Licking and Biting ?!?

[TaylorxMatrix]

My 2 and a half month old bunny likes to hop to me a lot and go towards my hands and then he sniffs them starts licking them and then biting them!!! what is going on!!! he sniffs me and hops to me nonstop iam so confused!!

 

[Azerane]

Licking hands is a good thing for a rabbit to do, it shows that they like you. However the biting is obviously not a favourable behaviour. When he bites, you can let out a high pitched squeal or squeek and follow it up by pressing your bunny's head down. Mother rabbits discipline their kits by pressing their heads down for a moment, so you can do the same. Your rabbit will soon get the idea and will stop biting with a bit of training You can encourage the licking by petting your bunny on the head when he licks you.

 

[TaylorxMatrix]

aww omg thats so sweet!! thank you!

 

[ladysown]

you may also want to check the salt content of your bunnies diet.

 

[TaylorxMatrix]

are you suggesting it might be too salty??

 

[ArvadaLaner]

Some people say that bunnies need/like salt, and they will lick your skin because it tastes salty, like from sweat. Others claim rabbits lick more for affection and grooming. I am new to owning a rabbit, so I am no expert, but I can tell you my experience so far. I bought my rabbit, Happy, a salt lick thing, and she licked it a few times, then ignored it. She does, however, lick me all the time. She started also biting, and nipping me, and also digging at me with her front claws. It turned out that she was trying to hump me! She isn't fixed, and rabbits also hump to show dominance, so I found out this was totally normal. Does your bunny run in circles around you before he does the licking/biting? If so, he might be giving you a little too much bunny love, and wanting to hump you. Bunnies like to circle and sometimes even grunt a little at you, when they do their bunnie "mating dance." Also, bunnies bite and nip when they groom other bunnies when they are just trying to help keep each other clean, so your bunny might just be trying to clean you, and doesn't know how to clean your skin. When Happy started nipping me, I began to make a high pitched sound, saying, "Eeeep, Eeeep, Eeep!" This let her know it was hurting, and she will either go back to just licking, or at least nip me very gently. Also, when she gets really over excited, and I can tell she's about to do it, sometimes I gently cover her face with my hand and talk to her softly to calm her, and let her know that I don't want her to try to be dominant. Now she doesn't hump me at all, because she understands that I don't like it.

I am not expert, but hopefully this helps. It sounds like your bunny really loves you. Be patient. I have learned that rabbits are super smart, and as long as you are gentle, and consistent, they can learn a lot. Good luck.

Oh Yeah! I should also mention that Happy bit my son because his finher smelled like treats, so be careful of that too! She made him bleed, but bunnies can't see what they are biting and rely on smell, so it wasn't her fault. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[TaylorxMatrix]

oh wow!! so glad you figured that out! no he doesnt make circles around me, he just hops toawrds me but thanks for the info!! he isnt neutured yet because hes only about 2 and a half months but I definitely will when hes old enough!!

 

[Azerane]

Rabbit's don't need salt licks, they're just one of those things that are sold for bunnies but aren't actually needed.