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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.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Food aggression – bunny nipped

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    • Boston's Mama
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        Boston nipped my OH last night when putting his pellets bowl in for him.
        He’s always been very good eager – flipping around his cage as soon as he hears the bag being opened.
        But the biting yesterday took it to another level – any tips on solving this ?


      • Gina.Jenny
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          Gina and Jenny have always been highly food aggressive, I scatter the pellets all over the floor instead of using a bowl


        • JosipTheBunny
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            One of my buns is also overly excited when he smells food. We get at least a few nips a day especially if you hand feed him or train tricks with raisins

            So far I haven’t found anything that would help with this behaviour. But I wouldn’t call it aggression… I think it is overexcitement.


          • sarahthegemini
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              Did he nip or actually bite?


            • ThorBunny
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                Ah yes, the pellet crazies. Thor gets so nuts around pellet time that she will run frantic figure 8s around my legs, grunting and huffing the whole time. A few months ago she got it in her head that she could also run lunging at me and bite my ankles to speed up the process

                I feed pellets all in her treat ball, and started preparing her breakfast behind a locked baby gate to protect myself from the vicious brute, lol. After a few weeks she stopped doing the grunt and lunge. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing?


              • Boston's Mama
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                  He’s on his cage for pellet time- he can hear the bag being opened about 5 metres away and goes crazy in his cage. It’s a top opening cage so we open the top then place his bowl in same place every time , he has gone for our hands during this before but never bitten… until yesterday


                • Mikey
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                    Doesnt sound as much like food aggression. It sounds more like hes overly excited and trying to munch on anything that could be food as youre putting the bowl down. I also suggest scattering the pellets around the cage instead of using a bowl.


                  • Boston's Mama
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                      I can’t scatter as it sends him more crazy ( had to remove treat ball too because of this ) since he can’t see well he really struggles with it not being in same place at same time , if it’s not easier to spot for him then he gets worked up and teased by smelling it , hearing the bag , but it not being in same place

                      I agree it could be over excitement , it was a bite not a nip though – left marks and damage to fingernail


                    • Mikey
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                        Over excitement would be more of a bite as hes chomping because he thinks youre food/hoping to get a chomp of food as youre putting his bowl in. Typically with scattering, you want them to struggle with it a bit. It slows their eating and teaches them to calm down when it comes to food time.

                        The only other thing I can think of trying is getting a plastic container to put the pellets in, and to put them in another room. This way he cant see or hear pellet time. Remove him from the cage before you put the pellet bowl in, then add him back afterwards. This could be harder, though, if your cage only opens from the top.


                      • Boston's Mama
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                          Oh it opens from front too into a pen
                          But we are changing his area soon to be a huge pen 2meters x 2.5meters roughly so won’t have a cage at all which will then mean I can’t seperate him to put pellets in though … I think your right to do it in another room .. only prob I’ll have then is he knows when it’s pellet time and starts running around and puss n boot posing about 5 mins before – so he will still anticipate it’s what is coming


                        • Q8bunny
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                            Um… what’s an OH?


                          • Boston's Mama
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                              Other half


                            • Q8bunny
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                                Aah… is that internet code? I always see abbreviations and never know what they mean. lol

                                Did you change your username again, or is my ipad not refreshing or something?!


                              • Boston's Mama
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                                  Yeah I just saw it somewhere and it stuck!

                                  Ive pmd you about the rest


                                • I have sweet furry bunz <3
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                                    Completely off topic, this made me laugh so much harder then it should have.


                                  • joea64
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                                      As I noted elsewhere, Panda got a bit uppity last evening about the banana treats I was handing out to her and Fernando and got a bit greedy, so I had to lay down the law when she started to get too demanding and nipped at me. The two buns also got competitive about some timothy pellets that got scattered on the rug. What’s funny is that they’re a lot better behaved when the food is in the bowls; they’re much more cooperative about taking their turns at the bowl to get their breakfast and supper, from what I observe.


                                    • I have sweet furry bunz <3
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                                        Posted By I have sweet furry bunz <3 on 8/21/2017 10:27 PM

                                        Completely off topic, this made me laugh so much harder then it should have.

                                        Sorry i meant the question about what is OH, i didnt know either so i wondered.

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                                    Forum BEHAVIOR Food aggression – bunny nipped