3 month old polish biter

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Amber Seay

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image.jpg I got my MIL a female Polish that is currently 3 months old when she was 9 weeks old I had to force feed her for about a week as she completely stopped eating and drinking and since then she has become “bitey” she bites my MIL, my 4 year old daughter, and pretty much everyone else except for me and I was of course the bad guy when she was sick I would love some advice on how I could possibly stop the biting as my vet said to just squeal when bites and that should deter her from biting but it has made it worse! So any advice on deterring her from biting the humans in the house??? The picture is Gingersnap the habitual biter!!
 
She may be hormonal. Spaying should help. Also, when she bites (is it a bite --draws blood, or a nip?) you can immediately push her head to the floor, gently but firmly, and hold for a few seconds. That is how a momma bun would 'discipline' a kit. Maybe that would get the message across.
 
Is it a bite or just a nip? Either way, a high pitch squeal/yelp generally makes them stop and realize that they did something to trigger the sound. When my rabbit does something bad, I will push her head to the ground with my hand. Not super hard, but firm and for a few seconds. This is a way to tell her no, and that you are the dominant one.

Work on the bonding. How is she fed? Try hand feeding her veggies. She will eventually learn that the hand is not dangerous. It may take some time to bond with her, but keep trying. Good luck!
 
I agree with what everybody else has said, but I have to mention that even though she's a biter, she is absolutely ADORABLE:p!
 
sounds like hormones are kicking in...also, and this is just my experience... but we used to breed polish bunnies and they were generally not a friendly breed. We had one male that was a sweetheart but the does were all very territorial and snippy.

There are exceptions to every rule, but after raising and living with rabbits for 45 years I truly feel that there are temperamental differences in the various breeds. In general larger breeds (except checkered giants) are more docile, likely because those who breed large rabbits are less likely to put up with a large aggressive bunny than someone who is breeding 3 lb rabbits.

I've bred several breeds and kept others as pets and there are HUGE differences in temperament. Again, this is in general, there are sweethearts and stinkers in every breed.

As far as discipline, a can with a few coins or rocks in it works wonders to train a bunny away from certain behaviors. Everytime they engage in the unwanted behavior, shake the can. They don't like the noise or the startle they get when they hear it and will avoid the behavior that leads to the noisy can. Also, they don't associate the noise with you the way they would if you used your own hand to discipline them so they tend not to try to fight back or avoid you.
 
sounds like hormones are kicking in...also, and this is just my experience... but we used to breed polish bunnies and they were generally not a friendly breed. We had one male that was a sweetheart but the does were all very territorial and snippy.

There are exceptions to every rule, but after raising and living with rabbits for 45 years I truly feel that there are temperamental differences in the various breeds. In general larger breeds (except checkered giants) are more docile, likely because those who breed large rabbits are less likely to put up with a large aggressive bunny than someone who is breeding 3 lb rabbits.

I've bred several breeds and kept others as pets and there are HUGE differences in temperament. Again, this is in general, there are sweethearts and stinkers in every breed.

As far as discipline, a can with a few coins or rocks in it works wonders to train a bunny away from certain behaviors. Everytime they engage in the unwanted behavior, shake the can. They don't like the noise or the startle they get when they hear it and will avoid the behavior that leads to the noisy can. Also, they don't associate the noise with you the way they would if you used your own hand to discipline them so they tend not to try to fight back or avoid you.
That’s a good idea - the can with rocks. I often clap my hands to deter Apollo from bad behaviour too!
 
I’m thinking she doesn’t bite me because when I pet her I am pretty firm my MIL “doesn’t want to hurt her” so she is very soft with her so I will tell her the firmly but gently push her head down we will try that then we will try the coins in a can see if that works I have a Polish that is so sweet and cuddly named Henry he is my picture and Gingersnap was cuddly until her week of sickness where I had to force feed her from then on she bites everybody but me and I was the bad guy so we will figure it out
 
I have a Polish that is so sweet and cuddly named Henry

When we raised polish we had the dearest little buck, Mini. He was a cuddler. He eventually developed issues with his front teeth and I had to trim them regularly, he was a champ about it and never gave me any trouble. Our does were another story, they were little hellions. Good thing they are so cute!
 
well... I think you should reinforce the good behavior and discipline like her mom would like blue eyes said. she is a very pretty polish though! also if you get a few chew toys and a natural stick like from your yard that might help if she just needs something to chew on, my polish will nip if he doesn't have anything to chew on. if she does already have something to chew on try something else that has a different texture! hope this helps.
 

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