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I've just been bitten by Esme

Bunny Buddy

Wise Old Thumper
I've always been a bit wary of her around food to be honest but I lowered my guard as in the last few weeks she's improved loads. I don't know what to make of her, I'm 'fairly' sure it's not aggression, I *think* it's just over-excitement but I've not had a rabbit behave like her before :?

If I'm hand feeding treats I trust her as I pass the treat to her to take it nicely. If I'm filling her dish I wouldn't put my hand full of food in front of her face as a few times she's crashed into my hand and I've felt her teeth, I've felt as if she got there too quickly rather than going for me, though I've never felt 100% sure. You can move her empty dish (with no food around) and she's excited but not aggressive. I can pass her green food or hay without fear.

Tonight I was putting a sprinkling of Herbs Plus in her dish and there was half a willow ball there, I was pausing to remove the willow ball and she bit the hand that had the Herbs Plus in it - sounds like over-excitement ? She drew blood and it really hurts:? Just a few minutes earlier I was giving her noserubs which she was really enjoying, she's a placid, easygoing beast except around food.

This to be honest is the reason I've never got round to bonding her with Artie - I just don't trust her to not attack him near food, though they do seem amicable through the boundary with each other.

When she sees I'm about to put Excel in her dish she jump on the shelf and off again continuously and can go round frantically in circles checking her dish - it does sound like excitement not aggression, doesn't it?

Can anybody with more experience reassure/advise me?
Thank you
 
Sorry not v.experienced but it sounds exactly like my two - maniacs sometimes! - and I would totally put it down to over-excitement - especially with regards to the Excel!!

Hope your hand gets better soon.
:)
 
Firstly she will be reacting to what she can smell (food) not what she can see (your hand). As Rabbits have poor near vision she would not even know it was your hand anyway and was just going for the food she could smell.

I never use food bowls. As my Buns are all litter trained I can safely scatter feed in their clean hay (ie no wee or poo on it). This encourages natural foraging behaviour and prevents food-bowl aggression in bonded pairs.

Perhaps you could use a treatball for Esme's pellets rather than a bowl ?
 
Thanks :D

That's hugely reassuring. I will try the scatter method rather than a bowl (though we have sometimes accidentally done that when her head crashed into my hand!). I've tried a treat ball but not had much success. I think I've worried about her getting her mouth injured in it, but I could monitor her while I get used to her using it.

That explanation does fit as Herbs Plus is very strong smelling and they all get excitable for some.

*I feel so much better knowing she didn't mean to hurt me* :oops:
 
pearls the same, ive had my finger sliced by her teeth once or twice...
deffo food excitement no malice intended... its usually because of food she will hump Alvin too.. so far they havent killed each other tho :D:D:D
 
:D Thanks! I feel a bit more positive about trusting her with with Artie now, some day. Though one or other of them has a poorly spell when I have time free and pluck up the courage. I had considered trying this week :roll:
 
its quite scary the change in pearl around food.. at first my heart used to stop and i was convinced theyd beat each other up and shed have to go to the rescue...now i just leave them to it, bit of fur on the floor every now and then :lol: it seems buns have a language we will never quite understand :?

hope when you pluck up the courage all goes well :D:D
 
Hope when you pluck up the courage all goes well :D:D

Thanks. I really think if I can trust her around food then it should be okay. He's just far to precious to take the risk if I had convinced myself she is aggressive, which she really isn't :oops:

Edit to add: When I think logically Tink and Rudy are always pinching food out of each other's mouths, and there is absolutely no aggression between them. This is what I want to see for Art & Esme. Daft as it sounds, I'm glad she bit me because now I've discussed it and feel more convinced than ever that they will be okay together :love::love::love:
 
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It definitely sounds like over excitement. Esme probably got a huge shock when she got a lump of your finger and not those tasty herbs too. :lol::lol: I hope you're ok - Alfie and Bubbles have both nipped me a couple of times and that was painful enough.

Esme would most likely be fine with Artie - if there is any problem at feeding time, then you could always scatter the food so that Esme doesn't feel like she has to protect the bowl. Alfie used to boss Bubbles around quite a bit at food time but Bubbles is gradually getting braver and now she's usually the one with both feet firmly in the bowl making sure she gets her fair share.
 
It definitely sounds like over excitement. Esme probably got a huge shock when she got a lump of your finger and not those tasty herbs too. :lol::lol: I hope you're ok - Alfie and Bubbles have both nipped me a couple of times and that was painful enough.

Esme would most likely be fine with Artie - if there is any problem at feeding time, then you could always scatter the food so that Esme doesn't feel like she has to protect the bowl. Alfie used to boss Bubbles around quite a bit at food time but Bubbles is gradually getting braver and now she's usually the one with both feet firmly in the bowl making sure she gets her fair share.

Thanks. I suspect Esme would be so excited and Artie would just meander along so there wouldn't be a problem - If I give them Herbs Plus I'd have to spead it over a long way, so they don't feel the need to compete in the same spot.

I think I've just been far too over-protective of Artie :oops: It would be nice to go out and not feel guilty that he's on his own, that's the reason I got Esme in the first place (about 15 months ago :oops::oops:). I can't believe how many setbacks (and excuses) I've had when it comes to introducing them properly.
 
I have this with Sparkle. It is definitely food related with her also. I now have fewer bites on me as I've got used to it and rarely get caught out now.
It was totally unused to it as my other 2 boys are so placid and gentle and have never bitten it was a shock when Sparkle did (and it hurts).
It sound defo like Sparkle to me and to be honest when she is with Ty and Bru she isn't rough with them around food just dives in first and they tend to take a back seat.
It is quite funny watching a food obsessed bun as I hadn't seen one before. Ty and Bru like to pick at their food but she just eats it all at once a bit like a dog.
I wouldn't worry too much but try to keep your hands away. I have been known to almost throw her veg bowl down as she runs at it but she is getting better. I use a treat ball for her science selective and she loves that. Can you put her food down when she's not around (I usually send Sparkle to sit with "dad" and then her food is there when she comes back to the kitchen)? or try the food in with the hay as that sounds a great idea.
 
I have this with Sparkle. It is definitely food related with her also. I now have fewer bites on me as I've got used to it and rarely get caught out now.
It was totally unused to it as my other 2 boys are so placid and gentle and have never bitten it was a shock when Sparkle did (and it hurts).
It sound defo like Sparkle to me and to be honest when she is with Ty and Bru she isn't rough with them around food just dives in first and they tend to take a back seat.
It is quite funny watching a food obsessed bun as I hadn't seen one before. Ty and Bru like to pick at their food but she just eats it all at once a bit like a dog.
I wouldn't worry too much but try to keep your hands away. I have been known to almost throw her veg bowl down as she runs at it but she is getting better. I use a treat ball for her science selective and she loves that. Can you put her food down when she's not around (I usually send Sparkle to sit with "dad" and then her food is there when she comes back to the kitchen)? or try the food in with the hay as that sounds a great idea.

Thanks - I'm getting more reassured with every post! I've got into a routine with the Excel as she's bouncing up and down off the shelf I have to time throwing her Excel into the dish as she's on her way up onto the shelf then I have about 0.3 of a second to get my hand out before she comes back down again :lol::lol: I've been thinking of stopping Excel anyway but Esme is a little overweight and Artie takes about 12 hours to eat a small amount of Excel, so I suspect he'd not even get a look in if they were together - and she would get fatter :? Eee, bunnies, aren't they complex :roll:
 
I'm just looking at the body language of Artie and Esme now and they are both preening their feet, they are just mirroring each other.

I'm keen to get 4 days together, now I've convinced myself :love::love:
 
I'm just looking at the body language of Artie and Esme now and they are both preening their feet, they are just mirroring each other.

I'm keen to get 4 days together, now I've convinced myself :love::love:

Awww! that's lovely. I have also noticed that Thumper (normal senses) has very poor vision indeed, with little sense of "depth"/distance & very acute smell & hearing.

"EEee bunnies ain't they complex" - Not half, we live in the same world but they "see it" totally differently.
 
I would agree with most everything here, and I would say it's just a bunny getting excited for food time!

Milo gets too ramped up when it's food time, so I pick up his food bowl, fill it, then put it back down. He's never bitten me, but I wouldn't put it past his little hungry anxious teeth. :lol:

But I really love Jane's idea with scattering the food. Let us know how it goes, and I'm gonna try it too!
 
thanks i would say its excitement. coco is the same bless him it came for him from never knowing when his next meal would be... and he cant really see either as has cateracts bless him so its a toughy sprinkling food sounds a good trick i might try that!! as its always a race to put the food in the bowl before he gets ther he never means to try and eat the hand that feeds he jsut doesnt know any better!!! x
 
is it just my lot or does anyone notice the girls seems to be more aggressive as it were at meal times all 3 of my girls suddenly change, doc and beth even if theres a leaf on the floor she will still chew at docs mouth to get his bit they are the most loving couple all other times feeding throw an run :lol:
 
is it just my lot or does anyone notice the girls seems to be more aggressive as it were at meal times all 3 of my girls suddenly change, doc and beth even if theres a leaf on the floor she will still chew at docs mouth to get his bit they are the most loving couple all other times feeding throw an run :lol:

It's certainly a theme that it's does on this thread with this behaviour feature, although interestingly enough Rudy snatches and Tinks takes treats gently, but Tinks is more inclined to pinch food off him than the other way round.
 
is it just my lot or does anyone notice the girls seems to be more aggressive as it were at meal times all 3 of my girls suddenly change, doc and beth even if theres a leaf on the floor she will still chew at docs mouth to get his bit they are the most loving couple all other times feeding throw an run :lol:

nope mine too...dora now when she gets her food its her food... she wil lsnatch and grab if she can when arthur first came here and was bonding he kept taking her his carrot peices and giving her the bowl of food by nudging it to her..these days he is still polite and lets her get her head in first but does eat his own greens and carrot bits! x
 
I think Esme and Artie make a lovely couple! Am sure Artie would love a bunny to cuddle up to. Let us know how you get on. There is always people here to offer support and any guidance you might need! :D
 
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