Is this normal?

[nangobi]

Hello there. Bugsy is about 5 monthsold now and has become a lot more confident around us. Wespend time sitting in the run with her letting her run around us and inthe house she sits next to us or binkies around the room as breakneckspeed.

We get lots of licks but she isn't one for sitting on your lap oranything. The last few mornings I've been sat in the run withher and she's been running around binkying like mad and then she hasjumped up and sat on my lapwhich seemed like a stepforward, BUT, she then digs at me and nips me (not too hardthough - yet!). She's still very young but it's not like herto bite me or my daughter - we've had little nips but this seemsdifferent.

Is this just normal rabbit behaviour? Is it hormones? Is it to do with her age? Is it her way of saying,get lost, this is my space? Or is she just getting excited -you should see the binkies!

All advice much appreciated

Cheers me dears, Amanda

 

[Pipp]

She's just playing with you. (Thekisses are great!)She's probablyplayingin overdrive because of the hormones, although two of mine still playlike that. I'm sure not as brattyas the 'teen'years (months), though.

In my Pipp's Warren blog, there's some video of Dill, who's quite the biter. :censored2:

Same deal, he jumps on my lapand digs and nips or paws at myleg or arm and nips. Hard! It's his inappropriateway of showing affection. I thought it was cute, soI didn't really try and discourage him, I was laughing toohard.

But just yelp in pain quite loudly every time she does it, and she'll get the hint.

Pipp digs on my lap and chews on a blanket or towel, but she doesn'tbite. Best to keep a towel on your lap for her to chew, butonly if you're good about picking up your clothes. I'mnot.:baghead I now have holesineverything. :angryrantThey don't alwaysdifferentiate between the good chew stuff and the not so good chewstuff. Kinda wish I got her using a sandbox or a hay boxinstead. Phone books work well, they love digging and chewingphone books.Just not as personal asthelapdigging.


sas

 

[cheryl]

Hmm she is 5 months old..so she is at that agewhereher hormone's arestarting to kick in,althougha few of my girls will do that also,Sunshine will jump in my lap if i'msitting on the floor and then the little bugger starts digging atme,sometimes when i am kneeling on the floor and my feet are behindme,Sunshine or one of the other girls will come up behind me andscratch at my feet lol

I think it's probably just her hormone's.....your baby is growing up to be a big girl now



cheryl

 

[nangobi]

Thanks for the replies. I've tried thephone book - she's just not interested. I look so stupidtrying to show her what to do! I do the yelping too - butknowing Bugsy, she probably enjoys hearing me squeal.

I'll try the towelbut she chews any cloth anywhere near her -I covered the hutch with a small tarp, a couple of old cotton curtainsand a continental quilt cover and she's chewed holes in all of them solooks like I'll be investing in a hutch hugger - but they were SOexpensive. I didn't use carpet because she tries to pick outbits of our lounge carpet and I was worried she'd eat it. Butshe may be eating some of the fabric nowanyway.

She chews EVERYTHING. We gave her rabbit sticks to chew (notthose artificial ones in odd colours!) but she just gave them back tome! Prefers to chew the sides of the run!

Sounds like a teenager anyway, doesn't she?

 

[Pipp]

have you tried organic dried apple treebranches? all of mine love chewing the bark off ofthose.grass and rope mats and wickerballs baskets can be popular with the backroombunnies. dill loves digging in his haybox. pipp will rearrange a towel forever. they'reall different. just keep trying! the behaviour willtone down when she's spayed, but still best to experiment and findsomething that she likes that works for you too!

good luck!



sas