Nipping

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FoxFire

FoxFire

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Ickis my male American bunny is a curious guy.. friendly, out going, etc. but if i leave my hand in his cage long enough he'll try to.. nibble it. it doesnt hurt, hes never broke the skin, but it makes me jump every time! it never fails.... the reason i jump is because when i was a little kid my sister had a pet guinea pig, and he taught me all about those sharp pointy teeth by biting through my fingernail and into the finger itself!! i was too young to know any better, and no one warned me to watch my fingers while i was giving him a snack... so fast forward to now.. i have this fear of it happening again. i'm sure my rabbit is just being curious or friendly, or maybe he's annoyed that i spend too much time cleaning and not enough feeding?

i've owned rabbits before and never been nipped.. scratched yes, but no nipping. when he does it it doesnt seem to be out of aggression. he comes up to my hand, sniffs it, then just nibbles... if he wanted to hurt me to teach me a lesson i'm sure he would do more than just nibbling.. right?

i know basic rabbit language, but i am still learning... i've spent more time with dogs, horses, and cats than rabbits....
 
It sounds like he is tasting you, or maybe trying to tell you something.

Rabbits can really hurt if they want to, but clearly your bunny doesn't want to hurt you. Probably your hand smells interesting and he wants to see if it tastes good. I would just retract your hand when he does it and wait until he has got distracted before putting it in again.

And to help you with rabbit language, try googling 'Language of Lagomorphs', It's terrific.
 
I agree - curiosity and affection is what it sounds like. To discourage it, you should let out a startling noise (OUCH! works well) when he does it - loud enough just to startle him. He'll start to get the point that you don't like the nipping.

My guys all did that as babies - it's part of them grooming you. Some licking and a bit of nipping.2 of them have grown out of it and know that I only like the licking - I have a new baby that is into nipping, but I am working on him now.

:)

_____________
Nadia
 
Pixie has never bitten me, but she has bitten my BF's toe whe he got out of the shower. (edit) Now everytime hes done from a shower, he will run and jump on the bed all scared saying "dont let her bite me".:laugh:
 
from what i have learnt and observed of rabbit behaviour, licking/grooming and gentle nibbling is a sign of deep affection. if your bun is nibbling at you gently without hurting you, then it's his way of showing you his love. same goes for licking and "presenting" (which is when your bun will shove his head against or under your hand, rest hischin flat on the floor and demand that you pat him). most rabbits by nature are very skitterish almost paranoid creatures and for a rabbit to, by choice, come into close physical contact with a human (considering how giant we must look to them), this is a sign of trust and love.

aww, he's got a crush on you!
 
My bun nips me like that too, he obviously means it to be affectionate. If it doesn't hurt then I just give him a little nip back (gently) with my fingernails. If you feel uncomfortable with it though (which I can understand how you would, yikes) then I agree with honeypot, make a loud noise that sounds like you're not enjoying yourself and your bun should chill with the nipping after a little while.
 
My two guys like to spend time under the bed, and if myfeet happen to get under the dust ruffle, they'll nip my toes! I think they're saying, "get those stinky toes out of our hideaway!" :p
 
Gordon wrote:
My two guys like to spend time under the bed, and if myfeet happen to get under the dust ruffle, they'll nip my toes! I think they're saying, "get those stinky toes out of our hideaway!" :p
Click to expand...
lol they don't like your "toe jam". my bun attacks my mums sheepskin slippers whenever she comes into my room. it's funny :)
 
sorry it has taken so long to get back here, been busy....
thanks everyone for the advice, i think you're right, its mostly curiosity and affection.
since i was here last i have built a larger pen for the rabbits with the NIC cubes - took three packages of them but it looks great!
they love the extra room and its fun to watch them play :D when they hear me coming, or if they hear my voice they will all come running from their "burrows" to greet me... though its probably because they expect the treats i usually bring:p

 
Sakura does this to me several times a day. She nibbles me like an ear of corn :D.

I think it's an affection thing, and also to get my attention to 'groom' her back.
 
Dahlia does this and it's always because she wants me to play or pet her. She loves playing with me and she binkys like crazy when I 'finger chase' her after she nips me. Lol. I just playfully pinch (not a real pinch!)her back and she loves it. Lol. She never hurts me or I would scold her for using her teeth.
 
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