters. If you’d like to learn more about this topic, keep reading.
Why Would a Rabbit Attack a Hamster?
A rabbit may attack a hamster for any – or no – reason. Even if the hamster stays motionless and non-threatening, the chances of it being attacked by a rabbit are still high. This behavior occurs due to the following five reasons:
- They are highly territorial.
- They are aggressive.
- They are competitive.
- They can be hormonal.
- They feel threatened.
They Are Highly Territorial
Rabbits are naturally predisposed to defend their territory, even against known members of their family. Unfortunately, there’s no way to condition them to be less territorial. To avoid an incident, you should never allow your hamsters to be around rabbits, either domesticated or wild.
They Are Aggressive
Though they may appear cute and cuddly, rabbits are pretty aggressive in nature. Although that aggression can be tamed considerably, when provoked, even a tamed rabbit may lash out by biting and kicking. They are incapable of learning bite inhibition in the way that dogs can.
They Are Competitive
Rabbits can be highly competitive. They often fight with other rabbits when competing for a mate, food, or shelter. Although hamsters are tiny compared to rabbits, their rodent-like appearance may still trigger a reaction. A rabbit may still lock in on the hamster and see it as competition.
They Can Be Hormonal
Hormones are a significant factor affecting a rabbit’s behavior. Much of their aggressive behavior is linked directly to hormonal influences that are known to fluctuate. This is why most pet owners spay or neuter their rabbits to reduce unwanted behaviors.
However, while it may decrease the incidence of aggressive behavior, there’s no guarantee that spayed or neutered rabbits will be more docile towards hamsters or other creatures. They may even still exhibit sexual behaviors after undergoing these procedures.
They Feel Threatened
Rabbits quickly react when they feel threatened. To rabbits, anything that causes them to startle is a threat and will be treated as such. Hamsters may look like the natural underdog compared to a rabbit, but the rabbit doesn’t stick to picking on its own size. They are even known to attack their young.
Can a Rabbit and Hamster Be Taught To Get Along?
While rabbits can be socialized and trained, there is no way to totally suppress their animal instincts. Even if you begin training a rabbit when it’s still young, there are no guarantees that it will not turn on hamsters or even its own kind at a moment’s notice.
Being litter-box trained is different from being able to suppress aggression. For this reason, it’s strongly advised that rabbits and hamsters are not allowed in the same space, even for short periods, as the encounter can quickly turn fatal for the hamster.
Even if the rabbit seems generally docile, this doesn’t guarantee the hamster’s safety.
Rabbits can be more tolerant of humans than their own kind or other rodents. So while a human may attest to the rabbit’s good nature, that may not extend to other animals.
Also, even if the rabbit did not attack the hamster in a previous encounter and may have even appeared to bond with the hamster, there is no way to predict what could set the rabbit off in a different meeting.
Final Thoughts
A rabbit’s risk of attacking a hamster is high because rabbits are very territorial and aggressive. Even if the rabbit didn’t attack a hamster in a previous encounter, it doesn’t mean things won’t change abruptly the next time the two meet. It can take only seconds for rabbits to inflict serious injury on a hamster.