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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 15sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by jerseygirl.

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- 08/27/2010 at 9:53 AM
  Andi
  Participant
  1048 posts
  Ani has additude. She’s always been a ‘threatening’ bunny, lunging and grunting, and yes even nipping at people. She knows better with me though, we’ve worked on this quite some time over the years, the fact “I” am the head bunny and not her.
  
  Last night snuggling her before meds time, she nibbled at my shirt, which she sometimes does, then she BIT ME, right on the arm, broke the skin but no blood. Today i have a nice red mark.
  
  When it happened i covered her head, pushed it down a bit and said “No!”. I am wondering what ways i can discourage this naughty bunny from biting again. Me is one thing, but if she starts biting visitors we’ll have a real problem.
  
  Kinda funny I have handled hundreds of bunnies over the years, grooming them at the shelter and such. And I have been bitten only twice, by my own bunnies! lol
- 08/27/2010 at 10:02 AM
  LoveChaCha
  Participant
  6634 posts
  She is trying to take your crown! She wants to be the queen!
- 08/27/2010 at 5:10 PM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  Was it possibly a grooming nibble that went overboard?
  
  Honestly I’d REALLY discorough punishing for biting. Punishing agression with pain or intimidation often escalates it.
  
  Instead, use ‘negative punishment’ when she nips-just leave the room. And when she’s good use ‘positive reinforcement’ by offering treats or nose rubs (or whatever she likes) to show her what you want her to do.
  
  Have you heard of and considered clicker training?
- 08/27/2010 at 5:24 PM
  MirBear
  Participant
  1412 posts
  i do they same for twix, when she lunges / growls / bites i push her head down softly. now she doesn’t bite, and doesnt growl and lunge as much, k&k it really did help. mind you i did the same thing for kisses and it didnt escalate but didnt subside either. so i guess it depends on the bunny.
  
  silly rabbits.
- 08/30/2010 at 1:59 PM
  Andi
  Participant
  1048 posts
  Punishing with PAIN? Whoa, who’s causing pain to their critters?
  A dominant rabbit will push another down, all I do is the same with my hand, holding her head down, not hard, she can move around, and it’s only for maybe 3 to 5 seconds as long as it takes to say “No”. If I was to put her down and leave, she has just learned how to get her way thru biting.
  I’m not saying what has been suggested won’t work, I just don’t believe it would work with Ani who isn’t a Rabbit who wants your attention. Now if PitStop bit me, and I said no, put him down and walked away it may be a bit different, as he wants to be with me and wants my attention and grooming.
  Ani has ‘nipped’ like at clothes and stuff, at my fingers when she’s being possesive of something, last weeks bite was very different. I can’t get mad at her about it as she’s communicating she’s not happy. But i was to disgourage her from comunicating by full out biting.
  
  If my bunnies go out of their way to run up to me, ask for pets they always get a treat and nose rub. All good behaviour is always celebrated in my home, use the litter box when your out of the cage HOORAY, nose rubs and a craisin. I want to encourage them to be more social with me.
  
  As for Clicker training, I do know of it, I’ve met a lady who is a clicker trainer, she trained a guinea pig she had, was very cute. But with the amount of animals in my home (60% or more seniors) it’s not something I am willing to try and take on at this time. In the future? Absolutly.
- 08/30/2010 at 4:57 PM
  mocha200
  Participant
  4486 posts
  lulu bites me when she wants me to pet her. would pushing her head down and saying know work? or is that to harsh? i don’t want her to not like being pet!
- 08/30/2010 at 7:22 PM
  MirBear
  Participant
  1412 posts
  if you pet her when she bites you it praising the bad behaviour.
  if you pet her after she bites you its rewarding her biting you
- 08/30/2010 at 9:21 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17231 posts
  I have gotten bitten tons of times. Its usually because he wants to be put down, but I don’t give in because he’ll just think he can bite me to get his way. I don’t expect him to like being held, but he needs to at least accept it since we need to hold him in order to do certain things.
- 08/31/2010 at 6:00 AM
  mocha200
  Participant
  4486 posts
  so should i just walk away?
- 08/31/2010 at 9:08 AM
  Andi
  Participant
  1048 posts
  Mocha, Yes. I would just walk away in that situation, or turn your back on her as another rabbit would do to show they are not impressed with whatever you are doing. But if she runs up to you for attention and does not bite you, give her all her favorite pets, even a treat if you have one, to encourgage her to come up to you for pets.
  PitStop runs full tilt at you when he wants attention, he will put his head down for pets and grooming, and beg like a dog on his two hind feet for treats. He has niped when he wants down, and when he knows u have a treat hiding in your hand LOL, naughty cute bunny.
  
  My Degus used to bite my toes when i was reading a book and they thought I should pay attention to them, they would also try and steal my book LOL.
- 09/01/2010 at 9:31 PM
  bunnytowne
  Participant
  7538 posts
  sometimes with some buns pushign their head down can make them worse.
  
  That is funny you only been bitten by your own buns not the shelter buns.
  
  Find what works for you and her is sometimes trial and error
- 09/01/2010 at 10:19 PM
  MirBear
  Participant
  1412 posts
  trial and error is unaviodable in owning a bunny, from food and litter to clipping nails to disipline and reward
- 09/02/2010 at 7:58 AM
  mocha200
  Participant
  4486 posts
  PitStop runs full tilt at you when he wants attention,
  
  Lulu does this to when i take one step she darts toward my feet and asks for pets and i take another step and she dashes toward me. sometimes when i walk in the door and they are out for play time she dashes straight towards me and i don’t see her and she gits kicked :'( but she doesn’t even care.l
- 09/02/2010 at 10:33 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  I just read this artilce which covers alot of what people have already posted. http://www.mn.companionrabbit.org/rabbit/care/bootcamp_biting.html
  
  Jersey is rather like Ani she communicates with growls and lunges. She’ll get on my lap and nip & nibble away and I can only laugh at her fervour and he head bobbing away. Such a faker! But sometime they can get your skin as you well know! So I allow her that behaviour. If she nips at me other times I try “down” her by pushing down her head briefly also or picking her up briefly sort of to become head rabbit again. Jersey doesn’t really have any fear of me though and this sort of technique doesn’t work on her. She’ll just keep on at whatever battle it is we’re having.
  
  The article does mention reasons behind biting and one being fear. Could Ani have been fearful or objecting to the coming medication? If fear, then managing that has to be different. If it was a tactic to be released, then we teach by not giving what they want straight away. Another consideration is if she has been unwell, she may have acted out of character.
  
  side note: Andi, I think I know K&K enough to know she was talking in general terms about punishment (aggression and/or pain). Not at you specifically. It’s obvious this is not your way just from what you’ve shared about your critters and Whizzer too.
- 07/05/2011 at 10:08 PM
  asky
  Participant
  3 posts
  Mac has started biting, at first we thought it was because he was suprised when Jason put his hand in the cage but now have had second thoughts. One time Mac bit him he ran away then ran back and licked Jason as if to say say sorry.
  
  These are not friendly nips as Cheddar does the bite for attention. These are attacking.
  
  As Jason put their food bowl in this morning, Mac attacked the food bowl, then lunged several times, latched on once then began to curl up and try shake his body (looked like a dog playing with/tearing apart a pillow or clothes off the line). Mac was latched on so hard he was supporting his whole body weight by his teeth.
  
  We are just about to get Mac and Cheddar spayed. Will this stop this kind of behaviour?
- 07/06/2011 at 6:19 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Neutering can certainly help curb aggression.
  Are the boys currently housed together?
  
  If it’s really out of character, do get him checked out healthwise.
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