Discouraging biting?

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BlackRabbits

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My little Rupert has discovered a new habit. He's 10 weeks old and lives in my hallway which I've converted to a pen with a tarp on the floor/walls and baby gates. I pass through the hallway whenever I have to get to the bathroom and bedroom.

He's been shy and reluctant to let me touch him, he's only been here for a week. When I walk past him I usually go slow and talk to him, and sometimes he comes and sniffs my bare feet (I wear flipflops in the house). If he's not too skittish I put my hand down to him and let him sniff. Yesterday he started doing more than just sniff. He now mouths and puts his teeth on my feet or hands. He's gentle about it, but I'm concerned it will become a habit and he might start biting harder. He's a big rabbit (Giant Chinchilla) so I'm guessing he could do a lot of damage if he wanted to.

I know it's a mistake for me to jerk my hand or foot away, it could encourage him to bite harder. So, what's the best way to gently discourage him from mouthing my hands or feet? Should I put something bitter tasting on my feet?

He's not neutered yet, could this be the beginnings of hormonal behavior (aggression)? Or is it just like a baby putting things in their mouth?
 
I dont know about it being a mistake to jerk your hand or foot away. Thats what I would be doing with a loud yelp. Let him know that hurts. Same thing for puppys.

I worked at a ferret shelter for a year, and a lot of them were given up because of their biting. With ferrets, if you yank your body part away, they see it as a game of "catch" and next time they'll hold on and not let go. Puppies of certain breeds like terriers also sometimes react this way. But then again, they are predators, and rabbits are prey. I'll try yanking back and yelping, I just hope it doesn't scare him and make him even more reluctant to interact with me.
 
It's hard to tell without seeing it... But rabbits don't bite because they are teething or to play, like puppies do. Your rabbit might just be weird but generally, they do it because they don't like what you are doing or because they feel you are trespassing on their territory. I had a rabbit that would bite when you touched his tail - he hated it so it was just a notice to kindly remove your hands of his tail right now...
So yes, it might be the first signs of the joys of hormones. If that's the case, you can yelp, take your hand away quicky, say 'no' or do whatever you want... in my experience, it won't make a difference. All you can do is not put your hands in front of your rabbit and wear shoes when you are on your rabbit's turf until your rabbit is neutered (most vets do it around 4 months), so that he doesn't make an habit of biting. Because yes, rabbit teeth are razor sharp and can draw blood pretty easily.
 
I worked at a ferret shelter for a year, and a lot of them were given up because of their biting. With ferrets, if you yank your body part away, they see it as a game of "catch" and next time they'll hold on and not let go. Puppies of certain breeds like terriers also sometimes react this way. But then again, they are predators, and rabbits are prey. I'll try yanking back and yelping, I just hope it doesn't scare him and make him even more reluctant to interact with me.

It doesn't matter if the dog is a predatory animal or not. Its how you use your body language. If you take your hand away and sound like a squeaky toy then flail around trying to get away because you're upset the dog is jumping on you....
If a puppy or rabbit is mouthing you, pull your body part away fast, yell OW! then stand stiff like a tree. You don't want to look fun. You don't want to touch them and accidently reward them with your touch. You are alpha and you are in charge, and you need to let that animal know they have hurt you and what they are doing is not okay. Even a gently nibble, nip it in the butt now before it does turn into biting.
 

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