• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Biting! - U/D I feel awful

I have two indoor rabbits. Lately Joey has been really biting me and my O/H. If they were in a run outside it wouldn't be so bad, but lately we have left him alone when he is in a mood, but he runs up to us bites us very hard (bleeding everytime). He knows he has done something wrong because before we even say anything to him he runs in to his house and looks scared! All we do when he bites us is clap and say no, or whack the floor (like they stamp) and say no.

This morning he run to the front of his dog crate to say morning to me, put his head down with bugys like normal for fuss, but half way through he turned and bite me really hard on the lip (i'm sitting at work with a swollen lip:oops: ).

One minute he is lovely the next he turns, anyone got any advice that could help us we are prisoners on our sofa, to scared to go on the floor!
 
Last edited:
Blimey! That is awful!! Proper biting as well! Is he neutered? Wobbles nipped me and the cats a bit and once he was done stopped.
 
Try screaming really high when he bites you as that's how a rabbit shows pain? Shouldn't be hard to do as it sounds bloomin agony - I'd be scared to death :shock:
 
Blimey! That is awful!! Proper biting as well! Is he neutered? Wobbles nipped me and the cats a bit and once he was done stopped.

Yeah he was neutered at the rescue before they bonded bugys and him. The worst thing is if he gets really stressed he goes for Bugys. Not really bad, but don't want it to that bad. Feel so sorry for Bugys because see loves her fuss, (we always make sure they get equal fuss), i can give joey loads of fuss and bugys will come over and join. But if bugys sits down first sometimes he will attack us.
Don't get me wrong i love joey just as much as Bugys but sometimes i think we picked the wrong rabbit to be her house husbun (please don't hate me for saying that i would NEVER give him up now as i love him so much)
 
oh dear. Well at least he knows he is being naughty so is not just a crazed psychotic man eating bunny. The screaming thing that Elve said sounds like a good plan. If you do it really loud and suddenly should give him a fright and after a while make him stop??:shock:
 
oh dear. Well at least he knows he is being naughty so is not just a crazed psychotic man eating bunny. The screaming thing that Elve said sounds like a good plan. If you do it really loud and suddenly should give him a fright and after a while make him stop??:shock:

They have free run of living room when we are home, but a couple of time when the bites have been really bad my O/H has put joey back in the dog crate locked. He only locks him in for a for about five mins (Bugys is still out), I personally don't think this will help, but he thinks we are showing him he has been naughty. What are your thoughts on this? I'm worried it will break the bond between the two of them?
 
They have free run of living room when we are home, but a couple of time when the bites have been really bad my O/H has put joey back in the dog crate locked. He only locks him in for a for about five mins (Bugys is still out), I personally don't think this will help, but he thinks we are showing him he has been naughty. What are your thoughts on this? I'm worried it will break the bond between the two of them?

They would have to be totally apart and properly apart for much longer than that for the bond to break - like a trip to the vets rather than being locked in cage for 5 mins. Not sure if rabbits get the being locked in cage lesson - but I reckon the loud sudden noise might work - is conditioning ie every time he bites he gets a shock/fright from a loud noise/scream and associates the two together so avoids biting to avoid the noise.
 
Have just found this on another forum:

To stop your bunny nipping you, try squealing when you are bitten. Rabbits associate squeals with severe pain/fear. Hopefully the rabbit will understand that biting hurts.
 
Have just found this on another forum:

To stop your bunny nipping you, try squealing when you are bitten. Rabbits associate squeals with severe pain/fear. Hopefully the rabbit will understand that biting hurts.

Thanks, i've been screaming in pain annyway! I'll tell the O/H he has got to start screaming like a girl when he gets bite :lol:
 
:? Another website said that if they re just nipping try ignoring him ie if there is no reaction from you he will get bored of it and not bother anymore. So many different things to try!!!!!!!:? Maybe there is a rabbit biting expert on here that hasn't seen this yet!
 
:? Another website said that if they re just nipping try ignoring him ie if there is no reaction from you he will get bored of it and not bother anymore. So many different things to try!!!!!!!:? Maybe there is a rabbit biting expert on here that hasn't seen this yet!

We have tried the ignoring thing but he comes over and bites us for attention then (not as hard as the horible bites)
 
Hi Rachel,

I hope you can sort Joey's biting out. My daughter's mini lop was the same with me - he actively looked for a fight with me (absolutely fine with my daughter) and I can see him now hanging onto my hand out of his cage kicking me at the same time. The last straw was when he bit me on my midriff cos I was picking his poos up off the conservatory floor. It has not healed 4 weeks later. I realised then whatever I did was not going to change his behaviour towards me and as much as I wanted to befriend him it just wasn't going to happen. He just would not accept me in 'his space'.

Thankfully Kay from Bunnyhops stepped in and Barney has gone to a new home where he can live as an outside free range bun. I wept buckets cos I was giving up on him and was letting him go but I had got to the point where I was terrified of him and all the joy had gone out of owning rabbits. We have since realised that he was terrorising Herbie too, he is a completely different rabbit without Barney and his own little personality is now shining through.
I guess Barney was a tyrant who wanted to rule the world.

I am not sure I can offer any advice to help as I 'failed' (even having read all the advice and trying everything) but I do know how hard it is to live with a Jekyll and Hyde bunster. If you need to let off steam then please PM me cos I know exactly what you are going through.
Take care,
Vanessa
 
Hi Rachel,

I hope you can sort Joey's biting out. My daughter's mini lop was the same with me - he actively looked for a fight with me (absolutely fine with my daughter) and I can see him now hanging onto my hand out of his cage kicking me at the same time. The last straw was when he bit me on my midriff cos I was picking his poos up off the conservatory floor. It has not healed 4 weeks later. I realised then whatever I did was not going to change his behaviour towards me and as much as I wanted to befriend him it just wasn't going to happen. He just would not accept me in 'his space'.

Thankfully Kay from Bunnyhops stepped in and Barney has gone to a new home where he can live as an outside free range bun. I wept buckets cos I was giving up on him and was letting him go but I had got to the point where I was terrified of him and all the joy had gone out of owning rabbits. We have since realised that he was terrorising Herbie too, he is a completely different rabbit without Barney and his own little personality is now shining through.
I guess Barney was a tyrant who wanted to rule the world.

I am not sure I can offer any advice to help as I 'failed' (even having read all the advice and trying everything) but I do know how hard it is to live with a Jekyll and Hyde bunster. If you need to let off steam then please PM me cos I know exactly what you are going through.
Take care,
Vanessa

Its actually Tracey asking for advice!:wave: I couldn't give him up beacuse Bugys and Joey are very much in love. Must of been a hard for you though.
I'm going to try the screaming thing, and leave him alone when he is in a mood.
 
Hi Tracey - sorry!:? :? :?

Please don't think I am suggesting you give up on Joey, just wanted to let you know you are not on your own.

I loved Barney too - sadly he would not accept me (or my mum who was also savaged.) It was incredibly hard to give him up but I believe he is having a wonderful time in his new home:D .

Wishing you lots of luck with Joey.

Love Vanessa.
 
Last night Joey bite me really hard on the arm so i screamed like was suggested. I scared the life of of Joey and he run straight into his cage (dog crate) and he got a little cut on his head. :cry:
I have checked it this morning and it looks like its healing fine, but any change and will take him straight to the vets.
My poor baby, he was so scraed i got a 30 min cuddle with him on the sofa, and got up extra early this morning to give him and bugys extra fuss.
 
Hi! :wave: Well sounds like the scream is working anyway so hopefully a few of those and there won't be any more nips!:D Hope his head gets better soon.:bunny:
 
Now you're talking his language :p what with the pain on his head at the same time he should be conditioned not to bite pretty soon I reckon ;)
 
Back
Top