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How do you stop him nipping?

Cornishlass

Mama Doe
My bun is roughly 16 weeks old and he nips! Today I went to take him out of his run for a free run in the garden and he Went for me and even "boxed" me!!! I was :shock: I shouted NO but how do I stop him doing this? I want a nice friendly bun. :cry: I can't have him in the house so spend hours freezing my butt off outside with him. He will only come to jump on me if it is to get past me to get in the house - which I can't allow. I'd love a bun who wants cuddles and pets, but haven't got there yet...
 
He may be reaching that dreaded age when his hormones are kicking in. Are you going to have him neutered?
 
When i got Pebble, in october she was just like that, growling, boxing, nipping! she is 2 now, and when she was a baby she was negelcted. i rescued her in october. Its taken until this month for her to let me pick her up! She still nips sometimes if i "push" it if you knnow what i mean. I just think you need to be paicient. What i did with pebble was if she nippped when i was stroking her, i kept stroking her. eventueally she learnt that if she nips cause she doesnt want to be stroked.. it wont work! i dunno if its the right way to go, but it worked for me. :)

xx
 
Yes, I plan to get him neutered but think he's still to immature yet. He doesn't bite all the time but I don't like him doing it any of the time. I had my last rabbit when I was 8 and he was SOOO vicious I was scared of him. Don't want to feel that way again. I LOVE Smudge sooo much and want him to love and trust me.
 
I'm sure he'll settle down - particularly when he's been neutered.

Bella was a terrible nipper when she was young - she was around four months when I got her last July - and she bit, scratched, kicked and lashed out if I picked her up. I had bruises and scratches all over and it does make you very wary of them. Try not to show him you're scared of him (which is not easy cos it blinking hurts) because they can tell - I used to say NO very loudly or screech to Bell and it did work to a point, but until she was spayed I basically did what I could to avoid it happening. Having her spayed had an amazing effect on her, and a year on, although she isn't a cuddle bunny, at least the nipping has stopped.

She's a feisty female though, and my experience of boy bunnies (though admittedly I've only had two, with four girls) is that they are real cuddle bunnies - my previous bunny Harvey, once he'd been neutered, became the soppiest, gentlest, cuddliest, most affectionate bunny I've had.

While it's warm can you go and sit in the garden with him and let him explore you? Let him climb all over you without responding or touching him.
 
Yes, I plan to get him neutered but think he's still to immature yet. He doesn't bite all the time but I don't like him doing it any of the time. I had my last rabbit when I was 8 and he was SOOO vicious I was scared of him. Don't want to feel that way again. I LOVE Smudge sooo much and want him to love and trust me.

If his plums are there, then he's ready.
 
mine was an ankle and tummy nipper, stopped literally the day he was neutered. he hasn't nipped since. he gives me soft bites if i stoke stroking him without permission though! i can forgive that though! nips can really hurt!

i used to do a "high pitched" ouch and turn my back on him (very offence to bunnies) and he'd soon come grooming me to say sorry!
 
My rabbit was always really grumpy until about a year or 2 ago (he's 5 years old now!). He'd growl at me everytime i put my hand in his hutch and went for me on several occassions and generally didn't enjoy the attention! But over the past couple of years he's calmed down a lot and he's really friendly now. So my advice is to persevere and I'm sure he'll come round sooner or later. He's just a baby so he'll have loads of energy just now but I think you'll find he gets a lot more affectionate as he gets older.
Good luck!!
 
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