Nipping while petting?

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This topic has 3sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by Azerane.

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- 04/30/2017 at 10:22 PM
  BEL
  Participant
  48 posts
  So Nox was sitting on my stomach while I petted her and she was tooth grinding and seemed pretty happy and then out of now where she reared up and nipped my wrist and then tried to run away. I caught her and held her head and shoulders down for a few seconds and then let her go with a strong “No”. Ten seconds later she comes up to me asking to be pet or forgiven. Any ideas what happened? Was it her way of saying she wanted to go?
- 04/30/2017 at 11:04 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5834 posts
  Yes. She had enough and wanted to go. Sometimes it’s based on time, where you’re petting, or they want to go pee/poop/drink/groom.
  
  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.
- 05/01/2017 at 3:03 AM
  sarahthegemini
  Participant
  5584 posts
  Posted By BEL on 4/30/2017 10:22 PM
  
  So Nox was sitting on my stomach while I petted her and she was tooth grinding and seemed pretty happy and then out of now where she reared up and nipped my wrist and then tried to run away. I caught her and held her head and shoulders down for a few seconds and then let her go with a strong “No”. Ten seconds later she comes up to me asking to be pet or forgiven. Any ideas what happened? Was it her way of saying she wanted to go?
  
  Why on earth did you do that?
- 05/01/2017 at 3:25 AM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4691 posts
  I agree that it just sounds like that she had had enough.
  
  Sarah, it’s a somewhat commonly recommended technique for telling a rabbit “no”. If you press the head down (firmly but not roughly/it doesn’t hurt them) it’s supposed to communicate that they’ve done something wrong. From what I’ve read about it it’s what mother rabbits supposedly do to tell their kits off (whether there’s any truth to that or not I’ve no idea). I used it a few times when Bandit was a young and had a habit of nipping, it seemed to work to curb the habit but I’ve never used it since. To me it’s not necessary but at the time it helped with Bandit’s nipping.
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