My rabbit BIT ME!

Hi, I have a one year old rabbit and I have had her ever since she was six weeks. She is a outdoor rabbit a d yesterday I went out to get her out of her play pen and put her in her hutch, she always growls but she Never bites. But yesterday was different she bit me a d luckily did not go deep. What should I do about biting?

You should had started to work with her when she only growled. It’s she spayed or do she feel cornered when you are going to get her.

It can also be territorial but don’t know how she acts, if it’s only in the cage or it happens outside the cage. If it’s the same outside the cage it means she’s scared and you need to work on your bond with her

Hermelin said:

You should had started to work with her when she only growled. It’s she spayed or do she feel cornered when you are going to get her.

It can also be territorial but don’t know how she acts, if it’s only in the cage or it happens outside the cage. If it’s the same outside the cage it means she’s scared and you need to work on your bond with her

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Yes she is territorial but she is always fine unless I go to pick her up, which is what I was doing thank you for you help I appreciate it

Maybe try to use a travel cage or make her more comfortable with being picked up. Can you pet her in the cage without trouble, then I wouldn’t say she’s territorial. Which means you can teach her to not bite and growl towards you [emoji5]

I would ignore the biting. I mean, it's you doing something she doesn't like (picking up/relocating), she should not learn that biting gets her what she wants, that is, putting you in your place. Instead I would give her a treat (I use their pellets as treats, they don't get much of those, they go bonkers for those) right after putting her in the hutch, putting her face right to the bowl when you put her down, so she has something better to do than being angry.

Some of mine that hate being touched nip when I hold them too long, or bite furiously when I need to force feed them or cut something out of their fur or such, some sweaters and a winter jacket take the brunt of the onslaught.

Is there any way to connect the play pen with the hutch? I use ramps to let them in in and out, you could use low fencing, cardboard tubes or wooden tunnels for a path from the hutch to the pen. I use their pellets as treats to train them to go where I want them, most listen to commands though (although not instantly, it can take some 5 minutes to make up their minds)

I used to have a female bunny and she always growled, ran around the cage to avoid getting picked up, and she always threw a fit anytime I tried handling her, picking her up.

I then got a male bunny (the tan bunny in my avatar) and he is way more chill. So chill that he lets me hold him like a baby (like belly up, backside down so his feet point up).

Then unfortunately, the female died randomly one day so I had to go find a new bunny. And I eventually got a male brown Netherland Dwarf from a family I met at the beach.

The male netherland dwarf, who looks exactly like the female bunny, is way more chill than she was. The worst he may do is nip if he feels your hand is in the way, or is becoming fiesty. But he never bites to make anyone bleed. Both my male bunnies are very good with kids, and don't mind being pet by me or anyone else. I feel male bunnies tend to be more mellow than the females. The females can be mean and moody, and bite. There must be a reason the english language developed the word bitch, female dog, to describe displeasure.

Rabbit socializers at the shelter frequently encountered territorial female buns. And Males, un/spayed or neutered. Shelters have barking predators and lots of traffic, and strangers peering in to observe. or poke fingers at them in between the slats, which is Never a smart move.

Develop trust with your bun, and make sure your hands don't have odors or scents on them that cause defensive actions. My hand still has a scar from a neutered bun, kept on the lowest cubicle at the shelter near the floor, who was acting defensively to any hand that reached in... (he came home with me as a foster bun, and stayed. Later bonded to a spayed female, and became a persistent groomer). At the shelter we heard about the teeth-reacting * scared * buns who got euthanized because an unsavvy rabbit person got nipped. Unsavvy = someone who doesn't understand bunny language.

Our 10 to 12 y.o. spayed females would react with incisor teeth when my hands smelled like shower gel or perfume scents!

Remember that lagomorphs have limited field of vision in front of their faces, noses. Rabbits constantly need to be on guard for perceived danger or threats. Noises heard throughout the night, or day, etc.

For the reactive nippers in our home who need meds or toe nail trims, or trust-cuddle sessions, our Trust-Building Plan was always a quick scoop to the chest with reassuring comfort words and vibes and Plenty of Kisses to ears and forehead.

Amy Sedaris and Mary E. Cotter have a video about approaching a bun to alleviate reactive defenses.

Oh my gosh, we have a large harlequin male (neutered at appropriate age) who chomps down hard if your hands have scents on them. And Lord forbid, do not have Scent Gland aroma from another bun because he will lacerate your skin in a flash and you'll be bleeding. He's lived in our home for 3+ years now.

Our first adopted bun SnowB chomped on my ankle when I ret'd from the shelter and had strange smells on my shoes. Defensive reaction.

I hope trust-building will help.

Aggression in Rabbits video YouTube by 101 Rabbits - published Nov. 1st, 2016

-- good point about health matter/sickness. Rabbits aren't born aggressive. Learn Rabbit Language.

How To Make a Rabbit Less Aggressive - vid on Howcast - Pet Rabbits. Published Dec. 1, 2013. Mary E. Cotter is a great teacher.