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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Nipping & introduction

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    • Heather
      Participant
      1 posts Send Private Message

        Hello, I am new to the bunny world, got my first ever bun 2 weeks ago, he is a 5 year old male lop named Oreo. His previous family never neutered him, however after his recent behaviors with me, he is getting neutered next week.

        Since he has now gotten used to me, I believe he is trying to show his dominance. He will not stop humping me and nipping at me. It’s not aggressive. Whenever i walk past his cage, he basically gets really “excited” right away. When I do let him out of the cage, he will try to hump if I’m standing. If I go over to the couch, he will immediately jump on my lap, continuously smell and nip and my arms or clothing. I’ve searched various scolding methods and have tried them all like tapping the nose, letting a high pitched squeal, holding down the head, clapping, nothing works. Plus I think he’s a bit hard of hearing. None of my communication methods have worked and it’s becoming frustrated and starting to hurt. He also will basically dig into my arm as well. I guess it’s a dominance thing, but how else can I stop this behavior? I’m hoping getting him neutered will help this behavior, but what if it doesn’t? What other methods can I try?

        Even though so far he’s caused me some frustration, I do love him and am excited for my life with him!


      • tobyluv
        Participant
        3310 posts Send Private Message

          You probably will not be able to stop any of his humping and nipping until he is neutered. And don’t expect that behavior to stop immediately after the neuter, since it takes a month for the hormones to be expelled from his body. Part of his behavior is dominance and part is due to sexual frustration.

          Welcome to Binky Bunny!


        • Azerane
          Moderator
          4688 posts Send Private Message

            Hello there, in the mean time before you can get him neutered, you could give him a stuffed toy that he can let some of his excitement out on. It’s not uncommon for unnuetered males to exert their energies on a stuffed toy friend which may take some of the frustration away from you.


          • Dee
            Participant
            704 posts Send Private Message

              The good news is that once his hormones clear out, he should be much calmer. My first bunny was an 2-4 year old (?) unneutered male who had been running loose outside. He displayed all of the behaviors you mentioned, plus some impressive, sprinkler-like spraying- he would spin while spraying, therefore getting anyone/anything nearby. Cute.

              Once he was neutered, all those behaviors vanished within about 6 weeks. The last to go was humping, since we adopted a wife for him only 2 weeks after his neuter which probably kicked up his remaining hormones!

              I commend you on educating yourself and doing the best thing for your rabbit’s health and well-being. Enjoy your new bunny- they are awesome companions!

              Oh yeah- he may not be hard of hearing! Rabbits are exceptionally good at ignoring sounds they would rather not hear, like “No!”. If he can’t hear a treat bag open, then he probably is hard of hearing. In that case, he might startle a bit more easily when approached from behind. I had a completely deaf cat and learned to communicate a lot through vibrations- a stomp from me meant “Stop.” Not that cats and rabbits are much alike, of course!

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          Forum BEHAVIOR Nipping & introduction