Licking so much it turns into nip?

[Fluffykins]

So fluffykins is a kisser. A really vigorous sloppy ol’ kisser and I love it!

Only problem is recently, he’s taken to nipping! He was kissing my tummy on top of my top the other day and he nipped me. I yelped and put him down. Now today, he was kissing the inside of my elbow and he took another little nip!

I’m getting a bit nervous with letting him kiss me so much now, these nips hurt! It’s only when he hasn’t seen me for a few hours and I pick him up and he really enthusiastically licks me, it somtimes turns into a nip. It’s almost like he’s saying to me via licks “ohmygoshwherehaveyoubeenomgivemissedyousomuchomgomgiloveyousomuch.” When he’s licking less enthusiastically, like a “blah, you’re ok my little human” I feel confident he won’t try to nip me.

Is this a case of bunnies nip eachother as part of affectionate grooming? How can I make it stop?

Thank you!

[Wick & Fable]

High pitched yelp let’s your rabbit know your tolerance. Similar to dogs biting each other for play, feedback is needed. Also, think about the textures of those parts of your body. For a rabbit, tougher skin is like something stuck in fur, so they’ll start nipping to get it out. Wick would nip my toes, but eventually learned to just lick them and not try and remove my toe nails.

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.

[LBJ10]

Nipping can be a part of grooming. You know, so they can really dig down there and remove something. Letting him know this hurts you is the best way to go. Hopefully he’ll learn to be more gentle with his “grooming”.

[Author]

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