Biting

[auntie]

My Lionhead who is mixed with Rex is 10 months and fixed. He is 98% friendly and loveable . However he tends to nip me from time to time. Twice now he has actually bit me and broke skin. First time was this past winter and my fault because I stuck my finger in his cage to pat him and it was dark so I scared him.
He has a pen attached to his cage so he can go play when he wants and not cooped up on his cage.

I let him run through my house from time to time but under supervision. When I went to pick him up off my couch to put him back in his pen because I had to leave he bit me and broke skin. Is this normal behavior

[Bam]

It is normal behavior, because rabbits havent been bred to not bite humans the way dogs have. If a dog bites a human and draws blood it’s unacceptable and it’s reasonable to think there’s something wrong with the dog, healthwise or mentally.

Rabbits can bite and still be normal. It’s inconvenient though, of course, so try not to “reward” the behavior. (Don’t punish him, he wont understand that).

The first bite incident you describe is as you said completely understandable. The second incident is something you dont want him to repeat. I’ve handled this type aggression by not backing off, because backing off is a reward – the rabbit bites to chase you off, if you are chased off, yay, biting works, let’s keep biting, it gets me what I want!

Your bun is young -even though he is neutered, he is in his “teens” – a natural but often annoying phase in any mammal -so it’s normal for him to be sassy, bold and try stuff.

(Of course check him over/observe him to rule out a health problem. Rabbits, like all other animals, can lash out if they’re in pain. f he is normally active, eating, eating hay, drinking, pooping etc. this is probably not a health issue.)

 

[auntie]

Yes he is completely acting normal. I actually have picked him up after that happened but I have to say I was a little nervous. So just keep picking him up? Should I wear gloves just in case? I figured as much that it had to do with him being in the teenage phase.

[LBJ10]

Giving a chomp on the arm or hand while being held means “put me down”. I had one rabbit that would do this all the time. Keep in mind that rabbits are prey animals and tend to not enjoy being held. I would avoid picking him up when you don’t have to. When you do have to, it’s best to ignore the biting because, as Bam said, it makes them think biting will get them what they want. Some rabbits can come to tolerate being held, while others do not. It really depends on the rabbit. You can wear gloves, but I think I would find it hard to hold onto them if I had gloves on.

[Author]

Messages