*Funny*Bunny*
Warren Veteran
Heya, just wanted to see if anyone knows what this behaviour means.
When Lilly's previous owner gave her to me she let me know that as with most rabbits she hates being held but enjoys being stroked. As it turns out she's really not that bad with being held (she used to wriggle a bit, but now she generally sits still) BUT she chews my clothes wherever she can get to them! I thought this was her expressing her discomfort at being held, so I make sure I don't hold her too often and if I do it's in a safe place to put her down if she gets stressed. The chewing is very gentle chewing though, she never rips through clothes (except one v thin cardie of my mum's :roll
even if I let her just sit on nom on my clothes (if I'm wearing a thick hoodie or something i know she can't accidently get skin, and I have let her on thin clothing if it's old and broken anyway) there's never any loose threads or holes after so she's not nibbling aggresively really :? I also know she isn't TOO stressed being handled as she will happily nom down dandelions/treats as I hold her (which distracts her from clothes nibbling) and feels very relaxed (not tense) so I was beginning to wonder whether this behaviour is not a stress one :?
Earlier I was sat by their hutch on a stool so my knees are the height of their top compartment so when it's open they can come say hello, Harvey regularly comes out onto my knees to lick me (and he also does this non-stop whilst I carry him) and today she wander along my thighs (of her own accord and happily so she wasn't stressed) and got to my top where she first started nomming on the bottom of it and then reached up to nom on my neckline!!! She seems to nibble clothing in the same situations as Harvey grooms me, so I'm beginning to think her nibbling is her way of grooming me :? seems strange but I was wondering if anyone else has this problem and if their rabbits do it affectionately? Or whether it is just naughty behaviour that I should try stop her doing? And if so how do you stop behaviour like that??? Also she will NEVER nibble skin, so if I wear long sleeves she will straight-away chew on my sleeve at my elbow and if I'm wearing short sleeves she'll sniff me there and then move to find my neckline to chew :roll:
Sorry about the essay, but I have always thought it was stress behaviour that she'd grow out of as she settled but she hasn't and it definitely doesn't seem to just happen when she's stressed anymore :? not sure if I should try and discourage her from doing so and how I could do that anyway :?
So calling all rabbit psychologists what does this mean??!?!??! :lol:
When Lilly's previous owner gave her to me she let me know that as with most rabbits she hates being held but enjoys being stroked. As it turns out she's really not that bad with being held (she used to wriggle a bit, but now she generally sits still) BUT she chews my clothes wherever she can get to them! I thought this was her expressing her discomfort at being held, so I make sure I don't hold her too often and if I do it's in a safe place to put her down if she gets stressed. The chewing is very gentle chewing though, she never rips through clothes (except one v thin cardie of my mum's :roll
even if I let her just sit on nom on my clothes (if I'm wearing a thick hoodie or something i know she can't accidently get skin, and I have let her on thin clothing if it's old and broken anyway) there's never any loose threads or holes after so she's not nibbling aggresively really :? I also know she isn't TOO stressed being handled as she will happily nom down dandelions/treats as I hold her (which distracts her from clothes nibbling) and feels very relaxed (not tense) so I was beginning to wonder whether this behaviour is not a stress one :?Earlier I was sat by their hutch on a stool so my knees are the height of their top compartment so when it's open they can come say hello, Harvey regularly comes out onto my knees to lick me (and he also does this non-stop whilst I carry him) and today she wander along my thighs (of her own accord and happily so she wasn't stressed) and got to my top where she first started nomming on the bottom of it and then reached up to nom on my neckline!!! She seems to nibble clothing in the same situations as Harvey grooms me, so I'm beginning to think her nibbling is her way of grooming me :? seems strange but I was wondering if anyone else has this problem and if their rabbits do it affectionately? Or whether it is just naughty behaviour that I should try stop her doing? And if so how do you stop behaviour like that??? Also she will NEVER nibble skin, so if I wear long sleeves she will straight-away chew on my sleeve at my elbow and if I'm wearing short sleeves she'll sniff me there and then move to find my neckline to chew :roll:
Sorry about the essay, but I have always thought it was stress behaviour that she'd grow out of as she settled but she hasn't and it definitely doesn't seem to just happen when she's stressed anymore :? not sure if I should try and discourage her from doing so and how I could do that anyway :?
So calling all rabbit psychologists what does this mean??!?!??! :lol:
