Nipping/nibbling in baby rabbits

[A1983legend]

Hello everyone! I’m new here. We recently acquired two baby bunnies. We had no intention of getting these bunnies until the day we stumbled across them and felt an instant bond to them. We got them Saturday and have been doing everything we possibly can to give them the care they need and deserve. Yesterday we had a bunny expert (4-H leader who has dedicated his life to rabbits) come to our house and he determined that we have an 8 week old blue lion head girl and the other one is only 5-6 weeks old ? it is a mini Rex chinchilla and we don’t know the gender yet. He told us this one was malnourished. You could feel the bones. He told us to go get a higher protein food and we did. The baby is eating very well and drinking just as good; however, today it started nibbling/nipping at our fingers and clothes and my daughters chin. It doesn’t feel like the baby is trying to be aggressive, but there was one instance where it climbed into my lap (I was sitting on the floor) and it started nibbling my fingers and the last nip drew blood. This was the first time it nipped hard enough to draw blood. I am looking for advice on what could be causing this nipping issue. Also, wondering If this is normal for a baby rabbit or if this is aggression. Or possibly something missing in the diet. Thank you! Jessi

[LBJ10]

I doubt he/she is being aggressive. Most likely, it is just curiosity/exploratory behavior. Baby is just trying to figure things out, testing things with his/her teeth. I’m sure baby doesn’t know that this behavior is causing you pain. Baby bunnies are usually pretty receptive to squealing/yelping. So if baby is nipping you, let out a high pitched noise so he/she gets the memo that that hurts.

[Regie]

Posted By LBJ10 on 8/28/2018 9:39 PM

So if baby is nipping you, let out a high pitched noise so he/she gets the memo that that hurts.

I never thought it might be helpful. Do they really recognise that you’re acting like an “injured” rabbit? 

[LBJ10]

It worked for Wooly. He bit me when he was young and I squealed. He immediately stopped and looked at me, his ears were straight up. After a few times he learned. He’s 8 now, but to this day he never bites hard. If he is frustrated or doesn’t like something, he will gently put his teeth on me. He doesn’t bite down.

Leopold, who is deaf, is another story. LOL

[Asriel and Bombur]

I also just want to add, in case you are unaware, that they need to be completely separated at all times. Separate cages and separate play times. At 8 weeks old you older bun is going to start getting hormonal soon. A hormonal bun will only want to fight and mate. Bunnies can and will hurt each other very viciously. So it really is important to keep them separate until after both have been fixed and you go through the proper bonding steps

[A1983legend]

I didn’t know this! Thank you.
What age can they safely be fixed? Also does it affect their lifespan in any way by having them fixed?

[LBJ10]

For girls, it can affect their lifespan significantly. Unspayed females have a 50-80% chance (depending on genetics) of getting reproductive cancer(s) by the age of 4. When spayed, females can live to be 8,10, even 12 years old. For boys, neutering isn’t as important when it comes to lifespan. But it is recommended because they are much happier and it cuts down on undesirable behaviors. Plus it’s impossible to bond hormone-filled bunnies. As A&B said, the urge to mate and fight would be very strong.

Girls are typically spayed around 5-6 months. This is because the uterus needs to develop first. For boys, they can be neutered as soon as their testicles drop.

[A1983legend]

Thank you so much for this info!!

[Bunny House]

I just wanted to add, you might want to read BUNNY INFO on this website for good bun information

[A1983legend]

I’ll check it out!

[Author]

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