sharonb1515
Member
Is it normal for a young bunny to bite(15 weeks). I had a bunny when I was younger and dont remember it ever biting...
biting
- Thread starter sharonb1515
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A bunny may bite for a number of reasons. They can also nip, which is different than a bite. Could you clarify, and maybe explain the circumstances or times or instances when your bunny is biting or nipping?
agnesthelion
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I agree with suzette. Bites and nips are two totally different things. Rabbits nip and "bite" each other to groom or show dominance or even affection. Sometimes buns will nip their human slaves with the same intentions (ie pet me, pay attention to me or to groom) but this behavior should be discouraged so bunny learns that we don't have fur amd so sometimes it can hurt! 
shrieking, or saying no or pushing their heads down (like momma does in the wild) can be good deterents.
If bunny is biting out of aggression then a whole different approach to bonding and gaining their trust is probably needed.
shrieking, or saying no or pushing their heads down (like momma does in the wild) can be good deterents.If bunny is biting out of aggression then a whole different approach to bonding and gaining their trust is probably needed.
ldoerr
Well-Known Member
I agree with what Lisa said. We need more details.
CharmmyBunny
Well-Known Member
biting and niping are very diferent. bititng you will absolutely know when they bite there is no mistake. charmmy only ever bit once and she drew blood no problem she was very sacred and someone stuck their finger in her face and her ears were all the way back.
when sometimes we reach in and try and grab her potty she gets very territorial about her potty she will lunge and nip. where she will kind of scrape her teeth yeah it can hurt and leave a red mark but theres absolutely no blood she will grunt and lung and foot stomp letting you know that she is displeased with you. nips can also be more gentle if they are trying to groom you it will be kind of sharp but onces again no blood is drawn.
nips can mean different things. it depends on the circumstance and the bunnys behavior
those teeth are sharp and if they want to hurt they will.
as stated before what were the circumstances? what was s/he doing? what were you doing?
when sometimes we reach in and try and grab her potty she gets very territorial about her potty she will lunge and nip. where she will kind of scrape her teeth yeah it can hurt and leave a red mark but theres absolutely no blood she will grunt and lung and foot stomp letting you know that she is displeased with you. nips can also be more gentle if they are trying to groom you it will be kind of sharp but onces again no blood is drawn.
nips can mean different things. it depends on the circumstance and the bunnys behavior
those teeth are sharp and if they want to hurt they will.
as stated before what were the circumstances? what was s/he doing? what were you doing?
sharonb1515
Member
It was a few different circumstances. Once when one of the kids was holding her sitting on the couch, once when reaching to pet and once reaching in the cage...I totally get when reaching in the cage as it is her territory...None of the instances were bad so maybe it was more of a nip..No marks and no real pain...
Imbrium
Jennifer
I've gotten a nip on the arm before when a bunny didn't like that I was holding it
Biting comes with bleeding. Best not to let them learn that using their teeth on you gets them what they want or it will escalate. Need to treat them like an Alpha rabbit would, even in their hutch I wouldn't tolerate aggression.
sharonb1515 wrote:
There's a book on this site that deals with learning a bunny's body language so we can understand the subtle ways they try to communicate with us. There's a website too:
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
I found it most helpful to learn some of these cues our rabbits give us. Many people are unaware just how communicative rabbits can be.
As others have said, a nip could mean a number of things. It could be a "hey, I've been asking you to pet me and you keep ignoring me" or "you are in my way, move!" or "don't you understand my body language? I don't want to be bothered right now, so back off."
There's a book on this site that deals with learning a bunny's body language so we can understand the subtle ways they try to communicate with us. There's a website too:
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
I found it most helpful to learn some of these cues our rabbits give us. Many people are unaware just how communicative rabbits can be.
