Behavioral problem with bonded pair: nail biting!!

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RumpledFae

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Joined
Aug 19, 2019
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Location
South Bend, IN
Hi rabbit lovers!

My name is Laura and I just joined this site. I have two bunnies: a 2.5 years old female lion head mix who has been with me for little over two years, and an approximately 3.5 years old male Dutch bunny who I adopted two almost three months ago. The two of them have bonded beautifully, and they seem to truly love each other. They're always together causing mischief around the house (picture included).



Nonetheless, I have noticed that at night (or whenever I am not around), Missy (the female bunny) seems to be chewing on Bucky's (the male bunny) nails... It's not extreme enough like some other rabbits I have heard about who completely chew off their nails, but enough that sometimes there's a bit of blood. Only once I found actual fresh blood, now it all seems old (it's very dry). I have seen Missy nibbling at his paws when she wants Bucky to move from where he is, but not that hard that she draws blood at the moment, and I always reprimand her. But something else must be going on when I'm not paying attention to them.

Does anyone know what might be causing this behavior? Anyone has had similar experiences? What can I do? I took Bucky to the vet recently, but at the time the vet told me it was probably just his nails that were dry and frail (only one nail was chipped with a bit of dried blood at the time). They don't fight ever, and Bucky doesn't seem to mind... but I'm really concerned, nonetheless.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 
Do you notice any thinning fur or crusty skin on the paws or around the nails that might be attracting her attention to them?
 
Do you notice any thinning fur or crusty skin on the paws or around the nails that might be attracting her attention to them?

There doesn't seem to me anything in his skin or fur. It looks healthy, except for the tips which Missy has bitten.
 
Hi Laura,

My name is Ana. If you don’t mind wanted to asked if your bunny stop their nail biting behaviour or has been any improvements?

I have 2 happy bonded bunnies for almost 2 years. Last week I started noticing the same issue with nail bitting behaviour.
The younger one looks for his brother toe nails and starts chewing on them.
I have several chewing toys around. I tried to distract him with other toy to change this random behaviour and not having much explanation of the cause our luck.

If you don’t mind sharing any advice or updates ??

They have been happy together with not issues. They eat a lots of hay with a healthy balance diet with pellet and veggies. None of them have any health problems. Both bunnies are free roam and not stress. The younger one binkies every night, not signs of stress or unhappiness.

Thanks in advance,
 

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