vampire bunny

[kathydip]

Oliver has been awful today with nipping. I now have 4 more bite marks on my legs and the one from yesterday! How much longer will he be like this. I do make sure I yell ow when he bites. Usually it is not acting. His bites really hurt. He can draw blood through a pair of jeans.
I know he is just a baby and needs to learn. And that he still has some bad boy hormones in him but still...

[Sasami]

Was he just neutered? Because like you said, he probably just has some crazy hormones still.

When does he bite? Do you think it's out of aggression? Because if he's drawing blood that's pretty serious. Elvis nips sometimes but not enough to leave a mark and that's just because he is a rescue with "issues"...I've never been bitten by any other bunnies.

Is he maybe just grooming you too hard or something?

[Angelnstuff]

our hoppity nips a good bit still as well, but i really think hes trying to groom, cuz he only does it on my shirt. hopfully persistince will pay off, i was thinking if yelling OW doesnt help maybe squeeking like a dogs squeeky toy would help? i dunno, havent tried it myself, any thoughts?

[Ambieruns10]

Yikes! I don't have any suggestions but good luck.

[andreaS15]

Ouch!
I've never been bitten buy a bunny 'really', Ani get's into moods and puts her teeth on me, or shows them to me but has never bit (Lunging and scratching she does instead). When she gets this way I pet her lots and make baby sounds at her and then give her a treat and keep petting her, a bunny who's head is down and being pet or who had a mouth full of food can't bite

When my bunnies are doing something naughty I clap my hands and say "No" and then the bunnies name. That usually gets them to stop.

Sounds to me your bunny thinks he's the boss, have you looked up some info on agressive bunnies?
When Ani started with her additude problem i did some googling and I believe the house rabbits society had some good info, maybe check out there site.
Good luck!

[ZoeH]

Hi Kathy -

From what you've said, it sounds as though Oliver's behaviour is a little different from the way Eloise's used to be, in that he attacks at random...? Eloise is a biter, but only when she's approached and doesn't want to be. Here's my experience of calming her, anyway, in case it's useful.

Eloise bites and draws blood - since she's had her babies she's been better, but even apart from that, I think persisting with patting her and being nice - feeding her from my hand - has paid off. I now put my hand out to her, she comes and sniffs and starts nibbling. I then scritch her under the chin and move my hand to her head, when she lowers it and lets me pat. She seems to have awarded me dominant bun status - but not always! I reckon it's persistence that's paid off! It's taken a couple of months to get this far, I reckon.

Let us know how you go.

Zoe

[Fane81]

do you have any other pets that Oliver does not like? When my bunny Thimble was small she used to attack me viscously any time i had my other bunny Sniffles' scent anywhere on me, from my feet to my face It took awhile for her to stop doing that, but eventually she stopepd and new she acepts Sniffles scent on everything. It took a good year for Thimble to completey accept Sniffles smell. But now she is fine so i would think if there are any scents about you that Oliver is reacting to? and he's not biting you but instead just reacting to what he believes to be a threatening scent, even if its not really threatening to him

[kathydip]

Thanks for the help everyone. He seems a little bit better. He was just neutered on Halloween so I am sure that there is still too many hormones in him. The last time he really got me good I yelled ow pretty loudly (it really HURT). I think he is starting to get it. I have also been distracting him with a stick he is allowed to chew on.
He likes the cats and seems to like Ophelia - although they have not been together since the day we brought them home. I guess it could be the dogs scent but I really think it's because he wants to do what he wants to do. He doesn't want me to tell him what to do. I hope that once he gets a little older he will calm down. I do think he likes when I kiss his head - but he is still not completely admitting it.

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by kathydip Thanks for the help everyone. He seems a little bit better. He was just neutered on Halloween so I am sure that there is still too many hormones in him. The last time he really got me good I yelled ow pretty loudly (it really HURT). I think he is starting to get it. I have also been distracting him with a stick he is allowed to chew on. He likes the cats and seems to like Ophelia - although they have not been together since the day we brought them home. I guess it could be the dogs scent but I really think it's because he wants to do what he wants to do. He doesn't want me to tell him what to do. I hope that once he gets a little older he will calm down. I do think he likes when I kiss his head - but he is still not completely admitting it.

If that's the case then it's like Elvis. He's kind of bratty sometimes and gets upset (and nippy) when he doesn't get his way. He would do it when I wasn't paying attention to him, didn't give him a treat when he wanted one, took away a toy, etc. So I started ignoring him when he did it and he seemed to learn that nipping didn't accomplish much. If he was being especially rough I would push down his head a bit to show dominance and then pet him. That seemed to calm him down.

But like I said, he never actually drew blood or anything. Either way, he's a lot better now and rarely nips .

[jewels]

This is a quality that I have found in both of my Dutches. Charlie nipped hard when he was really young, and Rocko did too (he's been grown out of it for a few months now). I didn't have Daisy and Creepies when they were that young so I can't say for sure, but I almost thought they were teething. Both Dutch boys used to chew on their cage horribly when they were little; Rocko will still do it a little even now. Either way, I believe he'll grow out of it. Charlie will give little nips on my clothes if I'm in his way (i.e.: if I'm sitting on the couch and he wants to go behind me he pulls at my shirt, or if he's on the floor running a close perimeter of the couch and he wants me to move my leg he'll nip my pants); he's usually good about giving me a warning head-but first (unless he's especially hyper), but his nips don't hurt and he doesn't mean them to.

One thing I did to try to break them of this habit was as soon as they nipped me they went back in the cage and I would pet someone else right in front of them (with Charlie it was Jason's mom's cat, with Rocko it was another bunny). They'd get so jealous and want to be petted that they'd make a ton of racket until I came back to them - and then they'd let me pet them with no nipping.

Good Luck!!!

[dumbo rat]

i have this problem with my rabbit too - he is about 5 months old now and will "nip" me on the arm and will also try and mount me. Will this behaviour calm down if i get him neutered?

[kathydip]

I have noticed a HUGE change in him since he has been neutered. He just keeps getting more mellow. Now if I pick him up when he doesn't want to be (which is always) he may pull at my pants but he doesn't grab skin any more. He is definitely better now. It's been about 2 months. And I think we still have 2 more months before all the hormones are completely gone.
Ophelia has done amazingly well since she has been spayed. She is also a lot more calmer. She still doesn't like to be handled although I never had a big problem with her nipping. The most amazing thing since her spay has been her litter box habits. She is PERFECT now. She always piddled outside the box. But since I brought her home from her spay not once has she piddled anywhere but her box. I would have never believed it if someone told me that but I swear it's true. It was that simple. I will find a stray poo outside the box but that is from the buns (and kitties) jumping in and out of the litter boxes.
I would highly recommend getting him neutered. Oliver is much happier now that his hormones do not rule his world.

[Carissa]

my rabbit used to bite my tummy! lol...he was trying to eat my shirt but always got me instead blah...lol

[purplebumble]

wow im pleased for you. i know from past experience it helps loads..and the hormones take 4 weeks in a biy to drop..but they do seem to carry on mellowing! Does hormones drop after 6 months! But youre lucky shes responded so well..
lol glad its not just me with kitties int he liter box!

Sadly bertie came to me and hed been done last year but house training is not to be with him..i have been told frnech lops tend to poo as they go along but its not just that..he wees wherever he wants to but usually confined to the food areas.sadly Bif is now copying him..sigh...
im going toask the vet whether or not hes just untrainable..whether hes so unsettled that scent marking is essentail..or whetehr or not he has a long term bladder prob..or hes just a lump who gets desperate for a wee but cant go the 2 feet to the litter tray in time!!

oscar may he rip..was a horny little whatnot and very territorial and so on but he was affectinoate so when he got done and his hormones dropped down he replaced all the negative behaviour with affection..until bumble died and i was horrible to him 3 nights in a row..i was crying so hard at losing my boo and he tried to comfort me and i pushed him away i felt awful afterwards in a few days but i dont think he ever frogot it cos when he went under my bed he went all territorial on me and would rush out to bite my ankles..only me!
hormones are the reason behind most of the pet probs with bunnies and why they end up in rescues!
yes neuter for males def and please get the does done..especially before they are 2..uterine cancer appears by then and if they spay intime theres a chance..but sometimes a bit remains and no one even realises it was cancerous and bun ends up like my bif..

[Luckybunny]

My bun has only bitten once and drew blood..a friend of ours has 2 male bunnies of her own. She must have had their scent on her hands. Thankfully the bite was not too bad.