say no to biting??

[missyprincess]

Hi..as of current…my bunny is 10wks old…im trying to make sure my bunny doesnt hav bad habits such as biting things..

my seller say..avoid letting the rabbit bite anything except his food of cos or to scare the rabbit when he is..(eg, shove, clap)

1st QN..even tho my seller say dun let bunny bite anything..but wat abt a plastic piece (abt size of 2 coins?)on the floor..which i guess he found it fun…shld i stop him too?? or when i combing him..he would chase the comb n bite it..shld i let him or refrain from letting tt happen? 

2nd qn…wat are the ways to stop bunny frm wat u doesnt wan them to do?? there are times clapping and saying “no: works..but..many times he just ignore..i tried scare tactics such as tapping him slightly harder on the head or shoving him..he just ignore too..

side notes…currently he tends to bite books..plastic bags..his cage metal grills..cloths (cloth i no its normal)..

[DanaNM]

Chewing is not a bad habit, it is rabbit nature. Wild rabbits chew constantly, so rabbits who cannot chew grow bored and frustrated.

As an owner, you cannot train him out of chewing things. Rather, you need to give him safe things to chew (safe sticks, hay, cardboard, paper, seagrass, wicker, etc), and remove unsafe things (plastic, cords, etc.) from his reach.

There is a section in the bunny info tab above with “boredom buster” toy ideas that are easy to make at home. I recommend checking that section out so you can give your bunny some healthy things to chew to keep him happy.

Trying to scare your rabbit will only make him scared of you, so please stop doing this.

. . . 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.  

[missyprincess]

hi @DanaNM!
thanks for the info..cos my seller told me to try scare tactic..soo that the bunny knows he will get tt treatment when he bite..
but i saw the clapping tactic online..i shldnt use tt too?

[kurottabun]

I think you need to get to the root of the problem first. Why is the rabbit chewing things it’s not supposed to? Are there any chewing toys for him?

To answer your first question, plastic isn’t good for bunnies to chew on as sometimes they swallow the plastic and this may lead to stomach problems, which can be fatal for bunnies.

To answer your second question, all the methods you’ve been using sound like short term “solutions”. Try giving him some chew toys such as willow balls or apple sticks etc and he may stop chewing other things.

Do you mind telling me which country you are located in? Your way of typing looks awfully familiar.

[sarahthegemini]

You shouldn’t shove your rabbit. That is absurd. And if your rabbit breeder is advising people do that, he/she needs to be reported.

[Deleted User]

Your going to create more problems with your rabbit if you continue to use ‘scare tactics’. Rabbits are already incredibly fearful of humans and this is going to increase their inbuilt behaviour as prey animals. This is going to make bunny defensive and I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts to bite you aswell and then what? As others have suggested he needs things that are safe to chew. Please please please do not let him get to plastic bags!! This is very dangerous. Serious accidents can happen if bunnies area is not properly bunny proofed

[Mikey]

Side note as I cant read this fully (but did skim it): rabbits can die from fright, scaring a rabbit can teach it to be aggressive (as itll be acting out in fear), physically hurting your rabbit for being a rabbit is abuse, rehoming an animal because it was not what you expected is a better option than hurting it, that breeder needs to be reported for advocating animal abuse (“hit it on the head” “shove it”).

[kurottabun]

Unfortunately in some countries, it’s rare to have rabbits as pets compared to dogs and cats (I’m speaking for my own). Because of this, knowledge about rabbits in general are very minimal, which causes a lot of misinformation to circulate. Most domestic pet rabbits I’ve seen here live in cages their whole lives and get fed a full time diet of either pellets or/and fresh vegetables without any hay. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how the situation is. Which is why I asked missyprincess where she’s from because the situation sounds all too awfully familiar.

As for reporting the breeder and such, there is almost no such system in place here as the awareness level of it just isn’t as high compared to the US or Europe.

[missyprincess]

@kurottabun..im frm sg
for ur concern..my bunny comes out at least 1hr a day..and of cos when im not working..i would let him out like 6-8hrs
he’s fed timothy hay as main food..1 scoop of pellet (abt a full tablespoon) and a grab of alfalfa a day..

hi all.. i understand your concerns..i dun hurt my bunny..his my baby..
i guess its my wrong choice of words…
such as “scare” and “shove”
my tap is just a slight one..a little harder than a head rub ..not a hit – @mikey
my shove is more like a nudge..(not wat u all think like i shove him across a distance or sth)
in fact..he mostly ignore them..
there is no ABUSE in this

@Eddyw111 – for your concern abt the plastic bag..there is no empty ones lying ard..the plastic bag is a bag of tissues of his poo n pee (tied up after i put the “dirts” inside and threw away everyday)..cos i constantly clean his cage..as he still not well toilet trained yet..he just like to bite/sniff/play with the bag..

i tried it for just tt day itself after chatting my concerns with my seller (side note..the seller did not suggest to hurt..but to make the rabbit “gan jiong” (dialet word for nervous, harried or uptight)..then i share here for feedback..cos i dun see it working..and i felt bad being soo harsh on my bunny..
which @DanaNM told me its not the right way..

just to update…i think the clapping “NO” method worked?
from wat i observe yesterday till this morning ..
1.he doesnt bite the cage metal to get out.. when im near the cage
2. he doesnt bite/chew the books or the plastics bag
3. when he’s playing ard my beanbags..sniffing ard..n when he wan to bite he would freeze and look at me like he’s caught redhanded

currently im looking to try the Clicker training instead..i dunno if its possible tho..my bunny is hardly still..
anyone tried this? can share if it works or some tips?

[kurottabun]

Ah, I thought so. I guessed that you were either from SG or M’sia. Neither of these places have a lot of information for rabbits, so it’s good that you’re searching for more info on these forums

On a side note (I know this thread is about biting but since we’re on the topic), your rabbit is still young at 10 weeks old, so the diet sounds a little off. Young rabbits should mostly eat alfalfa hay instead of timothy as they are still growing and need the extra rich nutrients. Timothy is usually fed when they are a little older (about 7 months old on average). Are your pellets alfalfa or timothy based?

Here are the guidelines taken from the House Rabbit Society:

What quantities of food should I feed babies and “teenagers”? (Under 7 months old)
7 weeks to 7 months–unlimited pellets, unlimited hay
12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

The plastic with his poo and pee should be taken out of the room after you are done cleaning so he doesn’t manage to get to it in the first place. Him not biting it in these two days may not mean that he will not bite it forever.

The beanbags are a little dangerous too as bunnies can easily chew a hole in the cover and proceed to eat the beans inside. You may want to pay attention to that. The fact that he “freezes” when he looks at you also indicates fear. Bunnies “freeze” (normally with their eyes wide open) when they are afraid of something. So it may indicate that he is afraid of you, which isn’t a good thing if you want to bond with him.

Your bunny is still a little young and probably not neutered yet, so I’m not sure if training would work now (let’s see what the others have to say). He may forget all his training once his hormones start to kick in when he is mature. But with regards to training in general, it normally works if you are having some treats on hand.

[missyprincess]

@kurottabun many thanks for the info!
yea..i tried to ask ard n my seller and forum n of cos google for info ..
i did give him unlimited pellets..but end up he will just eat pellets and pellets onli..LOL
the pellet shld be alfalfa base..its for young rabbits..
im told to start giving veges onli after 5-6months tho…i did some research myself and i found a source tt says to make sure the bunnies mama actualli eats veges when nursing them..if not, start vege onli after 5-6months old…
anyone knows more about when i shld try giving him veges?

the current diets follows wat @Sirius&Luna recommend me
*as quoted* “You might need to cut down on the pellets and alfalfa a bit to get him to eat more timothy hay. Alfalfa is good for growing buns, but when he’s 5-6 months you’ll need to totally wean him off it, so it’s good to get him eating other hay young. Perhaps you could leave him with just timothy hay for most the day, and give him a portion of pellets in the morning, and a handful of alfalfa in the evening. When people say young buns should have ‘unlimited’ pellets, they don’t truly mean unlimited – for a growing nethie, 1/4 a cup is probably about right.”

hmm..mayb i shld tweak his diet to more alfalfa hay?

[Kimberly]

Hi there! ?? Your not the only one, my bunny chews anything and everything carpet, it’s cage, plastic bags, wood, clothing, basically anything in sight. I’ve learned it’s just their nature and there’s really nothing much you can do about him biting. One thing you shouldn’t let him do is bite people, once he starts biting people he won’t stop. Try to keep him away from plastic bags or anything he might chew on that might harm him. It is very normal for your bunny to chew on it’s cage, it definitely won’t harm him. Make sure to give him tons of hay to chew on, I also recommend giving him some chew toys or even something I tried which was a willow ball which they can consume and chew on to help with biting habits, dental health, and ware down of teeth. Some ways you can get them to stop is of course saying no really loudly in their ear or taking away privileges sometimes it may work if you sprits a little water on them or distract them from what bad thing they were doing by giving it food or treats. Hope this helped??

[kurottabun]

Young buns are able to eat both timothy and alfalfa – they are a bit more versatile and the extra nutrients from alfalfa aren’t as harmful to them compared to how it would be too rich for adult rabbits. Is he eating the timothy hay? How is it compared with when you fed him alfalfa?

[missyprincess]

@kurottabun i onli managed to get him to start eating timothy when i restrict his alfalfa n pellet..
previously i tried restricting pellets but gave almost unlimited alfalfa..he doesnt touch timothy at all and he will only eat the leaves and shove out the alfalfa stick out frm his bowl ..LOL! which i read the other topics in this forum tt most rabbits r like tt..

[kurottabun]

Hmm it could also be the freshness of the hay etc. If they are getting alfalfa based pellets then sticking to the timothy hay should be alright. Oxbow is good. They should have it in Pet Lovers Centre in SG. If you can afford the stuff from Oxbow, that’d be great.

[Bam]

Bunnies do like to chew on things. Willow balls are great for that, also apple sticks/twig if you can get twigs from a tree that hasn’t been treated with pesticides. Willow twigs are good to, willow is rarely, if ever, treated with pesticides. For a young bunny, chew toys made of wood is excellent.

As for biting people, that shouldn’t be accepted. If your bun just nips you he’s trying to tell you something (give me pets, a treat, get out of my way) and that’s fine, they can’t speak – but if the biting is aggressive/defensive, you should wear gloves for handling the bun and avoid cleaning the cage while the bun is in it (in case there’s cage aggression). Just so you don’t have to withdraw for fear of being bit – withdrawing is a reward for an animal who is trying to chase someone off. If a thing works, the bun will continue doing it. That’s the basic principle of all learning and it applies to humans as well. Defensive biting and lunging are exactly that, defensive, meaning the bun doesn’t really trust you. I had a bun that would growl and charge and even bite, but with time and patience, it stopped as he matured and we became friends. I used to tell him “no biting” in a calm but firm voice, no screaming or shoving. But more importantly I didn’t withdraw, so he realized biting and lunging didn’t get him what he wanted.

I don’t think you should say things loudly directly into the bun’s ear, that would be very painful for the bun. But you can squeal or stomp the floor to make your bun understand that it’s misbehaving. Keep in mind though, that a bun is not a dog, and has not been bred to pay attention to what the human is trying to teach it. Buns are relatively speaking pretty new as pets, whereas humans have kept dogs and cats and horses for many, many thousands of years.

[missyprincess]

@kurottabun – yup all the hay n pellet are oxbow..just tt if if there is unlimited for everything..he will finish the pellet 1st then the alfalfa leaves then the stems then it onli comes to timothy..soo if there is unlimited pellet..he practically wont even eat alfalfa..less say timothy..hahaha

@bam – thanks for letting me know their ears r very sensitive..tt i didnt know..i will take note..thankfully his not agressive..but he previously love to nip my hb’s butt/lower back..till my hb doesnt sit on the floor to watch tv anymore..LOL!

i do hav apple sticks ..but im still debating whether i shld give him try.. im worried whether its suitable for his stomach at this age…since i was not advised to start veges with him…

[sarahthegemini]

Apple sticks? As in the twigs from apple trees? They should be fine. There’s no vegetable content in them.

I’m sorry but an hour a day out of his cage is completely unacceptable. A bunny needs 4 to 6 hours out of the cage every day AT LEAST.

[Bam]

I think you could start introducing apple sticks now when he’s 10 weeks, it’s not sth that’s hard on the tummy. But if you feel more comfortable waiting until he’s 12 weeks, you can of course wait. But sticks and willow balls etc are not really like vegetables or fruit. It’s more like hay, low in nutrition but very good for both the teeth and the tummy.

1 hour out of the cage per day is ok if he gets 6-8 hours out when you don’t work. We have to plan our life around our work- or school schedules.

[missyprincess]

i tried offering him apple stick last night n i put a 1.5inch length stick in his cage…but he dun seem to express much interest in it
last night he started to keep pulling out his combs (by biting and dragging it down) frm the side compartment my coffee table to bite/play..is tt becos the comb hav his smell?? cos he seems to keep targeting the combs..its cute to see him do tt..but is it ok to let him do tt?? or i shld find a way to block up the compartment?

[Kimberly]

Try willow balls and lots of hay?

[missyprincess]

@Kimberly – i do hav hay balls..one i think made of ratten cane material..and another one made of metal..but he seems frustrated frm eating frm them tho..
i tried hanging the hay ball up..he just pull down watever hay there is…with force n frustration (or mayb i misinterpret as his having fun?) but he would try to get hold of the ball with his front paws…which i think its dangerous as he might fall..soo i put it on the floor instead.
side note : he touch the hay ball only when everything else (1st – pellets, 2nd – alfalfa 3rd – lying timothy) is finished

[Author]

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