my buns keep nipping????

hagrid and hermonie have just started chinning everything and NIPPING, every time i need to pick them up or when i am just sitting there they come and nip, its hurts and i have a little girl who hagrid nipped, for no reason i might add, he got away with it that time but not sure the old man is gonna keep letting him get away with it, so help me please why are they doing this and how do i make them stop!?????

thanks eve x

Hi,

Could it be for attention? I posted a similiar question not much more than a week ago I think and everyone said it was probably for attention. But I was convinced it was because eeyore hated me. He would just nip me for no reason what so ever, but not my hand. He would nip my knee or elbow. Twiglet also nipped occassionally but not as often as eeyore.

Well since then we've been letting them loose in the living room, rather than in a small fence area in the evenings and I've been making an effort with eeyore. I've actually found that he doesn't have much patience for a stroke, but he loves a brush. So I've been taking every opportunity to brush him. And both of them haven't nipped me in a week now! So I believe it was an attention thing afterall.

What is your situation? Are they nipping your hand, clothes, or both? One thing is to screech or shout loudly so they know it hurts.

Have you had your bunnies long? You say they nip when you go to pick them up, maybe they've had a bad experience?

I've only just this week finally got the hang of picking them up. I've only had them 3 weeks and I used to be very panicky about picking them up and I'm sure they sense this. Eeyore would just panic and scramble when I picked him up and I would pianic and let him down again and after that he would run away from me when he even saw me!! I had to slowly regain his trust after that.

sorry for going on...

Sam

Zeus went through a stage of nipping. I used the screech thing too. Everytime it hurt I made an eek sound and he got the hint. I also gave him extra strokes and cuddles but if I stopped and he nipped me I would give him anymore after I made the eek sound till he appologised (rabbit style).

Caz

It's probs just their way of communicating with you, but it does hurt!! Princess does this to me sometimes, she is very grunty around dinner time and if she gets over-excited she nips my leg! It doesn't bother me though cos it doesn't happen that often.

Do your kids pick the buns up? It may be that they don't like being picked up so they give a little warning nip. Don't punish them for it whatever you do, cos that'll just make it worse in the long run or make them fearful of you It's hard to know what to do without knowing the true cause, try the eek noise, this is what you do with puppies (although it isn't always successful!).

Nicola

nicolar said:

It's probs just their way of communicating with you, but it does hurt!! Princess does this to me sometimes, she is very grunty around dinner time and if she gets over-excited she nips my leg! It doesn't bother me though cos it doesn't happen that often.

Do your kids pick the buns up? It may be that they don't like being picked up so they give a little warning nip. Don't punish them for it whatever you do, cos that'll just make it worse in the long run or make them fearful of you It's hard to know what to do without knowing the true cause, try the eek noise, this is what you do with puppies (although it isn't always successful!).

Nicola

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hi nicolar my daughter is three and cant pick them up! they are giants after all :lol: :lol: :lol: and they are more tolarant of her than me, i was wondering whether it was jelousy because they are male and female after they have come back in from the garden in the evening i let one roam the frontroom and then on the next night let the other roam the front room but i am also considering whether its just there temperament he is very friendly but likes his own way but she is very shy even though i try to handle her a lot, but she is already refusing to be turned upside down and she is growing at the rate of knots :shock: :shock: :shock: its pretty scary she is gonna be a wopper!!! she is only 13 weeks old and is already bigger than all of my rabbit other than bertie the NZ but not by much!

eve x

Eve where ya been all day? I'm going home as your coming on

Tree said:

Eve where ya been all day? I'm going home as your coming on

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sorry babe i have missed you to but have just been busy all week shopping and stuff, getting ready for next week kids on half term!!!!

i aint even had the chance to read about your home check i will try over the week end hope it went ok!

eve x

Just sounds like they are being bunnies to me!! Try see whether they nip when something specific happens, write it down cos that often helps. Doesn't sound like your girly likes being handled much, I would't force the issue too much as this can make things worse. Do you give her treats when ur handling her? If she likes her food this might help.

If it just their temperament then their isn't much that can be done, just have to live with it Could be hormones kicking in too etc.

Nicola

nicolar said:

Just sounds like they are being bunnies to me!! Try see whether they nip when something specific happens, write it down cos that often helps. Doesn't sound like your girly likes being handled much, I would't force the issue too much as this can make things worse. Do you give her treats when ur handling her? If she likes her food this might help.

If it just their temperament then their isn't much that can be done, just have to live with it Could be hormones kicking in too etc.

Nicola

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nicolar i have to handle her whether she likes it or not to try to help her get used to it she is a baby british giant and a big one at that! i dreed to think that i have a 2 stone giant that dont like being handled!

i do believe there hormones have just kicked in because they have now started chinning everything. but with sixteen rabbits here these are the first that like having a nip! as for threats because they are so young there is no really treat to give her they are not on veggies yet!

simba still nips me occassionally.. always has done. Sometimes he sits lovely while i groom him.. other times he will give me a nip which i assume is him saying thats enough! Other times he nips me when im not doing anything but again i usually guess it means put me down or gis a stroke.
I hope you suss yours out. I havent tried the eek noise on simba so maybe i'll give it a go! I have a lovely little bite mark on the side of my neck from yesterday.. he had his vhd jab and flew up my neck to hide then bit me there!! OUCH! Dont know if anyone gonna believe it was me rabbit tho! :lol: :lol:

How about witholding some of her daily food ration and using that as a reward when she is a good girl being picked up? I really wouldn't make her fearful of being picked up (which is what is happening now cos she doesn't like it!) so would work hard on reward-based work. This will make for a healthy, happy relationship. As you say a 2 stone rabbit could well do some damage when she is older - especially when those hormones kick in big time!! As we all know buns don't like being picked up, some hate it more than others so a reward for a good pick up should help her along

Nicola