biting bunnies

[rabbitfarmer]

How do you handle kits that bite or nip at you. We have 3 or 4 kits that nip at your fingers when you hold them. It's not a painful nip at this point. But i'd like to stop the behavior if i could. Rabbits don't seem upset or scared when they do it. Right now i've just been saying no biting and removing them from my lap. But they keep coming back for more nips.

Thanks for any help. Oh don't know if it matters but the rabbits are 3 months old. And we're pretty positive are 3 does and 1 buck.

 

[majorv]

What kind of rabbits are they? I assume they're not nipping because they're hungry? I've never had a problem with that so I can't really help, sorry

 

[rabbitfarmer]

majorv wrote:

What kind of rabbits are they? I assume they're not nipping because they're hungry? I've never had a problem with that so I can't really help, sorry

They're a lionhead rex mix. No they get plenty of food. Pellets, greens, and unlimited hay

 

[LakeCondo]

I'd add a little yelp when saying no. If that doesn't work, also add a gentle but firm head-hold-down asap.

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

I agree with Orlena, and I might even put him/her back in her cage for a bunny time out.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: Keep in mind that you are supposed to "train" them, not the other way around. It's not a good thing when they learn that biting gets them what they want.

 

[rabbitfarmer]

LakeCondo wrote:

I'd add a little yelp when saying no. If that doesn't work, also add a gentle but firm head-hold-down asap.

Explain to me what you mean by head hold down. I usually just say "no biting". maybe an occasional Hey, in there.

 

[rabbitfarmer]

MyBabyHasPaws wrote:

I agree with Orlena, and I might even put him/her back in her cage for a bunny time out.

Yes as soon as they bite, I pick them up and put them back in the cage. However our bunnies share hutches (they're separated by sex)So I keep the door open to see if any of the other rabbits want to come out and visit. Unfortunately it seems like the nippers are also the ones that like to visit our laps the most LOL! 2 of my daughters and my husband has also gotten nipped. My husband however got nipped when he was trying to clip their nails though.

 

[Blue eyes]

rabbitfarmer wrote:

MyBabyHasPaws wrote:

I agree with Orlena, and I might even put him/her back in her cage for a bunny time out.

Yes as soon as they bite, I pick them up and put them back in the cage. However our bunnies share hutches (they're separated by sex)So I keep the door open to see if any of the other rabbits want to come out and visit. Unfortunately it seems like the nippers are also the ones that like to visit our laps the most LOL! 2 of my daughters and my husband has also gotten nipped. My husband however got nipped when he was trying to clip their nails though.

Hmmm.. this may be a philosophical difference here, but it seems to me that using the cage as a place of punishment is not the best idea. I think that their cage should be their sanctuary, their "safe-zone," and a place they like and are comfortable with. Using it as a punishment seems to be counterproductive.

The hold-head-down seems like a good idea.

 

[LakeCondo]

rabbitfarmer wrote:

LakeCondo wrote:

I'd add a little yelp when saying no. If that doesn't work, also add a gentle but firm head-hold-down asap.

Explain to me what you mean by head hold down. I usually just say "no biting". maybe an occasional Hey, in there.

It's like what a dominant rabbit does with a subordinate rabbit. Just place one hand on the head & lower it down a fraction of an inch, then release. They understand rabbit sign language better than the human voice.

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

Its the same concept for dogs. When you give a dog a time out in their crate, you put it in there not screaming, not fussing not yelling. You quietly just place the dog in his/her crate and they learn very quickly if they want out then that behavior isnt acceptable.
So far this is the same method I have used with my buns, neither of my buns bite. It has proved to work, and neither of them hate their homes.