My bunny thinks my fingers are treats

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 2sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 7 months ago by Bobby'sMom.

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- 07/30/2018 at 10:45 PM
  kcit
  Participant
  2 posts
  Hi guys. I think I might have a problem.
  
  My bunny is around 9 weeks old and I have had him for almost a week now. He’s very friendly and has adapted to his new home extremely well. He likes to take naps on the bed with me, binky around my room, and groom my face, neck, and the back of my hands. I would say, for the most part, we are as bonded as much as any baby bun and a new owner can be.
  
  Since I got him, I have been feeding him different kinds of fruits and teaching him how to come when called and how to do a quick 360° spin when I twirl my fingers around him. His favorite of these fruits is an orange. Recently, I went to go down and pet him but before I could do so, he started sniffing my fingers and then proceeded to bite down hard on them, almost like he does with his oranges. When he eats his oranges, he bites down and then pulls away in order to pull the pulp from the peel. He was doing this with my fingers. I thought maybe he was mad at me, so I left him alone for a while. I came back to him a few hours later and he proceeded to do the same thing: sniff, bite and pull.
  
  That’s when I thought, maybe he thinks that my fingers are treats to him. So I tested this by telling him to spin in a circle and did a spinning motion with my hand. And sure enough, he immediately spun around and then went to quickly sniff my fingers and go for a bite.
  
  So is my hypothesis correct? Does my bunny really think my fingers are oranges to him or does he just hate me and want to bite me when I get close to him? Please keep in mind that he is not an aggressive bunny at all and this is the first possible aggressive behavior that I have seen come out of him.
- 07/31/2018 at 3:56 AM
  Sirius&Luna
  Participant
  2320 posts
  He’s a bit young to be eating fruit really – fruit is very sugarry and can upset the delicate balance of a baby buns gut. Even adult bunnies should only have a small piece of fruit (eg. one grape or berry, or a single slice of banana or apple) a couple of times a week. Can you try using pellets or herbs as treats instead?
  
  I imagine he’s biting your finger because he knows he gets a treat when he spins, so he assumes the treat will be there.
- 08/04/2018 at 9:33 AM
  Bobby'sMom
  Participant
  14 posts
  I have the same issue with my almost 13 weeks Mini lop bunny.
  Indeed he has bitten me to the point of bleeding on both sides of my fingers 3 times. For some reason it seems he thinks my nails are a toy or a treat.
  In regards of the fingers. The only time he bit my fingers without seeing my nail was after eating some food he smelled and went to pet him. Rabbits can’t see very well in front of them so he assumed I had a treat for him and surprise bite and blood :/
  Also I agree with the comment above. You should not be giving him fruit at all until he is older and you should start with greens like parsley, green pepper etc. I will start feeding mine greens in 2 weeks when he is 3 months old
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