When I put my hands in the cage to either feed them or give them fresh water they attack me and it really hurts...I want to cry.
2007-02-05 09:59:35 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I used to breed meat rabbits, and this happened all. the. time. Don't take it personally: lots of rabbits just don't like people messing with their stuff.
Are your rabbits unspayed females? They tend to be more aggressive. Spaying might help with the problem.
Meanwhile, the trick to managing difficult rabbits is to keep your hands above their line of sight. Never put your hand under a rabbit's nose; it's just too easy for them to bite or scratch you. However, if you keep your hand above them, they generally don't do anything about it.
Try throwing a handful of safe greens or hay into the cage to distract them, then quietly and quickly change the food.
If they still come after you even when there's treats in the cage, sneak one hand over behind their head, then come down and gently hold their ears. This is a "control point" on a rabbit: when you have their ears, all they want to do is tense up and squeeze themselves against the wall. It makes them very insecure, and it's not a good way to make friends. Sometimes it's all you can do.
This is what you'd probably need to do if you have to move the rabbit: first grab its ears, then lift up his rump with his other hand, so his hind-legs are curled underneath him. Rest his weight on the hand under his rump.
Another way is to put a wall between you and the rabbit: take a piece of cardboard and push it in to keep the rabbit away from your other hand.
2007-02-05 14:17:44 · answer #1 · answered by Rachel R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are normally two reasons why they do this: hormones or hunger.
If you let your rabbit get too hungry it will attack you. This can sometimes be the problem, but normally the problem is due to hormones.
For a hormone related problem, if it is a doe sometimes the aggressiveness will go away after the doe has had a litter of babies. When you go to feed your rabbits, I recommend using one hand to attract their eye attention and to help keep their attention focused on it. While you have their attention focused on that hand use the other hand to quickly grab the rabbit and to keep it from biting you. After you have control of the rabbit, I recommend petting the rabbit between the eyes for a minute or so. Do this everytime you feed your rabbit. It takes a lot of patience, but the rabbit will slowly become more easy to handle over time. Do not strike the rabbit. That will only make the rabbit more mean. Be careful about using such rabbits, especially does to breed with. The temperment can be passed down to their babies. Also be careful about how the rabbits around the excited/mean rabbit act. Sometimes one rabbit getting excited can cause the others around it to over time become the same way. If you see that happening, pen the mean rabbit away from the others to prevent the one excited rabbit from getting the others excited.
2007-02-06 05:34:49 · answer #2 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have had a couple of rabbits bite me and nonrmally it's cuz they are nervous or showing they are upset/ or telling u they r angry with u. like if i'm late feeding them then there normal time then he will let me know he is angry with me adn he is hungry.
when my rabbits do that i give them a tap on the nose and tell him or her no firmly. they say rabbits don't understand voice commands but i think most do eventually just not as quickly as dogs. but a tap on the nose AS SOON AS they bite will let them no not to do it. and u have to do this EVERYTIME others wise they wont get the point. and if u don't do it rite away they wont know what they did wrong.
and trust me i know it hurts but u don't need needles inless it's wild or gives u a MAJOR gagsh.
hope i can help. good luck and oh one more thing...it wil take time from him to learn so be pactient. u just have to show who's boss.
2007-02-05 10:56:13 · answer #3 · answered by wonderbunny22 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
TRy talking very gentley and softly to them before putting yuor hands in there. Rabbits are nervous. Move slowly. Or give em some treats at teh opposite side of the cage, like a carrot of soem lettuce
2007-02-05 10:05:49 · answer #4 · answered by Jean B 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've had a few bunnies who bit whenever I stuck my hand in their cage. I had them spayed and they stopped biting. Spaying eliminates the hormones which cause them to feel territorial.
2007-02-05 17:35:24 · answer #5 · answered by learning_to_live_616 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It might be your hands scent. Wash your hands before you do anything.
2007-02-05 10:04:37 · answer #6 · answered by Meghan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like rabbit stew to me .........NOT A MEAN PERSON,,,ANIMALS THAT BITE ARE NO MORE
2007-02-05 10:12:06 · answer #7 · answered by tnedutsmp .rM 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
hmmm go ahead and cry idc i hope they bite u rele hard
2007-02-05 16:34:24 · answer #8 · answered by shorty 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋