Nipping/Biting 10wk old

[BotanicalFox]

I have a 10 week old bunny who’s been with me for a week now, first week was absolutely bliss.

He’s generally happy he’s binkying and flopping but past week he has taken to nipping and biting me. I mean actually biting as well, he’s really into biting my chin and nose sometimes as well, it is marginally painful when he does, he also has bitten through my clothing and if I leave washing out he’ll bite that.

He has a number of chew toys, teething treats, toys and various things to play with and has free roam of the entire large living room.

 

I’ve tried scolding with running a finger down his nose to the ground but he looks at me like I am an idiot, I’ve resorted to misting his bum if he’s biting furniture repeatedly after firm (not shouting) “no” and that doesn’t seem to work either. He seems to enjoy the mist sometimes which makes matter’s worse.

 

He’s usually really good and I am guessing this is him just testing my patience but I am struggling, because nothing I do seems to work.

 

For example, I had some pancakes I was eating for breakfast with some berries on and he hopped up besides me and I picked him up and moved him away whilst I finished eating them and out of nowhere he nipped me, I then scolded with the nose thing and had no reaction at all so did it again. He the bit my jumper and left a hole in it so I picked him up and put him in his crate and within minutes he’s asleep. Do you think this is a sulk that I didn’t share my berries and pancakes? Or is he over tired and doesn’t realise when to give in like a human toddler lol?

 

I mean he certainly wasn’t interested in me until they turned up.

 

Any help is appreciated!

 

Luke & Toast

[caption id="attachment_1959542" align="alignnone" width="300"] Me and Toast!![/caption]

 

[DanaNM]

What a sassy teenager! And what a cutie!  He sounds a lot like my bun Cooper actually, he was a bit nippy when I got him, and oh so much chewing energy.

So, for when he’s nipping/biting you, the best thing is to make a high pitched squeal, so that he knows he’s hurting you. (Google a rabbit scream… it’s unpleasant, but that’s the sound you are going for). Rabbits nip each other to communicate, and as a baby, he’s exploring everything and learning what’s what.

The nose thing wont work, as he may even interpret that as you grooming him, which is a reward. Buns also have a blind spot right in front of their face, and if you move your hand under their nose or quickly in front of them where they can’t see, that can trigger them to nip or box you.

When he’s getting into trouble, I have found it works best to first try a loud sound (like a loud clap), and then redirect him to something more appropriate to chew. A spritz of water can also help, but I aim for sprinkling the ears. It is mostly something that can break their focus on whatever they are chewing on, and is annoying enough to make them stop. It can be counter productive to physically go and move the bun away from the area, because if they like you it can almost turn into a game where they get attention for chewing on that area.

Does he chew on the toys he currently has? If not, then try different toys. Phone books for shredding (if you can find one), cardboard cat scratchers, and organic palm plates are all really popular with my destructive buns.

A lot of buns are also drawn to chewing fabrics, so for that the best thing is to just make sure you never have clothes on the ground when he’s out. My first bun Bertha was notorious for this, she ruined a few favorite pairs of pants that I accidentally left too close to her pen!

I also think at his age, it may be necessary and helpful to not give him full free-roam just yet. Soon he’ll be hitting puberty as well, which usually brings a loss of litter box habits and even more destructive tendencies. You can attach an x-pen to his crate so he has more space than just the crate, and then only allow him free-roam to the living room when he’s being supervised. That should also help because he will be exploring and running around the room, rather than looking for trouble to get into. It will also help you identify areas that need more bunny-proofing while you watch him, rather than him finding them and causing damage on his own while you aren’t watching.

There are a ton more bunny proofing tips here: https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bunny-proofing/

10 weeks is young, but he also may be starting to have inklings of puberty. You can read about the behavior changes to expect here and how neutering will help: https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/bunny-gone-nutty/

. . . 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.  

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