Non agressive biting?

[nugget18]

so ive had my mini rex rabbit (nugget) for a week (I believe he is between 1-2 months old) and i recall that he did start with little nibbles and licks every so often but now it’s no longer that is straight up biting that is breaking the skin. I have tried being diligent about not causing him to feel the need to be aggressive. I was laying on the ground getting down to his level and he seemed happy was binkying and sniffing and checking me out and following me around and seems to be comfortable with me but when it comes to my fingers or really any body part (he just hopped on my lap and bit my neck as im typing this). I do not think its because of attention because if i go to try and pet him he will turn his head and try to continue to bite me. I have tried doing the yelping or squealing to let him know it hurts but he does not let up (if anything it gets worse) and firmly saying no does not stop him. He is being very playful and running around the house so i don’t understand why he’d be upset. I’m just confused because ive done a lot of research online and have not been able to find a situation that matches mine. I also want to add this always happens either on my couch or in my living room so i’m not intruding his space like being in his cage. Hoping I can figure out whats going on because I don’t want to turn him down if he’s being affectionate but it really is painful. (I’ve attached an image of him) 

Inserted by Wick:

[DanaNM]

first i just have to say he is SO FREAKING CUTE! AHHHHH! What a little rascal!

Ok now that that’s out of my system, does he grunt or make other noises when he bites? Are his ears up or down? Does he try to “dig” at you? Does he do this when you pick him up, or when you are on the floor with him?

Rabbits bite and nip for a variety of reasons aside from aggression, so there could be another motive. He might be hitting puberty and feeling amorous… frisky boys with circle and nip when they want to mount… so that could be part of it.

I don’t have any personal experience with this, but hopefully with some more info others can help.

. . . 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.  

[nugget18]

he doesn’t make any noise and his ears are up, He doesn’t dig at me but he does follow my hands to nibble on them and when he can’t get to my hands he nibbles my arm. I’m starting to feel it might be hormonal but i didn’t think it would happen right now because he is so young

[DanaNM]

Ears up means that it isn’t aggressive, so it could be hormonal and trying to mount? He is pretty young, but some can start their teenage years pretty early.

I’m trying to think of a good strategy to get him to stop, since the making the squeal noise doesn’t seem to be working. And you don’t want to rely too much on fear, since you don’t want him to be afraid of you.

I wonder if you could use something to block him, like an object to place between the two of you, when he gets nippy? Like maybe a thin piece of plastic or cardboard, or even a colander? Just something to deflect and distract him?

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

Also, I just wanted to add, that if he is really 1-2 months old that is very young to be away from his mother, so maybe that has something to do with this?

I recommend getting him examined by a rabbit savvy vet to make sure everything is OK with him and go over his nutritional needs.

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Dana brings up a fair point about the rabbit’s age, and I’m curious to know his/her background as well, in addition to any advice you received from rabbit-experienced vets.

Being so small, a part of this can be that your rabbit does not realize your hands are a part of you. This goes with your neck and all other body parts. They don’t have eyes, nor any indicators of intention, and they don’t move like a typical animal, so it’s sort of natural for these things to spook a rabbit and he/she may nip or bite at it in precaution. Dana’s advice on squealing can help try and instill to your rabbit the hand is a part of you. Similar to puppies and play-biting, feedback is needed to let the animal know what’s too hard of a communication signal.

You are a very large being, and rabbits have a big blindspot in front of them, so especially for a small rabbit, mapping the whole human body can be challenging.

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.

[nugget18]

I got him from a farm near my town that breeds them last week (I’ve had him for a week and a day). I have not gotten him to a vet yet that is my next move. His age is more of an assumption due to his size and when I found out about being able to <g class="gr_ gr_258 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="258" data-gr-id="258">come</g> pick him up.<img src="/DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/BB_Theme/emoticons/smile.gif"></p>

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