So… Bumpy bit me…

[manic_muncher]

Bumpy growled at me for the first time a couple days ago.  It was also simultaneously done with a lunge and immediately (almost seemed like at the same time) followed with a bite that drew blood.  I had just finished petting his head with my hand and also with his lil stuffed piglet that he grooms all the time.  I dropped the piglet and placed my hand down about a foot away to see if he’d approach and groom me back.  Not sure what caused the reaction, but it was instantaneous. Literally growl-lunge-bite (oh and scratched) all in one move.

Of course, I reacted… sorry to say I gave him a resounding pluck right smack in the middle of his forehead.  He hopped off a couple spaces away and just looked at me like normal, blinking a bit (maybe because I startled him with that pluck).  I haven’t put my hand down that same way since then, but I have reached down to give him scratches on his head when he’s stretched up at me.  He also came out last night and was licking my ankle.  Still hops off when you try to pet him though.

But I’m curious if anyone has any thoughts as to what triggered the reaction in the first place?  I don’t want to be afraid to do things around him or to him, and I don’t want him biting me randomly either.  He’s not the only one that “reacts instinctively”…. 

[BlueMoods]

You had what he sees as his companion in your hand and, to a rabbit you are a predator. It sounds like he was trying to protect his stuffed piglet, or keep you from taking it away.

Not all rabbits like to be petted on the head. Is he okay if you pet him other places

[manic_muncher]

I actually wondered if it was because I had his pig… haha

He -only- likes pets on his head. He would be perfectly content right now for me to never touch him, ever. He’s still young and has only been with us 7 months. He’s starting to get his moments when he tries to be closer to us in proximity (without treat involvement) but it’s still rare. He comes when we call, he’ll go back to his pen when I want him to, he follows us into the kitchen and bathroom, and follows the dogs. But try to pet him, he tends to hop just out of reach. The stretching up to reach my hand thing is only because he’s hoping he’ll get a raisin.

I don’t even bother trying to groom him anymore, he hates it, and I’ve still not been able to find a brush or comb that actually works on his fur! So.. whatever.

Ok.. so don’t kidnap the piggie. Got it. That’s kinda sweet, trying to protect his friend. (from the evil bunny-slave predator muahaha?)

[BlueMoods]

I have one that would rather not have a human in her life at all, if she had a choice. She keeps a distance of a few feet away at all times. I can get her to come to me and, manage to groom and examine her as needed but, she’s a Rex (velveteen) so, minimal grooming needed. Cocoa is 7 years old, always been reluctant to be near humans so I let her be. She’s happy with the other Rex doe and BB for company.

[JackRabbit]

Lesson learned . . . leave the piggy alone.   Have you tried other games with him?  My Moshi (Bumpy’s “twin”) likes for me to stack things up for him to knock over.  If I stop and he’s not done playing the game he’ll hop over and nudge me (more like head-butt me).  When he lets me pet him, I stack them up again.

[manic_muncher]

oh yes, we play “bunny-slave re-stacks cups, re-hangs keys, puts hidey house and tubes back in place, so Bumpy can throw everything around again” game.

But seriously… when he’s in a tossing mood, I’ll go in his pen with him and re-stack while he watches me, then he’ll knock it all over again. Sometimes it’s 2 or 3 times and then he’s done.

OK! So I was telling hubby what you thought BlueMoods, and of course… he had to test it out. So he picked up the piglet and started making it look like it was a living thing? You know, hopping it across the floor imitating reality. And Bumpy attacked the pig. Just ran out and bit. I don’t know if it was bad aim on his part, but he bit the pig. Hubby then tossed the poor piglet across the pen and Bumpy ran after it attacking it. LOL so… no idea… does this sound like a rabbit that would do better without another bun friend? He seems to like the dogs a lot, but I’m terrified of getting another bun after watching this poor pig being attacked.

[Bam]

LOL manic muncher, that is so funny, I can vividly picture Bumpy attacking the pig =D I’ve tried making my bunnies interested in stuffed bunnies the way your hubby did with the pig, but they are compeletely indifferent.

My Yohio does the growl-charge-bite and box quite often, it used to be when I stopped petting him too soon. Now it’s less often but for reasons unknown. I’m kind of used to it by now but the first time I scooped him away with my foot. Now I say Nooo, no biting mummy! and look at him disapprovingly, I may even growl back. I will not be afraid of my rabbit.

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