How do I stop my rabbit from biting??

Question

I have a 15 week old flemish giant and I can't seem to get him to stop biting my boyfriend and occassionally me. When I try to hold him he nibbles then licks and when I've "held him too long" he chomps down on my arm, chest, leg, where ever he can sink his big teeth into. He's not a small baby bunny anymore; almost 7 lbs to be exact. I don't want this problem to continue when he's older and full grown (15 pounds- 8 months). What can I do now to stop his biting??Please help!!!

One more thing to add, I'm not a city slicker. I own 2 horses, 3 dogs, 5 cats, 1 exotic bird, some fish, and previously owned a goat. Cosmo isn't my first rabbit, but this is the first baby I've raised. My other rabbit was adopted from a local animal shelter and was already trained. I can train a horse, not a rabbit. Any advice would be great advice! =)

Answer 1

It doesn't sound like your rabbit is aggressive, just that some of the things you are doing may be wrong. If he was aggressive, I'd have expected you to say he is attacking you or your boyfriend in the cage.

Don't put your fingers or any part of your body in front of their nose to let them lick it. If you leave it there long enough, he'll think it is food and chomp down and bite on it. I see so many little kids do this at the fairs and it really scares me when I see them do that. It's a good way for a little kid to lose a finger. They like to like your fingers or hands due to the salty taste on them due to your sweat.

Too keep him from biting while you are holding him, pet him between the eyes on the forehead. They like this and it puts them in kind of a trance.

Also, you can tuck their head into your armpit and this will give them a place to hide and feel safe while you are holding him. Just be careful, hold him too long and he might try biting your side. If he does try that, just tight your arm up against his head a little bit so that he can't turn his head to bite you. Just to do it to tightly so that he tries backing or pushing out.

Your rabbit doesn't need to be neutered. Male rabbits normally make the best pets. Many times the males as they get older will become like a big puppy dog and stick their head out the cage door for you to pet it when you open the door.

One thing, never hit or spank your rabbit. That only makes a rabbit more aggressive. I've found that petting on the forehead between the eyes seems to work best. Some people say to spray it with water, but that can sometimes make them more agressive too instead of less aggressive. The reasons females sometimes get mean is due to hormones. Between 4-6 months or so they go through an adolescent period. You'll see it happen sometimes in male rabbits, but not nearly as much as with females/does. Normally within a month or so after a doe has a litter and weans them she'll calm down. Sometimes it's evident the very day after she has her babies.

Rabbits aren't threatened per se by petting them on the hindquarters. A better description would be that it scares them because they can't see your hand coming then all of a sudden they feel it on them. Always pet them from the front so they can see your hand coming and expect it. If you scare them, then they may respond on instinct and attack.

Answer 2

Rabbits are NOT rodents to whomever said that. They are lagomorphs, which also includes pikas and hares.

Is he nibbling or doing it in an aggressive manner? Rabbits are prone to nibbling (which may feel more like biting with a large animal).

It sounds like he wants you to leave him alone. Flemish tend to be more cuddly and friendly than most breeds, but in general rabbits are not cuddly animals. I know there are exceptions out there, but that's just the norm.

Rabbits tend to hate being held, so when he's had enough, leave him alone. If you keep socializing him, he should be fine as far as temperament.

Some might say to keep working with him, but he's 15 weeks and it sounds like you give him a great deal of attention AND he sounds like he is not doing it to be aggressive.

It's just his personality. He's a normal rabbit. :)

Answer 3

First and foremost is the general health of the rabbit. You need to make sure that a physical problem is not the prime cause making the bunny aggressive. Rabbits in pain will be aggressive to avoid any more pain. Checking the rabbit for mites, wounds, burrs, or other problems can be done by you and a rabbit-savvy vet. Many times mites or a hidden burr can be driving the rabbit frantic. The second most important thing is to spay/neuter the rabbit. Female rabbits in particular can be very territorial. Many non-spayed female bunnies are fierce defenders of their cages. Spaying will dramatically decrease this tendency. In many but not all cases, it will stop much of the aggressive behavior. In those that it does not decrease the biting and aggressive lunging, a little behavior modification is called for.

Behavior modification involves convincing the rabbit that aggressive behavior is either nonproductive or not necessary. Behavior modification does not mean brainwashing. The rabbit is actually making the decisions with a little help from you. Behavior modification is teaching them that they do not need to bite. You may have a grouchy rabbit, and our goal is a non-biting grouchy rabbit.

If you eliminated physical problems and neutered your bunny and still see aggression then your bunny may have a behavioral problem that you might need to modify. There are several general rules that will speed the taming of Bunnicula. You need to be flexible in how you approach the problem. Flexibility is needed because many aggressive rabbits are on the high end of the IQ range for rabbits. A smart rabbit is both a help and a problem. Remember, many bunnies developed their behavior as a method of coping with a problem, and it worked. Many of these bunnies were picked up incorrectly or were constantly being prodded by little children. They were smart enough to develop a coping strategy. It will take time and some effort on your part to convince them otherwise.

A second contributing factor is that these aggressive rabbits tend to be female, and their behavior may be an extension of their territorial nature. You should always remember that the majority of such rabbits are not innately vicious rabbits; most of them use this coping strategy because they have become frightened of people. Remember that when you are bitten good and hard; it always helps me keep my temper to realize that I must help this bunny get over the fear someone else has caused. For me, the most successful method is to take advantage of their high IQ and the curiosity that goes along with it.

In many cases, not reacting to the bite will break the behavior. If the behavior does not elicit the desired effect, then many bunnies give it up. This is the easy end of the aggressive scale. These rabbits usually pinch very hard, but do not draw blood. If you can avoid reacting to the pinch, just leave your hand there and try not to jerk it away. Talk calmly, don’t raise your voice, and pretend that nothing important happened. This can break the mild biter in a few days to a few weeks. Remember though, a smart bunny may try it on the next new human, but generally they do not try it for long. As the pinching fails, they drop it from of their repertoire of behaviors.


Take some pain, wear some thick sleeves! Good luck!

Answer 4

Rabbits are NOT rodents; they are lagomorphs.

The House Rabbit Society recommends that you respond as another rabbit would - with a high-pitched squeal, indicating pain.

Also, don't hold him for extended periods. Frequent, short spans of interaction are better than a few long ones. Bribe him to come to you on his own with treats. Rabbits love to groom and be groomed, so give him plenty of rubbing on his forehead, around and on his ears and his jaw. Unless he appears to like it, minimize attention to his hindquarters, as most rabbits are threatened by this.

I have a rabbit who nipped not out of irritation, but because she forgets I don't have fur when she's trying to "groom" me. Rabbits lick and nibble each other as part of grooming behavior, and when one has fur, I would assume the nibbles feel good. It sounds like yours is doing some of this as well.

I tried the squeal thing when mine got too rough, and it worked very nicely. Of course, I would also jerk out of the way, and she didn't like that much either. After about a month, she caught on. She is much more careful now!

I had a rabbit years ago who was not a friendly fellow, and would bite - to get him to stop I had to grasp (firmly but GENTLY) the front of his jaw when he would bite and say "NO" very firmly and loudly. That also worked.

You may want to consider that only if the squealing doesn't work.

Answer 5

If he bites commonly when you've "held him too long"... try putting him down sooner. If you put him down BEFORE he bites you, he'll learn he doesn't need to. If you always put him down AFTER he bites you, he's learning that's what he needs to do when he wants down.

Some rabbits simply don't like to be held, so that's always a possibility too. Also, if you haven't had him fixed yet, that might help. My bun was fixed at 4-6mo (vets best guess) and has NEVER bitten. It will also keep him from spraying and from becoming aggressive and territorial later.

For the other occasional bites, I agree with the poster who said to make a high pitched squeal. Check out www.rabbit.org. There's TONS of useful bunny tips on there! Good luck! Aren't bunnies wonderful!?!

Answer 6

Swat the rabbit on the nose with one or two fingers right after he bites you- very carefully to not hurt the rabbit but to stun it. The nose is very sensitive so only a very mild swat almost a pat should be used, especially for such a small creature.

Then take the side of your hand and put it in your rabbits mouth to where the part you use to come down to karate chop is firmly against the top teeth. Say no calmly but in a commanding voice. Your rabbit will learn that bitting is something that is not tolerated social behavior.

Answer 7

I don't think you can since a rabbit is a wild animal it is in his nature.☺

Answer 8

Well, well, well! Another city slicker learns the hard way that rabbits are rodents and unsuitable as pets. Turn his Flemish highness into hasenpfeffer and get a dog.

Answer 9

use bitter apple it is cheap and it is available in most pet stores. and it works.

Answer 10

drop kick it!!