Sudden Digging and Nipping on me.

[Pyrostasis]

So a little back ground…

Two weeks ago my brother and I were leaving the house and we saw a rabbit on our drive way. This isnt unusual as Texas has a lot of wild rabbits however this one was clearly domesticated. One it was white with spots and two it let us walk right up to him.

We realized someone had just released the poor guy and figured we’d take him in.

First week we kept him in our converted garage. Its an AC’ed addition to the house and the only area bunny proofed.

This week we got him a cage and have been keeping him in the same room with me. I take him back to the garage in the mornings and afternoons for a 30 – 45 minute walk.

This week he’s been running around the room and then runs to me full speed jumps on me and lets me pet him. Then he zooms off again for a bit then comes back for more petting. Eventually he kinda tires out and I return him to the cage.

However the past two days something new has happened. He doesnt run around initially but comes immidiately to me and sits on me for 20 minutes to get petted. He then runs around for a bit and does his normal thing but when he dives on me he now starts backing up and digging and nipping. Its not painful nips the the clawing does hurt.

The stuff Ive read on the forums is confusing. Some say this is the rabbit trying to become alpha over me and to push his nose down gently or turn my back on him.

Other posts say this means they dont like being picked up, however Im sitting on the couch and hes coming to me and will initiate. If I move to the other side of the couch he’ll come to me.

Others say its just normal playful behavior and him expressing how much he loves me. So I’m completely confused on if this is good and normal and should be encouraged, or bad and should be discouraged.

How do I handle this? I was really enjoying our evening netflix sessions now Im covered in scratch marks and feel like its kind of becoming a nightmare.

[Bam]

Thank you for taking this bunny in!

I’d say it’s normal bunny behavior. My Bam, who loves sitting in my mother’s lap and be pet when she is visiting, can start digging quite ferociously after a while, and for that reason she alway has a blankie in her lap when she’s holding him. He can also nip her clothes again a good reason to wear sth protective. He’s never restricted in any way and can hop away onto his bunk bed whenever he wants to, so it’s not that he’s impatient and wants to get away.

I’m pretty sure he’s not asserting dominance over you. Bunnies do display dominant/submissive behavior towards other bunnies, but that more or less always takes the form of dominant humping if the dominant bun feels he’s not getting his (or her, girl buns hump too) point across. In any case, a bunny can’t be compared to a dog, because they are very different in the ways they interact socially.

To me your bunny sounds very happy and very fond of you. Can you see if he’s neutered? If he isn’t, he could be starting to take a romantic interest in you. Do you have any idea about whether he’s adult or a baby?

[Pyrostasis]

Thanks for the tip of a blanket. I used a towel and seemed to solve the problem.

I’m honestly not sure if he’s neutered or not or what age he is. Here’s a picture of the little guy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH4vupcANB_/

[Bam]

A Dalmatian rex! He is beautiful!!! So elegant!

Just judging by the pic, you need to cut his nails. You might have done that already. Cutting his nails will make his scratching less painful and also prevent him from breaking nails or developing sore hocks (if the nails get so long that it compromizes his gait). Rexes are sensitive to sore hocks because of their short fur.

He looks young but not so young that you shouldn’t be able to see testicles if you can get him to meerkat for a treat. Bunnies can however “suck in” their testicles into their bellies so they can’t be seen. If that’s the case, you’ll have to inspect his/her genitals more closely.

[Pyrostasis]

Yeah I am going to try and figure out how to cut his nails this week. Just dont want to hurt him and hes still kind of flighty so dont want to traumatize him by it.

Ill see if I cant get a close look at him about the whole neutered thing.

[Bam]

In our Diet & Care-section there’s a pinned post on nail-trimming techniques. There are YouTube-videos you can find by googling and do ask for tips here on the forums. It’s advisable to be two persons. He looks like he has pale colored nails which is a great advantage, because you can see the quick and avoid cutting into it.

[Author]

Messages