Are you getting bitten by your pretty bunny frequently these days? You’re not alone.
Rabbits biting their owners isn’t an unusual scenario at all. At that time, you surely have this question in your mind, “why does my rabbit bite me?”
Though mostly peaceful, sometimes your rabbit can get mad at you. There are substantial reasons why a rabbit might start chewing on or biting furniture, clothes, carpets, and even human skin. The reasons may vary depending on the rabbit’s age, species, health, or surroundings.
We’ll try to explain some good reasons behind such odd behavior of rabbits. If you bear with us, you can probably get away with some solutions to the biting problem of your bunny too.
5 Reasons Your Rabbit Is Biting You
As mentioned earlier, your rabbit won’t bite you unless there’s a good reason. You must check whether something’s bothering it or if its well-being is somehow compromised.
Finding out the proper reason behind biting is necessary for taking the right step. Since rabbits are soft-hearted animals, doing anything forcefully can harm or even kill your rabbit.
So, learn about the five reasons we’re sharing in the following to get the answer to your question, why is my rabbit biting me?
1. Seeking Attention
When your adorable bunny bites you, it may just be because it needs to be pampered. Rabbits are social animals and they want love from their people, be it from their own species or humans.
So, when your rabbit is repetitively chewing on your clothes or nibbling at your skin, chances are it needs your attention. It’s because once a rabbit starts loving its owner, the owner has to be around.
If you’re working and your rabbit bites you frequently, pat its back, take it on your lap, or give it some food. Getting some affection may stop its tendency to bite you and act normally again.
2. Acting Against Territorial Threat
Has it happened that every time you attempt to clean your rabbit’s cage it hisses at you or bites you? You might wonder, has my bunny gone mad?
A pet rabbit may lunge at its owner while being protective of its cage and belongings. Believe it or not, rabbits are very possessive about their toys, water bowls, foods, beddings, etc. And if you mess around with those, don’t get shocked if your pet rabbit bites hard.
Rabbits have their own way of keeping their belongings together. So, naturally, your rabbit hates it when you spoil the ideal arrangement of things. What you can do to avoid getting bitten is to distract your pet rabbit with food, toys, or music while cleaning its place.
And most importantly, don’t forget to keep things in their right places!
3. Hormonal Change & Sexual Maturity
As your rabbit comes of age, it naturally shows the signs of hormonal changes going on inside its body. One of the telling signs of it could be biting. Besides, peeing outside the litter box, lack of appetite, etc., may prevail.
By this time, you should realize, that “my bunny must’ve become sexually mature.”
If that is the case, then you must get your rabbit spayed or neutered. Getting your bunny medically desexed should significantly reduce such odd behaviors.
4. Expression of Pain
Bunnies are sensitive to discomfort or pain. They may be experiencing nudges or pinches due to a compact cage. There may be a tapered spike that has pierced its legs or back. Or else, it might’ve been bitten by other animals like rats or cats inside or outside the house. It might be something related to bad digestion too.
These reasons can interact with your rabbit’s regular charming nature. Hence, it may end up biting, chewing, or growling all day long. Take proper measures or it may hamper the beautiful relationship between you and your little bunny.
5. Expression of Fear
Rabbits don’t bite because they hate their owners. But they can get physically aggressive out of panic or fear too. That’s why you should maintain a friendly environment around your rabbit.
Have you shouted at your bun? Has a dog or cat chased it down? Was there a loud banging noise nearby?
Such incidents may not make your rabbit bite you all of a sudden. However, if they persist, your rabbit may express its fear through an attack.
6 Steps to Stop Your Pet Rabbit from Biting You
Since we’ve covered the possible reasons behind your rabbit biting you, it’s time to get to the remedies. Finding the cause and taking proper steps should reduce your rabbit’s biting habit:
1. Finding the Reason Behind the Biting
First things first. If you can’t find the actual reason why your rabbit is biting you, calming it down will be difficult. As we’ve discussed above, read the situation around your bunny and gather facts.
Check if it’s hurt or scared. See if something’s wrong with its food supply. Is it hormonal rage or something related to its living space?
Find it out and you’ll be off to make up with your bun again.
2. Make Peace with Your Rabbit
As you’ve identified the problem, it’s time to make peace with your bunny. Rabbits long for love and care from their owners. Even if it bit you once or twice, its need for your care won’t ever stop.
Yes, you need to immediately solve the problem that’s bothering your rabbit. But do the following before that:
- Take your bunny on your lap if it allows. Keep it like this for a while and then stroke its fur and pat its head softly.
- If cuddling or stroking isn’t possible, try playing soft music. Rabbits love music.
- Bring it a new toy of its liking.
- Treat it with radish, pumpkin, some hay, or frisee.
Pacifying your rabbit will help you focus on your next steps.
3. Help It to Measure the Triggering Situation
You must focus on the triggers leading to such odd rabbit behavior. Since we’ve discussed the reasons why rabbits bite their owners, you can verify which one’s the most concerning for your rabbit.
Let’s go about it like this; you give your rabbit full attention and care. Then focus on what made it bite you. Was it scared? If not, why would it be aggressive? Is there something wrong with the diet? But you follow proper nutrition as per the vet’s advice. Then what else? Is it protective about its belongings? Or something else in the house is bothering it?
So, as a caring pet owner, that’s how you may approach to determine the triggering situations.
4. Give It Some Space
We all need some space. And yes, your little bunny wants it too. Rabbits do value peaceful and noise-free living. And that doesn’t change even if they start acting weird for some reason.
Instead of wondering “why my rabbit isn’t responding,” give it some time and space. But don’t leave it completely on its own. Keep a watchful eye from a distance. And it’s not hard since you both share the same house.
If your rabbit was scared and not cooperating positively, some alone time might help improve its mood. Also, feeding and napping can make a big difference. So, ensure enough fresh veggies and a clean water supply for your angry bunny.
Hopefully, if the case isn’t too intense, in a day or two, your rabbit should be back to its regular mood.
5. Provide Your Rabbit with Chewable Toys
Rabbits need something to chew on a regular basis. It’s something that keeps them content. So, when they run out of soft toys or chewable objects, they might test their teeth on whatever comes closer (including you).
To avoid this, keep toys available near your bunny, including willow balls, grassy mat, wooden sticks and dumbbells, cardboard tubes, etc.
These fun and useful toys will keep your rabbit busy while saving your skin from the bite. However, be sure that this stuff isn’t treated with bug spray or other harmful chemicals.
6. Ask for a Vet’s Advice
At last, call a vet regarding your pet rabbit’s biting symptoms. After all, you shouldn’t overlook professional advice if the biting persists. There may be something you couldn’t figure out.
A vet will essentially examine your rabbit to tell what’s bothering it. Whatever they suggest, should be followed. If it’s a bad tooth problem, the vet will treat it accordingly. If it’s hormonal, surgery may be on the cards.
Or maybe, you’ll be advised to give your bunny more love and attention; playing with it in the garden or getting away together from the house for a while.
Things to Consider When Preventing Rabbits from Biting
Besides identifying the reasons and taking necessary steps, you must consider a few things to prevent your rabbit from biting. Following these will help you put your rabbit at ease while reconciling with it all over again.
1. Don’t be Harsh with Your Bunny
Some owners mistakenly act rudely with their bunnies while trying to tackle the situation. It’s normal to be upset when you get bitten by your rabbit. However, being its owner and the only person it can call a family, you should be more tolerant.
Things to follow while dealing with an upset bunny:
- Don’t be physically aggressive. It’ll only increase your rabbit’s shock and fear, making it more aggressive.
- Don’t push its head down to calm it. It may make it choke and even lead to fatal injury.
- Don’t shout or throw stuff at it out of anger. The rabbit might run for cover under the sofa or bed in panic. It might even run through the door to never return.
- Don’t hold out its regular supplies like food, water, bedding, and toys.
2. Don’t Force Your Love or Care On It
Forcing your love and care on your bunny may worsen the situation. As we’ve discussed earlier, rabbits require enough space for physical activity and mental orientation.
So, be patient. You might try talking to it from a distance with eye contact. You can, for instance, pat it while talking if it allows you to touch it. If it hisses or runs away, don’t bother. Leave it to its own space. Let it feel safe again.
And let time heal your rabbit’s upsetness while rebuilding the trust between you two. Your bun will hopefully come around soon.
Are Rabbit Bites Dangerous or Infectious?
Many inexperienced pet owners might ask, are rabbit bites dangerous?
In short, maybe some rabbits bite hard, but they aren’t always dangerous. Yes, you may feel pain, itches, etc., but it’s usually nothing deep or lasting.
Your rabbit bites might also bleed, but medically, it doesn’t have any health complications.
Nonetheless, on rare occasions, the bites from your rabbit may get infectious. In that case, get a tetanus shot and prescribed antibiotics as required.
Some diseases that rabbits can spread in humans are:
- Rabies: Rabies can prove to be fatal to both humans and rabbits.
- Pasteurellosis: A bacteria called Pasteurella can live in rabbits’ mouths and spread into the human system through bites. It may lead to infection.
- Tularemia: This rare disease is life-threatening to humans and rabbits. But antibiotic treatment can heal the patient.
- Tetanus: If a particular bacteria type enters the wound from the rabbit bite, this disease may take place.
Bottom Line
So, that’s pretty much all to answer your question, why do rabbits bite? We hope this informative article will guide you to deal with your rabbit in a better way.
Don’t be so upset about your rabbit’s behavior since it’s manageable. Always start with finding the possible reasons and the triggering situations. Take proper steps, so your rabbit reduces or doesn’t feel like biting in an aggressive manner.
Make sure to call a vet for either your rabbit’s constant biting or a possible infection. Whatever you do, remember that there’s no need to panic. Best of luck!