Nipping

Nibbler has taken to (in the past week or so) nipping/digging at me at night. It's not actually me he's doing it to, but to my clothing and/or when I've got a throw on me. But it is me he's doing it to, in that he only directs this towards my clothing or a throw I've got on me, he doesn't do it to my OH's clothing (and we're usually sat on the same sofa, so I am very sure it is directed at me). I'm wondering what the hell I've done or what this could mean. Literally nothing has changed in his routine, or anything surrounding him, there's been no new visitors or anyone else's pets come visit. I'm wondering whether it is food related (99% of the time I give him his morning and night time pellets), in that he's telling me that this is past his bedtime hour and he should have been fed already, but if we are having a later evening then I don't want to give him his pellets and shut him away while we're still up and about or neither of us will like that. A slight fluctuation in his night time pellets has always been around as we never go bed at the same time each evening, so having it at 10 or 11 has never seemed to be a problem before.

I'm just wondering whether other people think it is food related and what I could do to stop it. I have been gently pushing him away/sticking my hand in his way when he has started, but he consistently carries on. He only stops as I give up, feed him and go bed, where he gets shut in his pen for the night. I've managed to sometimes stop him by fussing him as he gets in to the fussing, but afterwards he goes straight back to nipping/digging at me. I'm worried that if it is food related and I'm pandering to it and feeding him, he could learn that nipping means food and it could become a more general nip when wanting food which would obviously not be good! In fact thinking about it this weekend he did come up to me and nip me, and this was during the day. But again I just cuddled him and he stopped. He has a constant access to unlimited hay, so it's not that he's going without, he just wants the tastier option it seems! I know with dogs you can shriek to let them know that what they did hurt, but does the same work with rabbits? Should I just feed him his pellets and let him roam again? In all fairness, the reason why we started giving him night time pellets was an easy way to get him in to bed, I remember the days where we first had him and would spend half an hour trying to get him in to his pen I think we would fair better now in getting him in, but I have noticed that when I have previously put him in his pen without pellets as he's already had them, he just goes straight to biting the pen (I'm only bothered about his teeth when he starts this, the noise it creates isn't a problem), at least if I give him his pellets he tends to just chill out instead of chewing the bars.



He was being a bit strange generally last night, as we were having a cuddle then he pelted it off the sofa and would not stop stamping for a good 15 minutes. I tried everything to calm him down, but when he was doing his robot walk across the room it looked like he was looking at me being all worried I'm putting it down to strange tv noises or the tv remote as I was just searching and searching so I thought it could have been the red lazery thing on the remote (I think it was the red lava lamp that freaked him out before which is where I'm making that connection!), but could I have done something to upset him? I think his thumps were more scared than annoyance because of the robot walking.

I'm just really confused and don't know what to do! I don't want my little guy to fall out with me

I know that when Willow was a single bunny she would get into this habit. It is interesting you say that he stops when you give him fuss, and she was the same.

In the end, I put it down to Willow seeing me as her "friend" (and as you are Nibbler's sole carer he probably sees you that way, too). After observing Willow and Mojo together, when she wants grooming she will often nip him, as if to say "groom me". This is quite possibly what she used to do to me, and what Nibbler is doing to you. Especially as it's stopping when you do fuss him, and starting again when you stop fussing him.

I can't think of any other reason why since you are a very responsible bunny mummy and Nibbler has a fab life.

Sending you lots of hugs and lots of "stop nipping!" vibes to Nibbler, too

When Toffee nips, it's all about noms!

Either we're not quick enough with the carrot crunchies, in which case she nips our toes (always the left big toe, wonder what that means...). Or sometimes I wonder about her eyesight, as she can sometimes overshoot the crunchie and get my fingers!

Could it be spring fever?

Normally i find this means 'i want food' or 'pay me attention' haha so either of these would probably stop this. if he doesn't usually mind being fed a bit later i would say he just wants some head strokes. if he continues and you want him out of the habbit i would suggest either ignoring him of using a little squirt of a spray bottle.

Can you not feed him and but not shut him away? or feed him a small amount of herbs or something and then pellets when you do go to bed?

also the shrieking method does work with buns too

Thanks for your opinions, sounds like a combination of food & fuss! Will try & distract him with other things until he can go bed, see if that stops him!

We have had buns that did this at one time or another. I agree with the above in that he wants attention/noms. Rory will demand attention at night when he is ready to go to bed(and get noms). When he does this(even if it is an hour early) we declare "Bunny bedtime!", give him his noms and put him in for the night. We don't let him out after that. It took a time or two of him wanting back out, but er didn't cave in.

As you know love, Binky sleeps on my bed at night. If I turn over towards the light and read, he will come up and scratch my back and nip for attention, which of course he gets LOL!!

Hugs

Jo xx

jolovesbunnies wrote:As you know love, Binky sleeps on my bed at night. If I turn over towards the light and read, he will come up and scratch my back and nip for attention, which of course he gets LOL!!

Hugs

Jo xx

Oh, Jo! That is just about the sweetest thing I've ever heard!