Willful little bleeper biting us when not getting his own way

My mum has been complaining that Jack has been bitey, to be honest I was skeptical about how bad it was but now that I'm at my parents looking after them I can see that he is actually being downright nasty at times.

Jack is an extremely willful little bunny and it's clear he doesn't like it when he doesn't get his own way. If he can't access an area he wants to get into he'll bite, chew and scratch at barriers in an attempt to get there. He will bite and box any hands or shoes that attempt to usher him away. Myself and Stewart have watched him attempt to bite the back door when free ranging and he tries to dig under it as well.

Last night I was heading into the house while he was in the garden and the simple act of raising my foot to block his path triggered a box, scratch and a bite on the foot from him. I won't make the mistake of wearing sandals when outside again.

While we can accept he is just a stroppy little git who throws a world class hissy fit when he doesn't get what he wants the biting is getting a bit tiresome and we were wondering if there was a way of discouraging it.

He doesn't act up unless he's denied something he wants, it's like he knows that you're what's keeping him from getting it so like a toddler he takes his anger out on you. I've never had a rabbit do this before and am unsure how to deal with it. He's nice as pie (though a bit aloof at times) when he's satisfied you're not standing in the way of something he wants and will accept nose rubs and ear massages. Weirdly he doesn't seem as bothered when there's food on the go and will eat happily with Honey and take food from my hand no problem.

I'll try and get a video later on tonight.

Sounds like a bratty bunny! My rabbit used to be a bit bitey too, it took me a year and half to FINALLY win him over and now he is very lovely I'm not as experienced as others on this forum so can't really offer any advice, but I hope he clams down soon

Making sure that behaviour doesn't get him what he wants is one really important thing. As I'm sure you're already intending, thick foot wear (wellies are good) so you can stand til he's worked out you aren't going to move.

They can have one track minds, Scamps bad for this. He still digs at the metal vent covers we fitted 2/3(?) years ago after he pulled out the plastic ones and snuck behind. I'm sure he thinks if he puts enough effort in he can break though and get to the nice tunnel. Distraction is good - enough things to do he doesn't have time for that project.

Tamsin said:

Making sure that behaviour doesn't get him what he wants is one really important thing. As I'm sure you're already intending, thick foot wear (wellies are good) so you can stand til he's worked out you aren't going to move.

They can have one track minds, Scamps bad for this. He still digs at the metal vent covers we fitted 2/3(?) years ago after he pulled out the plastic ones and snuck behind. I'm sure he thinks if he puts enough effort in he can break though and get to the nice tunnel. Distraction is good - enough things to do he doesn't have time for that project.

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Having had a look back through your posts Tamsin I've realised that Scamp is a wild bunny. I have long suspected that Jack is a wildie cross as his behaviour is so different from the three other obviously domestic rabbits we've had.

He appears quite discontent at times and always seems to be looking for a way out of the garden which none of the others bothered about. He is also extremely destructive but also a lot more intelligent than any other rabbit we've had.

Clicker training?
I've heard it recommended for clever buns.

That photo could be Scamp, down to the moult lines and the treat ball :lol: He's longer on the body and less wide at the shoulder than domestics. Long thin legs, skinny feet and smoother hop

Scamp can be very destructive too, and very determined, you see the little cogs turning as he tries to work out how to achieve what he wants. He's not all all aggressive but he will use his teeth to move your feet out the way if they are blocking his route - the nudge, dig and then use your teeth communication method.

He has a big cardboard box to shred, lots of grass, other food only by hand or in a treat ball or some way he has to work for it and, lots of sticks to eat. I think at six he's mellowed a little

Tamsin said:

That photo could be Scamp, down to the moult lines and the treat ball :lol: He's longer on the body and less wide at the shoulder than domestics. Long thin legs, skinny feet and smoother hop

Scamp can be very destructive too, and very determined, you see the little cogs turning as he tries to work out how to achieve what he wants. He's not all all aggressive but he will use his teeth to move your feet out the way if they are blocking his route - the nudge, dig and then use your teeth communication method.

He has a big cardboard box to shred, lots of grass, other food only by hand or in a treat ball or some way he has to work for it and, lots of sticks to eat. I think at six he's mellowed a little

Click to expand...

Jack is extremely long given his small size (1.9kg).



I hope Jack mellows, as much as he is charming in his own wee way it's sad to see him desperately trying to escape the garden when he's at it.

Aww, here's Scamp stretched..



He's 1.45kg

Has Jack ever successfully got out? Scamp tends to think if he's done it once he can do it again, like getting through a vent, we had to remove the catflap and seal the hole after he worked out how to open it and he'd go crazy on wood (gnawed through) would dig at the mesh constantly etc. if we just covered it.

Here is him in action at the vent:

That video certainly looks familiar, you can see the differences in their faces and colour but it looks like their behaviour is very similar. Jack has the long feet and definately has an easier hop than Honey does. He was caught straying near Edinburgh so I assume he's managed to escape from someone else or has been dumped (maybe due to his destructiveness).

Jack did once manage to get through one primary fence in the garden but there's a bigger fence behind it so he didn't actually escape the garden at all. I appreciate this makes it sound like we're keeping them in a garden akin to jurassic park but it's not really. There are two fences/gates on each of two sides to the garden and the other sides are walled.