Bonding behavior or aggression?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 10sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 3 months ago by HipHopBunny.

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- 07/10/2020 at 10:13 AM
  Beau Bunny
  Participant
  66 posts
  Hey all, Beau is super sweet, although he’s not much of a cuddle bug– he will typically hop by me and throw some oinks my way, or flop across from me and we sort of just hang out together. I can count on one hand the times he actually sat directly next to me, and never in my lap.
  
  Last night, he rested his little head on my leg for a while then started licking me. Then he got up abruptly, and started nipping at my clothes. First my pants where he was licking, then my shirt, at one point he hopped behind me with his front paws up on my bag and gave my shirt a tug.
  
  I started petting him and he loafed out directly next to me and looked really blissed out.
  
  Just curious- was the nipping aggression, or was he asking to be pet/groomed?
- 07/10/2020 at 10:32 AM
  HipHopBunny
  Participant
  640 posts
  I think he was just asking for you to pet/groom him. My bunnies will sometimes do that too 🙂
- 07/10/2020 at 10:38 AM
  Hazel
  Participant
  2587 posts
  He groomed you and you didn’t immediately return the favor, I guess he got impatient 😆
- 07/10/2020 at 10:50 AM
  Beau Bunny
  Participant
  66 posts
  Awwww, I thought so. It was just such different behavior from him, I was caught off guard. Our romance is a slow-burn, I guess. LOL
  
  You definitely reach a level of bunny-nirvana in those little moments.
- 07/10/2020 at 10:57 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  The nipping might also increase with puberty, as they will nip lightly before trying to mount. The oinking is also an amorous behavior. 😉
  
  I’ve never had a bun want to be actually in my lap, even my most affectionate ones, so no worries there. He sounds like he likes you a lot if you got grooms. 🙂
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 07/10/2020 at 11:03 AM
  Beau Bunny
  Participant
  66 posts
  @ Dana, the feeling is mutual. 😛
- 07/10/2020 at 3:09 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16964 posts
  My bunny Bam nipped people if they stopped petting him too soon. Nipping is not really aggressive thing in rabbits. Its a way of communication. Between buns, a nip is cushioned by the recieving bun’s fur, we humans dont have that protective layer of fur, so nips probably hurt more on us. When a bun bites because he’s angry, or, as is more often the case, is frightened, its not really a nip. I have a scar on my hand from a bunny bite that was aimed at another bun that we were trying to bond him with.
- 07/11/2020 at 1:19 PM
  Beau Bunny
  Participant
  66 posts
  Oh yeah that makes sense. for me it was clothes instead of fur. Felt like a tug on the fabric.
- 07/11/2020 at 4:38 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17023 posts
  I agree with the others. Bunnies will nip and nudge when they want something. It can be “groom me”, “move”, etc.
- 07/25/2020 at 10:08 AM
  SophT
  Participant
  6 posts
  My bun has started digging in my lap and at my top, biting my clothes & pooing on me. He hasn’t done that before. He never really poops on me but it was about 5 poops. He then hopped off and came back within about a minute and repeated it again. What could this mean? Thanks x
- 07/25/2020 at 10:42 AM
  HipHopBunny
  Participant
  640 posts
  Is he neutered? Buns that are not spayed/neutered will get aggressive as hormones kick in. Or has something changed in the way you smell so that he doesn’t recognize you? Perfume, deodorant, soap, etc?
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