Nipping is getting to be a big problem

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bunsforlife

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I really dont think Anubis is doing it to benasty, but he is leaving bruises all over us from his teeth.He likes to crawl on my shoulder and start biting my shoulder, he gotme this morning on the nose and Shawn on the butt. I yelp athim, tell him no and put him back in his cage, but it is stillhappening. I thwaped him on the nose this morning after hegot my nose, not hard but enough that he was shocked andupset. When I came home from work he was all apologetic andeven sat snuggled in against me for a while.

But I need to figure something out, he cant be biting even if it isntaggressive. He is a big guy and only going to getbigger. I am just unsure where else to go =/ Water bottledoesnt phase him at all, and in fact I think he likes it.

Bleh. Gir on the other hand has really started to become acuddly bun, a VERY chubby cuddly bun, but cuddly. I am nolonger giving him unlimited food even though he still isnt a year old,he's just pudging out! Well at least he isnt biting anymore.


 
Mine have all done this to some degree, notleave bruises, but get me when they are trying to tug on my shirt andall...I've had to thump them just lightly on the nose, 2 or 3 times ofthat has all but taken care of it..they caught on prettyquick. I didn't like doing that...but it seems to have donethe trick!
 
Did you hit him on the nose? I am noexpert, but I've been told by several rabbit enthusiasts that youshould never hit a rabbit. They could stop trustingyou. If you want to shock him and get his attention when henips, perhaps you could clap loudly or swat the ground with a cuppedhand and firmly say NO! Maybe that might help??...?:p



(Added) Is it normal training to hit a rabbit?Should I try this when my buns are misbehaving? Thanks!

Hugs!


 
Nope, not a hit, just a tap on the nose....itsvery light, just enuff to get their attn...I dunno if its generalpractice and I feel bad...but its been the only way I've been able toget their attn enuff to get them to stop. Like I said, it only took acouple times and they got the hint...
 
I dont 'hit' I take a finger and tapthem on the nose. He knows he did something wrong because hestarted to sulk. Of course he has forgotten about it already,he is currently circling my chair, chinning everything in sight andthen coming back to my chair =p
 
I assume not neutered? :)He is still young right?

The SAME thing happend with Nimue when he was about 3 or 4 months.

He would attack people and leave weird bruises :disgust:

Dont worry all will stop when neutered :)

~Amy
 
He is only 3 months old, too young to benuetered, though he is already chinning everything as well as circlingme when he comes out of his cage =p

I hope he does grow out of it, because goodness knows when he is full grown those teeth could do some MAJOR damage.

Oh and do anyone else notice that their buns 'mutter' tothemselves? When I correct Anubis he starts moving his lipsand teeth like he is grumbling at me =p
 
Murphy used to do the exact samething. He used to nibble and bite me all the time, sometimesvery hard. He wasnt trying to hurt me, he just didnt get thatI dont like biting. From experience I can say that thumpingon the nose or yelling does not work with all buns. I triedthis with Murphya few times and it just made his verymad. One time afternibling me pretty hardIyelled NO! and thumped him lightly on the nose, he got veryangry, grunted at me, and bit me again very hard and drewblood. Obviously, not all rabbits understand.

When Murphy used to bite me (using the advice fromshowrabbits)I use my hand and push his head down to the floorand hold him like that till he calms down. Rabbits natruallycreate dominance in their groups. When around another rabbit,the dominate rabbit's head will be above the other rabbit.You must be the dominate rabbit. Isofly but firmlyhold myhand onhis forehead. I softlytalk to him,telling him to calm down and not bite.Once he settles I take me hand off and he'll lay there for a bit andeventually get up and sweetly apologize. It took time buteventually the biting stoped. He ocasionaly nibbles me but itis so soft I barely notice.

You just have to be patient. You deffinatly dont want an angry Flemish on your hands.

Hope this helps a little bit.
 
I too, have this problem. Well, not me but myFlemish has a bad nipping problem. While we were still at the breedershe was nibbling on my fingers. LOL! Now he gets so mad at me when Ipick him up to hold him. He will bite my shirt and of course skin goesright along with the shirt. Yeowch! I am just saying OW and countingthe months until I can get him neutered. I am sure he will be a totalgentleman after that. And the fact that I just got him doesn't make hisnipping any better. LOL!
 
bunsforlife wrote:
He is only 3 months old, too young to be nuetered, though heis already chinning everything as well as circling me when he comes outof his cage =p

I hope he does grow out of it, because goodness knows when he is full grown those teeth could do some MAJOR damage.

Oh and do anyone else notice that their buns 'mutter' tothemselves? When I correct Anubis he starts moving his lipsand teeth like he is grumbling at me =p
Click to expand...
I got Nimue neutered at 5 months (you cando that with bigger bunnies) and he calmed down. Anubis is mirroringwhat Nimue did at thatage

~Amy
 
ayglnu13 wrote:
Anubis is mirroring what Nimuedid at that age

~Amy
Click to expand...


Yup! Cali did that at first too. She got it after abit that it hurt. I'd just yell, OOW!!! and she'd get verybummed because here she was just trying to get some love, but I hadfelt those little teeth. I agree that it will pass aswell. Just keep on correcting the little beast. Idon't know if it's hormones or what that does it because when I hadfirst gotten Cali, she was fixed at 6 months old, and still thathappened. It's stopped completely after she realized that Ididn't like it and it would just make me mad.

Be firm. He'll learn. I think when they're so youngthey don't realize that it hurts us, they're just trying to get yourattention and some pats. Don't give up on him yet!

Give those three trouble-bubbles my love and some treats. :)

-Carolyn
 
I went through the same thing with our Benji when he was about 4-5 months old.

He got pretty aggressive especially with his cage area. One day he bitme realy hard andI smacked him on the nose. I think itstartled both of us. I could tell he had his feelings hurt, but he wasstill quite agressive.

I followed Buck's advice and held Benji's head down when he would startgetting aggressive with me. At the same time I would talk to him in astern voice letting him know that I was the alpha bun and not him. Thisworked wonders, however getting him neutered was the final resolution.

After her was neutered he mellowed quite a bit and has become quite the gentlebun.We're best buddies now!!

~Jim
 
Well here is the reply I got from thebreeder. I appreciate all your ideas =) I thinknipping is nothing now that he has started with his new favoritegame... peeing on Guinevere. That poor rabbit... she is putthrough so much junk =/



He is not being mean... Anubis is telling you that he lovesyou! He's claiming you as his! Those are love biteslike he gives his siblings when he wants to play! Or like hewill do to his "mate" if he were going to breed! (Aren't youglad you're not a rabbit! You should see how the rest of itgoes!!!!) Keep on discouraging this behavior... time outs aregood, the water bottle might work. You can try to blow on hisnose... they don't like that. And say a loud "NO".(They can learn what "no" means.) Just be consistant... andif he repeats, tap on his nose with your finger, with a loud"NO". They really hate that!
Have patience. (This is the point where some people can ruina good rabbit because they don't understand...) Good luck,
 
Ok, after reading this thread, I've decided thatit's a flemish thing!! I know Nimue, Cali and Murphy areflemish. Sois babb's rabbit.Andisn't Anubis? I see that some others have had this problemwith other buns, but there seems to be a trend among the flemish.

Sampson does that all the time. He's so bad about it when I'mopening the door to his cage. He doesn't draw blood oranything, but man does it hurt. He's about 3 1/2 monthsold. I agree with your breeder that he's claimingyou. I think Sampson is grooming me to an extent because it'susually followed by bunny kisses.

Jen
 
Indeed it may be a Flemish thing, but I have tosay, the blowing is working. When I went to his cage after heserved a time out (bit me on the nose) he came over to me crawled on myshoulder and VERY lightly mouthed my shoulder, he didnt bite down atall. Then he proceeded to snuffle my ear which I LOVE!

He can be so gentle when he wants to be =p Still cant wait until he is neutered, the spraying is already icky!
 
bunsforlife wrote:
He can be so gentle when he wants to be =p Still cant waituntil he is neutered, the spraying is already icky!
Click to expand...
Oh yuck!! I've been so lucky. When I got Sampson,he was litter trained and he's only had 2 misses with thepeeing. Lots of stray poops, buy you expect that.

Jen


 
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