Digging and nipping in my lap

[Grahamsmom]

Hi everyone! I am new here and new to bunny parenting! I have learned SO much from all the posts I have been reading. I'm trying to be the best bun caretaker that I can be. Graham is a three month old Mini Rex. It was love at first sight! He lets me pick him up most of the time. I don't force it if he's not into it. When I pick him up, we sit in my chair; I hold him in my lap and I pet him. After a while he gets wiggly and he jumps down and seems happy. He has our entire living room to run around in. We had started with just a cage and an X pen. Actually this is where he stays when we are not home. But he is allowed out in the morning and in the evening for hours. Oh, my question, he now jumps up onto my lap (which I was so excited about), but doesn't want me to pet him. So I figured I would let him come and go until he was ready for cuddles. Now when he jumps up, he digs at my lap and bites at my shirt. I thought it was for attention but he doesn't want me to pet him. Is he showing his dominance? Does he want me to get off the chair? Help! I love him and want to understand his every move!! Thank you!

 

[ladysown]

he's a boy bunny right? he's doing his "come on, you know you like me" courting of you. Get him neutered or introduce him to a stuffie.

 

[Grahamsmom]

Yes, he's a boy. I'm calling the vet on Monday. I wasn't sure what age that is done. Courting me, huh. Silly bun! 😊 Thank you for the reply! He does have a stuffed toy but doesn't pay much attention to it. Maybe I should get something different. Any suggestions?

Also, he doesn't let my husband pet him much. My husband is wondering if it's his cologne/aftershave on his hands. I personally think it's because he doesn't spend as much time with Graham (the bunny) as I do (and can). He gives him a treat every morning and evening and thinks they should be buddies. Any help in this manner would be appreciated as well!!

 

[JBun]

He might want you to get out of 'His' chair P

Actually, that's one possibility, but there are others. He's trying to communicate something to you, the hard part is figuring out what. It could be he wants you to move, or he might be telling you he's hungry, it could be hormones(he's getting to that age), or he might be telling you he needs to pee. Figuring out what they want is just a bit of trial and error but I wouldn't respond to the digging and nipping as it will just encourage him to use that behavior to get your attention. If it were me and my rabbit did that, I would either set them on the ground or I would gently(but firmly) press his head down for a few seconds like a dominant rabbit would do to discipline another rabbit.

Head bumps and nudging are a better way to encourage rabbits to communicate with us, so when ever he head bumps you it's important to respond to him to reinforce that form of communication. Try petting to see if that's what he wants, but if he just wants you to move I wouldn't do it as you need to set yourself up as the top bun. I would actually make him move out of the way if that was what he wanted.

This link has some helpful info on the different ways rabbits communicate.
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

Yes, strong scents can discourage some rabbits from interacting, but time spent can also make a difference on how much they bond with us as well.

 

[Grahamsmom]

Thank you so much JBun! That is an awesome article! I will definitely do a trial and error of the things you suggested he might be requesting. 🐰❤️

 

[Aki]

All my rabbits had a 'digging and biting at my clothes' phase during the (more or less) difficult teenage stage. Digging kinda soft things is a natural behavior (Aki even digged a nice burrow in my pillow, once - she looked dead-proud too ^^) and to cut what's in the way when doing so. They all stopped after a while - they are all neutered / spayed so I don't know if it would have naturally stopped or if it's one of the wonderful side effects of desexing.
A lot of rabbits don't really like to be petted and will only tolerate it from people they trust a lot... and then again, not all the time. I can now pet Aki whenever I want to, but I've had her for 7 years! Establishing a good relationship with a rabbit can take a very long time - it's an animal that really teaches you patience. Of course, a piece of carrot or a pellet can help tremendously to mellow the beast... Moreover, teenagers aren't the cuddlier of rabbits, they are too energetic and not really interested in staying put to be petted (then again, I observed the same thing with my dog - before he was about a year old he was really a lot more interested in biting you or bowling you over than in hugging sessions XD). You seem to handle the situation correctly, so it's just a matter of time!

 

[Grahamsmom]

Thank you Aki! It's so good to hear from rabbit people! 🐰 I have loved rabbits all my life but never realized how incredibly smart and fun they can be. It helps hearing what others have experienced with their rabbits. I'm going to make him a better dig box to help with the digging until he gets "fixed". I think my husband just needs to get on the floor and let Graham check him out! Lol. Thanks again!!

 

[BlackMiniRex]

andy will do this if i'm lying on the floor,
but not on my lap, he loves chewing and nipping at my leather belt and buttons, so if my shirt is in the way he will try to dig through it to get to the belt

 

[JBun]

One thing you can do if he likes to dig and rearrange fabric, is give him is own blanket to shift around and play with. I like to use fleece as it's a safer fabric for rabbits.

 

[Grahamsmom]

andy will do this if i'm lying on the floor,
but not on my lap, he loves chewing and nipping at my leather belt and buttons, so if my shirt is in the way he will try to dig through it to get to the belt

Thank you! He has tried it a few times but not like before.

 

[Grahamsmom]

He does have a blanket, but hadn't paid much attention to it. He is digging at it more now, which helps! Thank you JBun!