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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.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Rabbit digs at shirt while being petted

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    • emoster
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        I haven’t been on here in a while… 

        Snowbaz and I have been getting along. NTRS helped me tip her nails (since she’s still too young to have them clipped) and the’re pretty sure she’s a female. 

        But anyways… one of her favorite things to do is lie on my stomach while I pet her, and I stop for a moment she’ll start digging at my shirt and picking at it with her teeth. I know I need to get a box to dig in full of newspaper and what not, and I don’t think it’s because she gets peeved at me because she doesn’t hang around me long if she gets mad at me ( such as when it’s time to “go home” or to go to bed)

        But I could be wrong. 

        It makes sense that she’s a digger if she’s a girl.

        Ah I’m kinda rambling at this point (super tired rn)

        Have anyone else had this experience with their rabbit?


      • Mikey
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          My Dutch digs on whoever is holding him if he starts to get bored or irritated. My Mini Rex will dig on people only if they are wearing specific shirts. For some reason he does not like when people wear plain shirts lol


        • Bam
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            This is very common and it doesn’t have to be irritation and it doesn’t have to be a girl thing either. They will dig when they are annoyed and want to be let back down on the floor, but they can also dig and nip when they are being pet. Bam does it – esp when he sits in somebody’s lap, there must be a fleece blankie or a towel between him and the human. It’s like he’s nesting or sth. He isn’t trying to get away, if he wants to he’s free to go. He digs and pull at the blankie and I’ve given up trying to understand why since it seems like he’s comfortable doing it.

            Annoyed digging and nipping is different. Yohio bit me hard in the tummy once because he hated being syringe-fed. That I can very well understand.


          • narkut
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              My rabbit Lady does this also! It worried me at first, I thought she was trying to tell me to go away or that she was annoyed, but that’s definitely not the case. She is free to hop off my lap and I wouldn’t even be touching her when she does it. I’ve come to realise that she’s just being playful. There’s no harm to her digging at my shirt and when she gets bored she just stops and hops off my lap.

              Funny thing is, I have given her lots of digging material/ toys but she never uses them. She only ever digs at my clothes whilst sitting on my lap.


            • Q8bunny
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                My little boy, Chewie, likes to sit half on the back of the sofa and half on my shoulder and nuzzle my cheek. If I turn my face away from his booplesnoot (to watch TV, for instance) he’ll dig at my shoulder until I give him my full attention again or croon something soothing to him or offer him my fingers to lick. Bunnies are mysterious creatures.


              • BubblesJo
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                  Chester will dig at me if I stop petting him before he’s done wanting attention. I get a look of “Hooman! More pets!” and if that doesn’t work… dig dig dig!


                • Juicy
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                    Every now and then she will dig on me. It happens when I’m laying on the floor with her. She’ll check out what I’m wearing, do her bunny periscope and step on me, then out of nowhere she’ll come to my chest and just start digging all fast and crazy! It HURTS! Squealing doesn’t help much, like some might suggest. I just distract get her with petting to get her out of her bunny zone and that stops it immediately. Try that?


                  • emoster
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                      Thanks for all the responses! And sorry about not being able to respond earlier; I don’t have a lot of free time between school, work, and snowbaz.

                      I think it’s more along the lines of wanting attention rather than wanting to get away, since most of the time she’s not being “held” but just on my stomach. When she wants to get away from being held or on me she’ll kick to jump away. She nips at my shirt when she wants to pay attention and nose bumps my feet when she’s walking past me. 

                      Posted By Juicy on 9/03/2016 12:15 PM

                      then out of nowhere she’ll come to my chest and just start digging all fast and crazy! It HURTS! 

                      Maybe her nails need to be clipped? Before my rabbit’s nails were clipped I could feel them just if she had her paw on my sock and she could leave scratches on my stomach if she jumped on me, but now even though they’ve only been tipped I barely feel them, even with her digging.


                    • flemishwhite
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                        From what I read, if she’s pawing your shirt and maybe chewing on it, my guess is she’s trying to groom you!

                        I was laying on the floor, on my stomach, giving Snowy and back rub and light massage. I’d also pull very gently on her hair to see if it was loose. I have noticed our two rabbits grooming each other with their teeth. Next thing I knew, Snowy starting grooming me! She was raking the hair on the top of my head with her teeth and also gently giving me hair little tugs.


                      • Candle
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                          Unibunny does this to me too! He only does it on women… I just assumed he was trying to flatten any lumps lol.

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                      Forum BEHAVIOR Rabbit digs at shirt while being petted