Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Biting!!!

Viewing 10 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Carol
      Participant
      13 posts Send Private Message

         My Bunny Bean is a sweetie and very well behaved but lately has started biting my hands when I hold him. I can seem to get her to stop!!!! Does anyone have any suggestions that might help?


      • RabbitPam
        Moderator
        11002 posts Send Private Message

          Try speaking bunny and make your hands a little less appetizing if that doesn’t work.
          What I mean is this: a bunny lets out a high pitched squeal when it is in pain, so rather than saying a normal voiced Ow!, try squeaking or squealing (not too loud is fine) when he bites you.

          If he is really young, he hasn’t learned to set his teeth but not hard. Many bunnies use their teeth like another hand to communicate what they want and know they are not biting to hurt and never break any skin. That’s the control he needs to learn. My Samantha does that all the time. Also, if he is in puberty now, he will bite when he gets too excited, and it’s getting to be time for a neuter.

          If the squeal doesn’t work, you can put a light dab of vinegar and water on your hands to make yourself less tasty. If he licks first, he is kissing you and tasting the yummy salt. But I wouldn’t try this yet because you want him to continue to let you hold him and pet him, so you don’t want to make your hands something he dreads. Start squealing first.
          BTW, corporal punishment, ie. hitting, bopping etc. does not work on rabbits. Many will learn to understand “NO!” with a bad behavior, but it means disapproval to them and they may do it again. You want him to think he’s hurting you. He would rather not.


        • Beka27
          Participant
          16016 posts Send Private Message

            Are you restraining him when you hold him? That might be another reason he is nipping, to express his displeasure with that. If he doesn’t like being held, let him come up to you for pets on his own terms.


          • LBJ10
            Moderator
            16870 posts Send Private Message

              Yeah, squealing at Leopold sure as heck doesn’t work. When he bites, he means business. I’ve been left black and blue by him many, many times. Once he even broke the skin. I’ve just learned to wear a really heavy sweater when I have to pick him up.


            • Carol
              Participant
              13 posts Send Private Message

                Thanks I will give the squealing a try. She is barely more than six months (thats what I was told but she seems small for her age) and she isn’t really used to us yet. I think me trying to hold her might also be part of the problem. I don’t restrain her (unless the cat is out) but she might just not be ready to be held yet.


              • Beka27
                Participant
                16016 posts Send Private Message

                  Rabbits don’t generally like to be held at all. They will tolerate it when they are very young, but as they get older, they will not put up with it (most buns, there are exceptions, but that’s rare). Interact with her on the floor so she has the option to come up to you as she pleases. If she will allow it, you can try to gently stroke her forehead. Forcing holding will not do anything to help your relationship and this could strain her trust in you later on. Has she been spayed yet or is that coming up?


                • Carol
                  Participant
                  13 posts Send Private Message

                    She is not spayed and we are not sure if we are going to. She is our only bunny and most likely will be for awhile. Is there any advantages/disadvantages to spaying?

                    I will definitely keep that in mind. She liked being held right when we got her but she definitely has been liking it less and less lately.


                  • Elrohwen
                    Participant
                    7318 posts Send Private Message

                      Female rabbits have an extremely high rate of reproductive cancers by the age of 3 (something like 80%). Getting them spayed is definitely necessary, even for an only bun. Females also tend to be territorial when not spayed and aren’t very fun to live with.


                    • peppypoo
                      Participant
                      1945 posts Send Private Message

                        In the wild, anything holding a rabbit is usually planning to eat it for dinner; once you understand this, it’s easy to see why most rabbits instinctually do not like being held. Baby rabbits probably tolerate this better because they are so small and helpless, but I have known very few adult bunnies that would let people hold them without putting up a fight. People seem to have a misconception that rabbits are creatures that can be picked up and snuggled, but they’re really not! It doesn’t make them any less fun though .

                        Regarding the spaying, like Elrohwen said, it’s not only to make sure that she does not have babies.  Besides the tremendous health benefits, rabbits can become aggressive, territorial, and more destructive once they hit sexual maturity and the hormones start flowing…spaying can help stop these kinds of behaviors.


                      • LoveChaCha
                        Participant
                        6634 posts Send Private Message

                          Getting her spayed helps 100%. It prevents false pregnanies, helps with litter habits, and the chance of reproductive cancer goes away.

                          Hormonal rabbits hate being held, as well as fixed ones.. holding is a nono to them, but it is needed when it comes time to clip their nails or to be examined by the vet.


                        • Elrohwen
                          Participant
                          7318 posts Send Private Message

                            Also, many baby bunnies are ok with being held because they’re small and scared. We held Otto all the time when he was 8-10 weeks old, and after that he became a terror. Only after a couple years of working with him can we easily pick him up again, but he certainly doesn’t enjoy it and we get foot flicks once we put him down.

                        Viewing 10 reply threads
                        • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                        Forum BEHAVIOR Biting!!!