Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

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.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

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 How to get my bunny to l pet and hold him more without biting me!

Viewing 20 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Maggie
      Participant
      13 posts Send Private Message

        My 4 month old bunny used to like being held until one of my friends accidentally droped him one day. I am afraid that that incident made him scared. Is there anything i can do to make him less aggressive?


      • Deleted User
        Participant
        22064 posts Send Private Message

          Bunnies are naturally prey animals, so if someone switched on that instinct by dropping him, odds are it won’t go away, or at least any time soon. Most bunnies don’t enjoy being picked up anyways. As for the petting, you might have to rebuild that trust and just start by letting him come to you and sniff you again.


        • sarahthegemini
          Participant
          5584 posts Send Private Message

            Being scared of being held isn’t aggressive.

            Bunnies don’t generally like being held. You need to respect that.


          • Deleted User
            Participant
            22064 posts Send Private Message

              I agree, he is just scared. Even if he seems to “like” it, he probably doesn’t. It may teach him to not trust you.

              Also, did you make sure he doesn’t have any injuries after being dropped? If he’s actually being “aggressive” now, maybe he is in pain.


            • sarahthegemini
              Participant
              5584 posts Send Private Message

                Posted By BunNoob<3 on 7/24/2017 12:19 PM

                I agree, he is just scared. Even if he seems to “like” it, he probably doesn’t. It may teach him to not trust you.

                Also, did you make sure he doesn’t have any injuries after being dropped? If he’s actually being “aggressive” now, maybe he is in pain.

                Very good point! 


              • Maggie
                Participant
                13 posts Send Private Message

                  My bunny sometimes grinds his teeth when i put him down. Do you think it’s grinding from pain or happiness? Hugo acts normal and all happy binky but i just don’t know.


                • Deleted User
                  Participant
                  22064 posts Send Private Message

                    Is it a soft sound, more like a “munch” ? If so, that is tooth clicking, totally normal. It isn’t very loud and you shouldn’t be able to hear it unless you are close to the buns head, like on the ground petting them.

                    If it is a louder, truly grinding sound that you can hear from standing once you put him down, then I would say that is pain induced grinding.

                    If he wasn’t tolerating being picked up and had already been dropped, why are you picking him up again? They really don’t like that, I suggest you ONLY pick him up when necessary. If he is grinding his teeth from pain after you pick him up, that means he was injured from his fall when he was dropped. You picking him up can injure him further, you can even break his spine if he twists the wrong way and falls again, so please take our advice and stop picking him up.


                  • Maggie
                    Participant
                    13 posts Send Private Message

                      I dont think it is grinding deom pain because he grinds his teeth when finding something new. He hopps around a lot outside of the cage and seems to be in no pain. Hugo is getting better at being picked up and be coming more friendly with it. When he fell, he got right back up and continued to prance around. He seems to be doing fine. When i take him to be neutered, i have the vet check him out.


                    • Deleted User
                      Participant
                      22064 posts Send Private Message

                        Maggie, what I am saying is that it does not matter if he is “getting better at being picked up” ……….. you should not pick him up unless you have to. It is selfish to pick your rabbit up just because you want to. Every time you pick him up you are putting him at risk of being injured, and making him stressed. Did you know rabbits can literally be scared to death??? They can have heart attacks from stress. Your poor rabbit is probably terrified, imagine how you would feel if you were that small and being scooped up into the air. I can’t make you stop picking him up but I am telling you that it’s very selfish to cause him stress just because you want to hold him. I guess you don’t understand that there is absolutely no reason to hold them. That’s very unfair to your rabbit.


                      • Deleted User
                        Participant
                        22064 posts Send Private Message

                          Teeth grinding IS a sign of pain. He doesn’t appear to be in pain, but yes he does. Tooth grinding is one of thw biggest signs of pain and dislike. He probably does have some injury. Gentle tooth clicking is a happy sound, and it’s extremely soft. You wouldn’t be able to hear it. But if you do hear his teeth, that is grinding and that is a bad sign.


                        • sarahthegemini
                          Participant
                          5584 posts Send Private Message

                            Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 7/26/2017 7:56 PM

                            Teeth grinding IS a sign of pain. He doesn’t appear to be in pain, but yes he does. Tooth grinding is one of thw biggest signs of pain and dislike. He probably does have some injury. Gentle tooth clicking is a happy sound, and it’s extremely soft. You wouldn’t be able to hear it. But if you do hear his teeth, that is grinding and that is a bad sign.

                            Not necessarily. My bunnies grind their teeth loudly sometimes and exhibit no other signs of discomfort (they eat and poop well, run around, beg for treats etc) 

                            I agree with Bun Noob, stop picking him up. Stop picking him up and trying to assess whether he likes it. He’s made it clear he doesn’t. 


                          • Maggie
                            Participant
                            13 posts Send Private Message

                              Hugo does not seem to be in pain at all. If he was hurt, he would probably show it by not running around or exploring around. His tooth grinding you can hear but he does not seem in pain at all.


                            • Maggie
                              Participant
                              13 posts Send Private Message

                                Also when i do pick him up now, he doesn’t move, he snuggles up into my arm and is quite content. Its not stressful for him.


                              • sarahthegemini
                                Participant
                                5584 posts Send Private Message

                                  Posted By Maggie on 7/27/2017 11:49 AM

                                  Also when i do pick him up now, he doesn’t move, he snuggles up into my arm and is quite content. Its not stressful for him.

                                  And you’re still insisting on picking him up because…? 


                                • Deleted User
                                  Participant
                                  22064 posts Send Private Message

                                    rabbits will try to disguise their discomfort, it’s a mechanism they use so that predators don’t try to pick them off because they appear weak. Your rabbit could still be hurt. But since you don’t seem to take suggestions and are set on justifying everything and ignoring what is said, I have no further suggestions. I hope, for your rabbit’s sake, that he is not hurt. Good luck


                                  • Deleted User
                                    Participant
                                    22064 posts Send Private Message

                                      SARAH, EXACTLY WHAT IM SAYING!!! so frustrating


                                    • Maggie
                                      Participant
                                      13 posts Send Private Message

                                        NOT ALL BUNNIES ARE THE SAME. i bet if he went to vet he would be fine.


                                      • Deleted User
                                        Participant
                                        22064 posts Send Private Message

                                          You’re right, not all bunnies are the same… But your original post was that he was biting you and being aggressive when you picked him up. A clear indication that he doesn’t want to be picked up. But you don’t care. End of story.


                                        • Wick & Fable
                                          Moderator
                                          5771 posts Send Private Message

                                            Tensions can get high when rabbit owners think about how other owners are treating their rabbits, and through online forums, it’s really impossible to get the full story and tell it 100% accurately, without prompting misunderstandings.

                                            For all rabbits, biting and being aggressive (lunging, growling, etc.) is a sign that something is bothering a rabbit. If these are the signs your rabbit is showing when you go to pick him up, he doesn’t want to be picked up. At this point, it would be good for your relationship with him to not proceed any further. Petting while he’s on the ground is still very enjoyable and it’s something he would enjoy more. If you’re in a scenario when you do need to pick him up (move him away from something dangerous, transport him somewhere), it is possible that once he’s in your arms, he stops biting and being aggressive. This works to your rabbit’s advantage because if he tries to bite or get out, he’d fall and hurt himself (which he’s learned from the incident you told us about). It’s hard to make the call since we are not witnessing it, but it is a possibility that being still/cuddling against your arm are signs of fear (trying to rub up against something secure, like hugging a teddy bear or curling with a blanket), especially since your rabbit knows what happens when the arms disappear (dropped). Your rabbit’s eyes may get big, which is a sign of feeling alarmed/afraid, rather than relaxed.

                                            Teeth grinding vs. chattering is something that, via forum posts, is difficult to differentiate at times. Some rabbit’s chattering of content are loud, but we say loud chattering = grinding, so it can be very confusing. Also, when you align that with the fact that you say he’s running around and exploring, it is difficult to believe that your rabbit is grinding in pain, rather than content. I will say that Wick recently had his teeth grinded down because they were irritating his cheeks. The first time this happened for him at 6mo, he did not run around very much and did not really explore. This is how I knew something was wrong. This time around however, he was still exploring and running around as usual, but something felt off so I went to the vet anyways to check, and it was discovered his teeth were back to bringing him some pain.

                                            Rabbits are silent communicators, so I think an effective technique and mindset for rabbit owners is to first 1) interpret the new/particular behavior/pattern the way you would instinctively, knowing your rabbit’s personality (“He’s doing that because he’s happy, excited, etc..”), but then also 2) look at it from an outside perspective and think if this behavior/pattern could potentially mean something else (“He could actually be doing that because he’s in pain, hungry, frustrated…”).

                                            I don’t think a rabbit owner truly knows their rabbit’s full personality and normal behavior until having them for at least 6mo. I say this because I thought I knew Wick really well when I had him for 3mo, but now at the 9mo mark, I read a lot of his behaviors and attitudes differently, because after many consultations with my vet and these forums, I learned to correctly interpret how Wick expresses himself.

                                            Since there is this much back and forth, I would recommend seeing your vet. If your vet confirms your rabbit is feeling fine following a thorough, comprehensive exam, then you can count this as an instance where the sound you’re hearing is actually teeth chattering, rather than grinding. If your vet expresses concern over something health-wise, you can count this as an instance where the sound and behaviors you observed may have actually been discomfort/pain. Only after getting a vet to evaluate multiple “instances” can we rabbit owners get a definitive idea as to how each of our unique rabbits communicate. As you said, every rabbit is different, and the large majority of us are not vets. As long as your vet is experienced with rabbits, do not hesitate to have him/her confirm what you believe your rabbit is communicating to you— but remember, don’t be surprised, and don’t feel bad if you find out you were misinterpreting a sign; it’s part of the learning process with your rabbit.

                                            The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                                          • DanaNM
                                            Moderator
                                            8901 posts Send Private Message

                                              Hi there, 

                                              It may seem as though there is no way to interact with your bunny other than holding it, especially if it is normally in a cage. When I was young, I had a rabbit in a hutch outside and that was how it was (I feel terrible about this now), but at the time I thought that was just the way things were done. Eventually that rabbit learned to fear me, and would attack me when I reached into the cage at all. I know now that this was all my fault, and I feel horrible about it still. 

                                              If you can earn your rabbit’s trust on its terms, you will have a much more fulfilling relationship long term. Especially as your rabbit matures, it will become even more afraid of being held. I do agree that you should have a check up with your vet, just to be sure. Rabbits hide their symptoms very well, and worst case, you had a check up and have a relationship with a vet in case anything else happens. 

                                              Here are some tips for earning your rabbit’s trust and developing a strong bond with your bunny, so that it comes up to you and snuggles on it’s own and even asks for pets. 

                                              – first, and very importantly, be sure that your bun can come out of it’s cage/hutch/pen/condo on it’s own. The pen/condo/hutch should be your bun’s “safe space”. If your bun’s home is elevated, you can use a ramp or steps to allow it to come and go as it pleases. 

                                              – Once your bun decides to come out to explore, play “hard to get”. ignore them. Lay on the ground while she is out, read a book, etc. If she comes up to you, don’t try to pet her (yet). Be patient and calm around your bunny. Respect if they want to be left alone. 

                                              – Hand feeding! You can feed her veggies and pellets by hand. Talk to her calmly so she associates your voice with good things. 

                                              – When she has become comfortable enough with you that she will lay down or relax near you on the ground, you can “ask” her if you can pet her, by placing your hand on the ground in front of her, so your pinky is on the ground and the back of your hand is facing her. If she puts her head down, she wants you to pet her head! If she doesn’t then don’t force it. Stick to petting only her head and ears until she gets really relaxed with you. 

                                              If you listen to the advice given here, and only pick her up when medically necessary (such as for nail trims or vet visits), you will be rewarded by a very trusting relationship and strong bond with you bunny. My buns come up and snuggle up to me on the ground, and shove their heads under my hand for me to pet them. 

                                              . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  


                                            • Deleted User
                                              Participant
                                              22064 posts Send Private Message

                                                It’s seems your mistakenly taking your bunnies stillness as a sign of liking being picked up. The fact of the matter is they do not enjoy this. Regardless of how still they are. I don’t understand why people are so dead set on having these animals that they can pick up and cuddle all the time. They are individuals with their own preferences and they should not be forced into things just because we think we know better and think they like it. This past week I took my children to a farm and you see them everywhere and there is always a section where children are allowed to sit and hold rabbits. I point blank do not want my children engaging in this because I know they don’t like to be held and picked up. I watched as these two bunnies were passed to small children and although they sat still and did not attempt to get down or struggle, as soon as they were put back onto their area you could see their poor little hearts pounding. Which is obviously a clear sign of distress. And yes the bunnies did not run away when someone else tried to pick them up, but again this isn’t a sign they want to be picked up either. It’s a case of tolerating it because it’s probably all they know and they don’t know what the alternative is. They are programmed to do this, it does not mean they like it. And it certainly isn’t a very good basis for forming a positive relationship with your rabbit. The choice is yours to decide whether you want a forced and mediocre relationship with your rabbit or something that is more meaningful, which in the end makes your rabbit happier and not just you.

                                            Viewing 20 reply threads
                                            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                            Forum BEHAVIOR How to get my bunny to l pet and hold him more without biting me!