Sophie is biting a lot!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 6 months ago by SophieBun.

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- 09/14/2009 at 10:04 AM
  SophieBun
  Participant
  520 posts
  Hey guys! It’s Giuly. I wanted to ask about my bunny Sophie (right now she’s drinking from my yorkies’ water bowl lol) When she’s free around the apartment being all Indiana Jones/Sherlock Holmes and I’m laying down in bed, out of nowhere she comes beside me, looks at me, and then bites me hard! Or if I’m just standing somewhere (kitchen, room, wherever) out of nowhere I feel a hard bite on my ankle! Yesterday she bit me again when I was just standing in the living room and blood came out (not much because its a small bite) and it hurt sooo bad. She bit my husband in the ankles too for no reason at all; and she also bit both my yorkies. Yesterday she bit one of the yorkies again too. I think she wanted her to move or something. I just can’t find a readon why she’s biting us so much!. Is it tough love or she’s not comfortable yet with us, or is it that she’s territorial? I don’t know! I hope you guys can help me out
- 09/14/2009 at 10:07 AM
  SophieBun
  Participant
  520 posts
  Oh and she is not shy at allllllllll. She’ll confront the yorkies, go up and down the couch, go wherever she wants and when she’s doing something bad like digging the couch, even if I clap or call her she stops for a second and then keeps doing what she was doing. Is there any way to train them? I read about the clicker, have you guys tried it?
- 09/14/2009 at 12:14 PM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  Two things come to mind.
  
  1) Is she spayed? This could be aggression from horomones.
  
  2) She wants to play chase. Yell ouch! so she stops if it’s hard. But when she comes up to bite you, you could chase her around (even do the ‘bitey hands’ movement with exaggerated arms in the air and ‘I’m gonnna get yoooou”) My bunny Kahlua loves chase and will bite toes to get you to chase her.
- 09/14/2009 at 7:30 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  How long have you had her? She may be trying to exert her dominance in the house. If you haven’t had her long, you may want to limit her roaming until she settles in better.
- 09/14/2009 at 7:32 PM
  Monkeybun
  Participant
  10479 posts
  Ok, just found your welcome post, you’ve only had her 3 weeks so far, so you will probably want to confine her to one area with a pen or some such. At least until she’s gotten more comfortable with you and the dogs, and has learned that you mean business when you tell her No.
- 09/15/2009 at 8:17 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  How old is she? She may be feeling hormonal, especially if she’s not spayed. Many buns (it seems like females more than males, just from the stories I’ve heard) go through a bratty period between 5 months and a year. If that’s the case with you, have hope that it will pass!
  
  For now, I would try what others have recommended. As for clicker training, I don’t know enough about it to know if it can be used to correct bad behaviors, but it can definitely be a way to connect with your bun and reward her for good behaviors (instead of her thinking you just yell at her for bad ones 😉 ). I have started by bun on the clicker and it’s so neat to see him associate the click with food (this is as far as he’s got in the program).
- 09/15/2009 at 9:46 PM
  SophieBun
  Participant
  520 posts
  Thank u guys so much for the answers! =)
- 09/16/2009 at 3:54 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  tehe! She sounds dominant and comfortable within the household. To me it may be like a “Hello” or “Move out the way” or “groom me, pay attention to me”. I have a lop who is a bit wary of hands but occasionally comes by and grazes my ankle with his teeth, then moves on. My doe will hop on me and nibble and dig at clothes. Sort of like play and sort of impatient with me for not getting her food.
  
  Still, when it hurts you need to let her know. Let out a high pitch squeal or squeak. If it’s aggresive sort of biting, you can push her head down for a few seconds to assert your dominance.
- 09/16/2009 at 2:20 PM
  SophieBun
  Participant
  520 posts
  Still, when it hurts you need to let her know. Let out a high pitch squeal or squeak. If it’s aggresive sort of biting, you can push her head down for a few seconds to assert your dominance.
  
  Thanks! that’s a great idea. I’m gonna try it =)
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