Biting Bunny - any advice?

Hi All :wave:

My Millie is a shark bunny who loves to take a bite out of me so I have to watch my hands when feeding her. She did stop for a while and was bumping me with her nose instead but all that changed again and instead of bumping my hand last time she bit me - caught me out big time! :roll:

Anyway, this morning when I was tidying up the pen for her and her brother and putting in fresh food etc she attacked my ankle! :shock: I just spotted her quick enough to move so she just grazed me but then she decided to have another go - needless to say I got out of the pen!

When she went on her hols to Hopper Haven she was biting the staff there when they were feeding her - good job I'd warned them

I am hoping that it is just the heat aggravating her at the mo. She seems to be well and is eating and drinking, playing and binkying. She doesn't tend to have a dirty bottom - I check as often as I can considering I risk losing my fingers every time and I do follow her around to see if there is any sign of problems when she is hopping about, if you know what I mean.

Has anyone got any ideas on how I deal with this? I do try to occupy her mouth with food, greens etc when I have to get the food bowls out but she can chew really quickly!

Many thanks

I know you have probably seen her before but this is the little monster

Aww those ears, just love that!

The only thing I can relate to: is she spayed?

Kyou said:

Aww those ears, just love that!

The only thing I can relate to: is she spayed?

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Hiya

Yes she is spayed - about 8 months ago now. She lives with her brother who is neutered. They get along okay mostly except when she decides to bully him :roll:

Sounds like you have your hands full with her. Some rabbits can bite when in pain, but I'm sure you've had her checked already to rule that out as she's been like this for a while.

I've read about making a high pitched sound when rabbits bite to show it hurts to get them to stop, but it sound like she knows it does and she is doing it to get you away.

Personally I would try to confront this behaviour so she doesn't get the reaction she wants, which is you getting away from her. Perhaps some protective gloves like these might help -

http://www.mdcexports.co.uk/?p=gauntlet

That way you can keep your hands in near her without so much worry of when she bites, and hopefully when she does and it doesn't make you pull away and leave her alone, she may stop using her teeth in that way. Just an idea.

Im in the same boat with one of my spayed females bonnie,she has probably bit me 10 times in the last 6 months,each time a full biting and kicking attack,i have to be careful at feeding time and any other time actually not to make any fast hand movements.
The other day was a funny one tho,i was changing her toilet and she was next to me on her ramp as i bent down she ran into my ear and growled at me luckily she didnt bite, but other times she can be so loving and will just come and lye on the sofa with me,shes been checked over at the vets to check shes not in pain, so i think maybe shes just a stroppy teenager and will hopefully grow out of it.
Sorry ive got no advise just thought id share my story,goodluck x

Supes said:

Sounds like you have your hands full with her. Some rabbits can bite when in pain, but I'm sure you've had her checked already to rule that out as she's been like this for a while.

I've read about making a high pitched sound when rabbits bite to show it hurts to get them to stop, but it sound like she knows it does and she is doing it to get you away.

Personally I would try to confront this behaviour so she doesn't get the reaction she wants, which is you getting away from her. Perhaps some protective gloves like these might help -

http://www.mdcexports.co.uk/?p=gauntlet

That way you can keep your hands in near her without so much worry of when she bites, and hopefully when she does and it doesn't make you pull away and leave her alone, she may stop using her teeth in that way. Just an idea.

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Hiya

Thanks for this I did have her checked at the vet a while ago and the vet wasn't sure if there were any problems but gave her baytril anyway. She hates going to the vet and really panics - last time she threw herself off the table when she was there.

She comes running to see if I have treats for her when she free ranges and when she is in the hutch/run so it is really a shame that she is behaving this way. I don't treat her any different and still risk petting her a little as I cant leave her out

Toffee pops said:

Im in the same boat with one of my spayed females bonnie,she has probably bit me 10 times in the last 6 months,each time a full biting and kicking attack,i have to be careful at feeding time and any other time actually not to make any fast hand movements.
The other day was a funny one tho,i was changing her toilet and she was next to me on her ramp as i bent down she ran into my ear and growled at me luckily she didnt bite, but other times she can be so loving and will just come and lye on the sofa with me,shes been checked over at the vets to check shes not in pain, so i think maybe shes just a stroppy teenager and will hopefully grow out of it.
Sorry ive got no advise just thought id share my story,goodluck x

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Hiya

Crikey that was a lucky miss! I do feel for you as it really hurts when they bite doesn't it!!!

Millie can be friendly and comes running to meet me so I do try to pet her - albeit very carefully

It still amazes me how a little animal that looks so sweet and innocent can be such a terror!!! :lol:

Where did you get her from and what was it like there?

I agree with the screaming if she does it as that's what rabbits to do each other if they hurt each other. I suppose if she doesn't care that she is hurting you then it won't make any effect though! I have a bit of a grumpy girl also she did this to me! I put my face under the bed to look for her and before I knew it she was charging towards me and whacked me with her paws!

Snowytoshi said:

Where did you get her from and what was it like there?

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Hiya

She came from someone that my OH knows and I've had her and her brother since they were around 9 weeks old. She wasn't a biter when she was a baby but has turned into one since becoming an adult. :roll:

Wear wellies and gloves so she doesn't get the reaction she wants and try to figure out the triggers. When I first got Barney he bit me every day, but I soon learnt why and then I could avoid those situations. He gets possessive over food bowls so I scatter fed or when needing to use bowls placed it down when he was too far away to get there to bite me and was busy doing something else. He also was possessive over his cage, so I changed it to a large walk-in pen which helped and made sure that I wouldn't intrude into it when he was in there - I'd tempt him out of it before cleaning it or whatever.

He's fine now, a right soppy wotsit, and generally only bites when I'm in his way and he's already asked me to move (in bunny talk this is a fairly hard nudge with the nose). He sometimes still bites other people if he thinks they have food or if they try to take his food.

Use bunny language to figure out why she is biting, is she telling you to back off or is she scared or is she wanting a certain reaction or is it real aggression?

Lady Logamorph said:

I agree with the screaming if she does it as that's what rabbits to do each other if they hurt each other. I suppose if she doesn't care that she is hurting you then it won't make any effect though! I have a bit of a grumpy girl also she did this to me! I put my face under the bed to look for her and before I knew it she was charging towards me and whacked me with her paws!

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Oh my goodness! So glad that she didn't get your actual eye!!!!!!

Yelling "owwwwww" really loudly seems to have no affect whatsoever. I have an inch long scar on my hand from where she locked herself on and dragged her teeth through whilst and bashing me with her back feet a few weeks ago :shock: She has bitten the palm of both hands when I have gone to pick up her food dish. Its funny as she is usually just happily sat there munching on hay or something and I don't even know that the bite is coming!

Maybe she just wants me to know that she is in charge. She is a lovely, funny little bun other than this - one of those that is always up to some mischief or another. I hardly ever try to pick her up as she hates it so its not like she thinks I'm going to do something to her.

I don't know...

nessar said:

Wear wellies and gloves so she doesn't get the reaction she wants and try to figure out the triggers. When I first got Barney he bit me every day, but I soon learnt why and then I could avoid those situations. He gets possessive over food bowls so I scatter fed or when needing to use bowls placed it down when he was too far away to get there to bite me and was busy doing something else. He also was possessive over his cage, so I changed it to a large walk-in pen which helped and made sure that I wouldn't intrude into it when he was in there - I'd tempt him out of it before cleaning it or whatever.

He's fine now, a right soppy wotsit, and generally only bites when I'm in his way and he's already asked me to move (in bunny talk this is a fairly hard nudge with the nose). He sometimes still bites other people if he thinks they have food or if they try to take his food.

Use bunny language to figure out why she is biting, is she telling you to back off or is she scared or is she wanting a certain reaction or is it real aggression?

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Thank you for this. :thumb:

I was worried about winding her up more but you are right about trying to see what is making her react this way. I added a pen for them this weekend as they didn't have enough space and thought this would help her chill out plus make it easier for me to clean them etc.