my rabbit was a bit nippy today? will he turn vicious?? D:

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

so today my rabbit was out of his cage as usual and he was hopping around my room like normal but today he actually hopped ON me! like on my lap (which has never happened before so i was sort of excited lol)

but after that he got off and started to bite my jacket? i never wear jackets in the house so maybe he didnt know what it was? he wouldnt stop nipping my jacket though. at first i thought it was because he wanted me to move so i did but he kept on trying to nip my jacket? but when i changed into my normal lounging clothes (like…4 hours later lol. i was a bit busy today) he didnt nip me or my clothes. however my mom came in my room with me to look at my rabbit because she likes him and doesnt spend too much time with him and he was smelling her a lot (normal) and he didnt nip her jacket (she always wears jackets) but instead he started to dig in her sweat pants? for a few seconds but then my mom was a bit… shocked and moved when he did that.

im scared that his behavior will get worse? the only reason why im saying this is because: around a month ago i wanted to adopt this dutch rabbit and before he got neutered i emailed them asking if he would be a good first time rabbit and they said yes and was sweet as can be and didnt bite or nip or anything. so i was interested in him (hence my username lol…) but i didnt adopt him.. and then on monday night like.. 2 weeks ago i met 2 lop eared rabbits and when i mentioned that i was interested in one of the lops (the rabbit i have now) and patch (the dutch) .the adoption counselor/ foster mom immediately told me that patch has begun to nip and that same day he actually bit a few of the employees!! (he was staying in a petco) so they took him out of petco… and after he got neutered he was placed in a pet shop with open top cages so people can reach in the cages and pet the animal as they please and so i visited patch (before i met with the adoption counselor-like a month before) i held him and petted him and everything and i asked the employee about his temperment and she said that he was nice but the only complaint about him was that he nips on peoples clothing; soon after he was transfered to a petco and when i visited him againnn the employee there also said that he likes to nip on peoples clothing.

 

so this all started with nipping on peoples clothing! im scared, what if my rabbit is like patch and takes a turn for the worst? i adopted mainly because i wanted a nice rabbit. i adopted from a rescue btw so he is already fixed. he got fixed 2 weeks ago on a tuesday. i dont know what to do? also today he was also nudging my hand as i was trying to get something in his cage, it almost looked liked he was trying to bite me, but i took my hand away just in case. eh im so worried!!! D: but whenever he is out of his cage and i have to wash my hands or something and i leave him unattended for a few seconds in my room and i come back in he will run at me and sniff my feet and i’ll pet him and he’ll let me. he also doesnt have a problem with coming out from under my bed or anything. so i guess that this is good…? but im really worried about the nipping and digging in peoples clothing! PS. i was doing NOTHING that could have annoyed him. i was simply on the floor on my laptop. i even moved because i thought he wanted me to move and he still nipped my jacket??

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Here’s a GREAT resource- http://www.rabbit.org/faq/faq.txt

Use the Find function for digging and Nipping, I believe section 7.5 tells you all about nipping.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

thanks, i checked it out! but i still dont know whether my rabbit will turn on me or what i should do /:

[LoveChaCha]

My Chacha bun loves to nip and chew on my clothing. I believe that she likes to chew on things that smell like the slave.

Rabbits like to dig and play in things. I would possibly get him a blanket? Just make sure he doesn’t eat it. My Chacha loves to dig and dig in my blankets. She specially loves it when it smells like me o_O

[Sam and Lady's Human]

It says what to do in that FAQ link

[BinkyBunny]

Don’t worry DBFtw — This is very common behavior. And so there is no guarantee another rabbit wouldn’t be exactly the same way. He sounds like a curious and spirited bunny. Younger ones can also be much more high energy too, so he’s getting to know you and you are getting to know him. These behaviors do not mean he’s being aggressive or mean. It can be anything from being territorial to just plain simple playful bunny behavior (when he chews on clothing, he can accidentally nip/pinch you, but it may not be intentional).

If he does nip at your Jacket, it might have a scent on it that he likes or is trying to actually move out of the way. The digging at a your lap (your mom’s anyway) is also common. When that happens, you can just gently move him off, and pet him elsewhere. Reward him with affection when he’s calm. If you have to redirect him and or gently scoot him off your lap then at that point that is fine. I would have at first thought he was digging at laps and nipping on clothing to get down, but you said he got up there by himself — his own free will and could down??? Just confirming.

You an also let out a quick high pitched squeal — In rabbit language that means, “OUCH!” and that may make him stop or be more gentle.

Also, some bunnies just like to dig on cloth — it’s play for them, but when they go to pick up the cloth with their teeth, they can accidentally nip your skin. I had one bunny who I could just give a throw blanket to, and he would just dig, and push, and rearrange, (with his paws and his teeth). He would just exhaust himself doing it. And Jack loved to do that even in his older days with a bunch of paper towels. It’s fun for them.

So if you find out that it is just his way to play and have fun, then you’ll need to redirect his energies to be playful with other things — like a throw blanket that you don’t mind getting destroyed — it’s okay if he chews it as long as he leaves the little pieces behind and doesn’t eat it. I also think that in this case, if he accidentally nips you by chewing on your clothing then the moment he starts chew on your clothing, do the high squeal thing…and see if that makes him stop. You may have to repeat it and/or gently get him off your lap and redirect elsewhere.

So read about why rabbits nip and dig under these circumstances and you may find out what your bunny is trying to communicate to you, and from there you can figure out the best training solution. The link that S&L’sHuman gave you was good — go to section 7.7 as that a discusses inappropriate nipping and what to do about that as well.

Edited to add: Oops, I took so long writing this post, that I didn’t see the one that LoveChaCha and S&LHumans posted.   Ditto!

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

ahh thanks! he digged on my foot earlier. that sounds really weird and i dont even know if that makes sense lol. i did a high pitched “squeal” and he stopped and just hopped away. and hopefully its just play! i dont mind if it is but i dont want him to bite me or be aggressive. i’ll try getting a blanket or two and see if he likes that, although he likes to pee on soft things (had to learn it the hard way… mutliple times… lol)

and yes BB i was on the floor and then he climbed onto my lap and started nipping at my jacket and same with my mom he just started digging at her leg.. i havent been able to pick him up because he TOTALLY freaks out and i think that itll ruin our bond.. which is sort of eh… its getting there though! hopefully.. how do i know if hes playing or actually… annoyed? after i squealed (for less than 2 seconds) he got up right away acting very attentive and then just hopped away as if nothing has happened. also when he is sort of tired and relaxing i would go up to him and pet him and he would sort of scrunch up and lower his head and half close his eyes, at this point i would rub his face / the part between his eyes with my nose and he would just sit there until i left lol

[Roberta]

Is it possible you have touched something he finds attractive that has only transferred to a few items. A while ago Pepper suddenly went loopy and wanted out of the pen and into the rubbish box I was using. She made it, a flying leap over the top and right into the waste box.
All for the sake of an apple core I had tossed in there without thinking. Needless to say she didn’t get to keep the apple core but she now gets weekly treats of fresh apple slices.

[Elrohwen]

Digging and nipping clothing is *extremely* common. Rabbits just like fabric for some reason and don’t realize that people are under the clothes they’re nipping at. I make a high pitched yelp when Hannah bites my clothes and over time she’s done it less and less (she still digs sometimes, but I can’t remember the last time she used her teeth).

Rabbits don’t have hands so they use their mouths to experiment and check things out. A rabbit that really has a biting problem will just come up and chomp you hard right on the skin (often when you’re trying to get into their space). The different between a rabbit like that and one who nips at your clothes is night and day.

If he’s annoyed – you’ll know. He’ll thump, he’ll run away from you, he’ll turn his back to you, he’ll box at you with his front paws, etc. A bunny that lowers his head and closes his eyes when you pet him is *not* annoyed – he’s happy. When you squeal and he stops doing what he was doing, that’s a good thing. You don’t want to squeal and have him freak out and hide – you just want him to stop digging on your clothes.

Just remember that your bunny is in no way being mean or aggressive. In fact, I don’t think there is such thing as a “mean” bunny – the ones who are aggressive generally do it out of fear. Your rabbit is obviously not afraid of you or your home so he doesn’t feel any need to be aggressive. His digging and nipping are nothing more than a typical bunny thing and you just need to show him not to do these behaviors to you and to redirect towards a blanket or something.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

thanks so much, this made me feel a lot better! i’ll try giving him an old piece of cloth or towel.

[RabbitPam]

Bunnies also get better control over their mouths as they get older, so a young one doesn’t know his strength when he nips but he learns within a year. They use their mouths like another hand for communicating, so often they will just set their teeth and it will not be near enough to breaking skin or tearing clothes, but will get your attention – which is their point. If they could use a paw to tap you on the shoulder they would, so it’s kind of like that sometimes.

He will learn what your limits are as you teach him. Just be prepared that when he is a teenager for a few months he will seem much more aggressive until he is neutered. Then a month later he will calm down again.

[Rei]

Rabbits are very curious. It could be your bun just happened to be interested in that particular piece of clothing. I don’t think at this point there is anything to worry about. My bun nudges my hands and legs all the time. At first I thought she might bite, so I jerked away, which only scared her, so I’ve learned to just let her nudge me, and she has never bitten me when she nudges me! If I’m laying on the floor she likes to chew on my hair lol

The more you spend time with your bun the more you will be used to their body language. As far as adopting a “nice” rabbit, there aren’t any specifics breeds that are nicer than others. Everything depends on how much time you are willing to spend and work with your rabbit. Now some bunnies (not specifically breeds) have a less gentle personality than others, but the breed is not neccessarily the deciding factor in the temperment of a bun. Your bunny is a breed all his/her own

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

oh i see pam, yeah that is understandable. i dont mind nips but full on bites worry me. and he is already neutered (: but he just got neutered around 2 weeks ago so his hormones are probably still there.

and rei, yeah the first time he nudged me/ sniffed me i was always afraid that he would bite me or something so i jerked away too but that scared him more lol. usually he only nudges me if im in his way and ha yeah, i agree (:

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Nipping and biting in bunny-language is as different as me scolding you vs punching you in the face. And even then different nips mean different things in context.

[Elrohwen]

Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 01/23/2012 01:23 PM
Nipping and biting in bunny-language is as different as me scolding you vs punching you in the face. And even then different nips mean different things in context.

LOL That’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen on BB in a while.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Posted By Elrohwen on 01/24/2012 05:52 AM

Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 01/23/2012 01:23 PM
Nipping and biting in bunny-language is as different as me scolding you vs punching you in the face. And even then different nips mean different things in context.

LOL That’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen on BB in a while.

Haha I laughed when I wrote it. Its true though! 

[Mr.Buck]

Whenever we’re holding buck, he’ll start nipping at us or our clothing whenever he has to use the bathroom. If we go put him in his cage or in the extra litter pan, he’ll go right away turn around and want to come back with us. He’s pretty smart. It’s cute how much they know to communicate.

[RabbitPam]

They definitely communicate, and it doesn’t mean the same things for different bunnies. Spockie used to let me know he needed his litter pan by wiggling his butt from side to side and getting restless. I did what you do, Mr. Buck. Got him to it pronto.

Sometimes I think of their mouths as a 5th hand for doing sign language.

[Author]

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