Question on nipping when petting

[Deleted User]

Hi all – So I have an unneutered male that’s maybe 1-2 years old, a lionhead. So what he does sometimes is nip me very lightly when I’m petting him, either when I’m petting his side and he turns his head around quickly to nip, or when I’m petting his head. It’s very light, borderline not even nipping because it’s not even painful for me the last couple of times he did it, but it freaks me out, especially because when I first got him he was very aggressive and would lunge and try to bite me (and actually did once, a hard bite) when I put my hand in his cage. He’s super-sweet now that he’s living in good conditions, but I was wondering why he does it, and how to help stop this behavior. What I started doing is pressing his head down with my hand when he does it, I read that shows dominance and is a way to get bunnies to stop biting etc. It’s too soon to tell if it’s working though.

Thanks

[DanaNM]

The light nips are likely “love bites” since he’s not neutered. Un-neutered males will nip and circle when they are feeling frisky! He’s prob getting ready to mount you

I don’t recommend pushing his head down… That will likely disrupt the bond you are building with him and won’t work.

The nip when you reached in his cage was because he felt threatened and didn’t trust you at first. Some bunnies get very territorial over their cages, so it’s best to only do cleaning or rearranging when they aren’t in the cage.

If the light nipping bothers you, getting him neutered should help (it can also help with territorial behaviors and marking). In the meantime, to communicate that he is hurting you, you can “scream” like a bunny (look it up on youtube if you’ve never heard it, but it’s very sad ). It’s more like a loud squeak than a human scream. When a bunny gently nips another one, they have so much fur that it’s more like a nudge or a light pinch, so they don’t realize that they are hurting you. The idea with “screaming” is to help them realize they are hurting you.

My girl used to nip me on the feet when I was in her way, but once I screamed she never nipped me again! But then again I am also more aware of when I’m in her way

. . . 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.  

[Deleted User]

OK, thanks for the info. It won’t really bother me, so long as he doesn’t actually bite. Would pooping everywhere mostly around his litterbox be something that can be improved with neutering? Because he’s 100% at only peeing in his litterbox, but he poops everywhere.

[DanaNM]

Litter box habits should definitely improve with neutering! One of the main reasons people neuter their boy buns is to improve their box habits

. . . 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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