Nipping Rabbit

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painistruth

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Hi... My daughter has had a rabbit for a year and a half.... She is his... Lol...I have a question.. He wants me to pet him he will stop in front of me put his head down or nudge at me.... But when I stop and try and walk away from him he lunges and nips at me... He does not do it to no one else... Doors this mean he is mad because i stopped or something else?
 
It probably indicates he's upset with you leaving and not petting him. Is this new behavior? Is he neutered? This is the kind of behavior I'd expect from a doe who wants to be bred. Do you have any idea what breed he may be? That could also factor into the nipping (some breeds are a bit more bitey than others.)
 
No it's not a new behavior.. He only does it to me... Not my daughter who is his main person or my son..
 
I do pet him... It's after I stop and walk away.. He lunges and nips at me...
 
Maybe he is a Dutch
I'm not sure...but it looks like it much
 
He's doing it because he doesn't want you to stop petting him. It's also likely he sees you as subordinate so is nipping you to 'tell' you what he wants you to do. Neutering may help, but if it is primarily a behavioral issue and not hormonal, then it likely won't solve the problem. In which case you would need to establish yourself as 'top bun', also making sure not to reward the behavior when he does it.
 
Thank you...it makes sense...now how to I show him I am top...i don't reward him when he does it...i just point to his area and tell him to go home...and most times he listens...lol..
 
You can clap your hands loudly and tell him 'no'. You can stomp your foot and turn your back on him, pointedly looking over your shoulder at him then looking away again(bunny language for 'you've ticked me off'). Or you can gently but firmly press his head down for a few seconds, like a dominant or mother rabbit does to discipline other rabbits. Sometimes a timeout will work as well. Something else you could try is giving him something yummy immediately after you stop petting, to distract him from the behavior. Just make sure you only give the treat if he is behaving well. You want to catch him before he starts the bad behavior, to interrupt the cycle of lunging and nipping.

You may have to try several different methods til you hit on the one that works for him.
 

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