We Have A Nibbler!!

[Bunjamin's Pop]

Hi There!

I have a holland lop named Bunjamin. He is about 4 months old and is great. He is adorable, has lots of energy, and is already litterbox trained! (mostly)

I have two problems that I need some advice on.

1) When sitting with him on the ground in his play area and/or holding him he will nibble ferociously at my clothing. It is not all the time since he likes to explore and sniff and play mostly but it usually unpredictable and will quickly put a hole in my sweatshirt. It doesn’t seem malicious, nor does it seem he is upset when he does so. It just seems random, even playful. However, I can see nibbling that hard on another bunny, so why would he do it to my sleeve? How can I discourage this behavior?

2) As I mentioned, he is litterbox trained. 100% of his urine and 85% of his poop ends up in his corner  by safesaver” id=”_GPLITA_1″ href=”https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/127788/Default.aspx#” in_rurl=”http://i.txtsrving.info/click?v=VVM6MjgxMTA6MTg6bGl0dGVyIGJveDo3YjZkZWUwZDdlNjAwZjhhMDU5MGI1NDRjNzQ1ODYwNjp6LTE0OTktMzM5NDU3Ond3dy5iaW5reWJ1bm55LmNvbTowOjA6YTkxYzU5YzU5ODRjNDM1MmE3MzQwMzI5Y2U4ZTQ5ZWI” style=”text-decoration: underline; outline-width: 0px;”>litter box in his hutch. However, when holding him he seems to suddenly become a poop pez dispenser! Often he will urinate as well! This happens without warning (as far as I can tell) he is running around your lap, sniffing, kissing, and then BAM! we lap….

He never urinates when running around on the floor and he poops very rarely.  why does he pee when I have him on the table or on my lap? He gives no indication of discomfort or nervousness, and seems comfortable and curious while being held. He also enjoys cuddling. So why pee all of the sudden?

Any insight or advice in this regard? Is he just young?

Thanks for your help.

Bunjamin’s Poppa

*NOTE* moved from House Rabbit Q&A Thread

[Stickerbunny]

Sounds kind of like hormonal behavior, he is reaching that age. He’s probably marking you as his. And nibbling can be part of play/bunny communication.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yup, those are hormonal behaviours. Are you planning on having him neutered? That will help calm down his “teenager hormones”.

[Bunjamin's Pop]

Yes, we do plan to get him neutered. I think I remember reading that getting it done at 8 months is suggested. Is this true?

In the meantime, I am not so much worried about the peeing. I just need to preemptively have a thicker towel when he is on my lap.

As for the nibbling, is there anyway to discourage this behavior. Would he nibble other bunnys like this? It would seem not?

[LittlePuffyTail]

Boys can be neutered as soon as their testicles drops, usually around 3-4 months of age.

When your bunny nibbles, you can try doing a high-pitched “yip”. Bunnies seem to recognize this as a sound of pain so that may discourage him.

[Author]

Messages