Dotty's nipping!

[mouse_chalk]

Ok, so I know that this is mostly down to her being 8 months old now and not spayed yet- that's happening in a couple of weeks...

It's mostly that she's so over-enthusiastic about things! If you go upstairs, she thinks you have treats (because I take a piece of pinepple up with me at bedtime), and she'll literally knock you over for them! But recently, along with the knocking over, she's started nipping as well. Hard! I think she thinks my hands are the treats, or something.

But she also has a habit of nipping if I dare to stop the noserubs for more than 20 seconds lol. When she jumps on the bed in the mornings, she demands noserubs, but if I'm a bit sleepy, and slow down a bit, CHOMP! If I get out of bed and don't bend down to cuddle her straight away, CHOMP! Lol....

So obviously we're hoping that she'll be a lot better when she's spayed, and obviously she's at that age where she's acting a bit 'teenage', but is there any sort of deterrent for nipping? When she does it, I say 'NO!' very loudly (which wakes Steve up in the mornings :rofl and she just looks at me and then licks me to apologise. But then she'll do it again!


I just wondered if anyone had any ideas on how to keep the nipping at bay that we could try, besides the spaying. I'm quite keen to get this under control while she's still young- she's a big bunny and those nips hurt!

 

[ec]

Antidote: 1st, as you say, spaying. But that's not like an "on/off" switch - not only do hormone levels have to drop, she has to get through her teen stage. Both will take time.

I've been through this with Nibbles, who was spayed right before I adopted her but was clearly far younger than the rescue had thought. She *looked* fully grown but was probably only about 5 months old. So, surprise! I had a nippy teenbun.

I think you're right about Dotty being overenthusiastic; that was very much the case here, and moderated a lot once Nibbles became fully adult. *but* she also thought that hard nips were a good way to try and boss me around. We both had to work together on that behavior, and I have to say that time, patience and love are the real key. Still, Dotty needs to understand that it's not acceptable to nip hard to get you to do what she wants.

one thing I did a lot of: praise Nibbles extravagantly whenever she decided to nosebump rather than bite. (You know, "GOOD girl!" and other encouraging things + occasional treats.) I think it was very hard for her to learn to *not* nip - there was a learning curve for us both. And it only got resolved by the combination of her maturing + my being patient. (not always easy, I know!)

Hang in there, OK? She will eventually be a somewhat calmer version of her teen self - and it sounds like she's got a very impish, fun personality, so ... you've got a lot to look forward to.

Also, this article (on how rabbits' eyes work) might be very helpful: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/vision.html

I don't think Nibbles fully understands that my feet are attached to the rest of my body, any more than she has a sense of scale like we do. (She's always wanting me to join her in places where only a 3-year-old kid could fit!) It's just the nature of the buns and how they (literally) see the world (I think).

 

[tonyshuman]

Some bunnies will nip as part of grooming, but it sounds like Dotty's trying to boss you around, like ec said. What I do when my guys nip is to make kind of a high pitched squeal (like an "eep!") to get their attention. Probably will still wake Steve up, but I think the high pitch is easier for them to understand as "bad!" Of course, positive reinforcement for non-nipping behavior like ec talked about is better than negative reinforcement, but it takes more time!

 

[Flashy]

I would say don't reinforce the nipping. So if you give her nose rubs and stops, and she nips, calmly (with no emotion, so no frustration or anything), move her somewhere else (maybe just turn her 180 degrees, or mover her away, or if she is too big, move you away). That way she will start to learn that if she nips, nothing good comes of it. If she nips and you then carry on doing nose rubs, then you are just telling her that nips give her what she wants, so she will do it more. You need to make sure you don't give her eye contact or tlak to her, just turn her away/move yourself and ignore her for a while. It's very much like with a child actually.

When some of mine nip I just hold their head down. I'm not angry and I make sure to show or feel no emotion, it's just letting them know I'm boss.

 

[ec]

Flashy, I did a lot of that (*very gently* pressing down on Nibbles' head and shoulders) when she would nip, and invariably got "apology licks" in response. So that helped, along with praising her when she nosebumped, licked, etc. But really, it came down to time and patience in the end. (That last part - not unlike how my mom and dad handled me when I was a teenager! )

I think it's worth reminding ourselves that every bun is different; what works well with some might not make a dent with others. I had *no* success with the "Eep!" sound when N. was young, although it works now. (She sometimes gets overenthusiastic when she's grooming my clothes and nips without meaning to.)

One more thing: now that N. has been an adult for a couple of years, I've noticed that when she does nip, she's far more gentle than when she was younger. That makes me wonder if younger buns might not have full control of their muscles - again, similar to feeling gawky and clumsy as a human teen.

 

[mouse_chalk]

Flashy wrote:

I would say don't reinforce the nipping. So if you give her nose rubs and stops, and she nips, calmly (with no emotion, so no frustration or anything), move her somewhere else (maybe just turn her 180 degrees, or mover her away, or if she is too big, move you away). That way she will start to learn that if she nips, nothing good comes of it. If she nips and you then carry on doing nose rubs, then you are just telling her that nips give her what she wants, so she will do it more. You need to make sure you don't give her eye contact or tlak to her, just turn her away/move yourself and ignore her for a while. It's very much like with a child actually.

That sounds good.... I'll definitely try that...

Earlier, I was lying on the floor, and she snuggled up to my face (she does that a lot). We had a cuddle for a while, then because I stopped stroking her, she got up and nipped my shoulder. I turned her 180 and put her a little bit away, and she came straight back and shoved her head under my chin and started licking my hand! I guess she's trying to say sorry in her own funny way? Should I allow that?

I guess you're right that I do kind of carry on doing the noserubs, because a) I don't want to get nipped again, and b) if you see her big sad looking eyes and her big nose looking at you like 'all I want is some love, is that too much to ask?' it's very hard to say no lol!


I've tried the squeaky noise- she looks at me astonished, with her ears straight up in the air, and then just lies back down again with her nose ready for more noserubs- I wasn't sure if that was success or not lol!


I guess I am overall being way too soft with her. It's hard though. I think what it is, is that I'm so sort of shocked, because I've never had a cuddly bunny before, that I'm letting her get away with murder! (Well, not quite, but nearly!)


Thanks everyone for the advice! :weee:

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Well, Tony nips like that if he's in HIS cage. Once he's out he's a big sweetheart. Maybe she's being "dominant" in HER space?

 

[mouse_chalk]

Bo B Bunny wrote:

Well, Tony nips like that if he's in HIS cage. Once he's out he's a big sweetheart. Maybe she's being "dominant" in HER space

In which case.... Houston we have a problem, because her space is the whole of our bedroom, the hallway, Steve's office, the bathroom and her bed! :shock::shock:

Oh gosh we are so bunny whipped LOL!


Edit: I said her bed? I meant OUR bed! See I'm thinking like a proper bunny slave! :shock:

 

[JadeIcing]

mouse_chalk wrote:

I guess you're right that I do kind of carry on doing the noserubs, because a) I don't want to get nipped again, and b) if you see her big sad looking eyes and her big nose looking at you like 'all I want is some love, is that too much to ask?'

THAT HAS TO STOP! :XNo reinforcing bad behavior! Ok seriously though it is not a pattern you want to get into it.

Everyone has given you awesome advice.

 

[mouse_chalk]

JadeIcing wrote:

mouse_chalk wrote:

I guess you're right that I do kind of carry on doing the noserubs, because a) I don't want to get nipped again, and b) if you see her big sad looking eyes and her big nose looking at you like 'all I want is some love, is that too much to ask?'

THAT HAS TO STOP! :XNo reinforcing bad behavior! Ok seriously though it is not a pattern you want to get into it.

Everyone has given you awesome advice.

:sofa:


Awww, I got told!


Seriously though, I did get some great advice. From now on I'll be zero-tolerance with her nipping. I hope it will work!

 

[JadeIcing]

Me to because when big buns nip it hurts. :shock:

 

[mouse_chalk]

JadeIcing wrote:

Me to because when big buns nip it hurts. :shock:

It really, really does! She's the size of a small dog but with small nippy bunny teeth... What a combo lol!

 

[Lover_Of_Lopz]

Maybe you should try picking her up and rubbing her mouth I don't know if bunns have baby teeth but if they do she might be teething so they might hurt and she is trying to get them to stop hurting and your fingers are nice and soft

--Nicky

 

[JadeIcing]

No they don't have baby teeth. They have one set that continues to grow.

 

[Lover_Of_Lopz]

sorry i dident know:embarrassed:

 

[mouse_chalk]

Lover_Of_Lopz wrote:

sorry i dident know:embarrassed:

It's ok! :hug:

I don't know if teeth problems would ever be linked to nipping, aside from pain leading to aggression etc, but she has had a full check at the vets and her teeth are all in great shape- the vet actually said her teeth look great- good occlusion and nice alignment.....

*knocks on wood*

 

[Lover_Of_Lopz]

you would think i would of known that bunns only have one set of teeth since i have had them for 5 years

 

[Bo B Bunny]

mouse_chalk wrote:

Bo B Bunny wrote:

Well, Tony nips like that if he's in HIS cage. Once he's out he's a big sweetheart. Maybe she's being "dominant" in HER space

In which case.... Houston we have a problem, because her space is the whole of our bedroom, the hallway, Steve's office, the bathroom and her bed! :shock::shock:

Oh gosh we are so bunny whipped LOL!


Edit: I said her bed? I meant OUR bed! See I'm thinking like a proper bunny slave! :shock:

Exactly what I was thinking. Maybe you need to put up a small pen. Like a tall xpen that is "hers" and she gets out a lot but at least she would feel like she has HER area and then gets to play in YOUR area?

 

[ec]

:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:

That was a *huge* help with Nibbles. My guess is that she'd been confined to tiny cages prior to ending up at the shelter, and she needed to have a space that was all hers. Once she felt comfortable and "safe" there, we made a lot of progress.

It's definitely worth a try!

 

[kirst3buns]

Um, just be glad it was your shoulder. I was laying on my side last week and got nipped on the um...chest area. OUCH:shock:

Basil has been much better but occasionally he forgets. I do find that rewarding the nose bumps and holding his head and shoulders down gently when he nips really help. Good luck and it does take a while.