bitting

hi

well as some of yous know i adopted a rabbit from sspc last sunday, we h ehas given me a few little nips, 1 on the finger which did bleed and my bro says he has given him a nip aswell, banjo had been in the sspca for over 7months so probably hasnt had as much handling as he would in a home enviroment, and is still settling in, but im was woundering wat is the best thing to do when he does this? just want to stop him before he thinks he can get away with it lol

hiya - is he neutered and how old is he?

i dont know if hes neutred, he is 2

When he nips you need to do what any other rabbit would do - squeal! That is the only way he will understand he has hurt you.

He may very well be protecting his territory though (and wont care he's hurt you), especially as he's not been castrated.

hw much are vet check ups? im thinking of getting my mum to take him just to have a general check, see if hes been castrated or not, wen he bit me i gave him a little smack, not like hard but hes no done it since

Sorry to be so blunt but - does it really matter how much it costs? This is an animal - a life - you have taken on and absolutely must care for for the rest of it's life; whether each and every vet bill is £20 or £2,000.

And please; don't hit your animal - it will just associate you with violence and will keep biting because you keep hitting.

My local vet has a yearly check-up for clients which is free. It might be worth finding out if any of your local vets have a similar scheme. If you did have to pay, it will probably be in the region of £20 or so. It is certainly worth getting it all done so you know if there are any potential problems early on. It might also be worthwhile phoning the SSPCA to ask if he has been vaccinated and when. If he has been with them for 7 months, I expect that they had had him vaccinated and they may know if he has been neutered or not.

Male neutering at my vets is about £45 but obviously will vary. Also it depends whether both testicles have descended too. It will cost more if a testicle is retained inside the body as sometimes happens, but your vet will be able to tell you this when he checks him.

Definitely think about getting your bunny insured if you are worried about vet bills. A single rabbit is about £8 per month. You could also put £10 a month away towards the regular maintenance vet costs that aren't covered by the insurance such as vaccinations, but which are necessary to ensure that your rabbit is insurable. My company insist that they have myxi and vhd vaccinations up to date and their teeth checked once a year.

Having a pet is a lifelong commitment so it is always worthwhile going into such a commitment once you have done your homework and know what costs are involved.

we have all his vet things from sspca nd hes fully vacinated, i jjust dont know if hes been neutered, i will get my mum to look, lol

were not bothered about the money, having all the animals we do all tht is important is they are healthy and happy, he shoudlnt have any health issues cuz he had his full vet check and that

foxyfaerie wrote:Sorry to be so blunt but - does it really matter how much it costs? This is an animal - a life - you have taken on and absolutely must care for for the rest of it's life; whether each and every vet bill is £20 or £2,000.

He's 16, and was not asking because he couldn't afford it, (see later post) but because he wanted to know, vets costs are FAQ's after all. This appraoch isn't helpful and If we are to help Alex give his bun a better quality of life, then a more encouraging approach might be more effective.

Foxy Faerie is right about tapping or hitting your bun Alex, in any way, rabbits don't learn this way, and he'll become afraid of you, and as a rescue bun, you may not even know if he's been hit before?
If your bun is having trouble settling in it may well be anxious, so the nips could reflect that. Try and let him establish his space, and be comfortable in it. As you know, buns are inquisitive, sitting near him will eventually get the better of his curiosity Any pics yet?

hi, thanks i did find that post was a bit harsh lol

well he hasnt bit me again and he had only been here to days on that day so i think he is gettting better, he sits at front of cage in morning waiting to get out he almost jumps in my arms lol

nah not got pics yet cuz my fone broke when my horse dumped me in the river, an new 1 is getting sent so pics should be soon jay

thanks again for ur helpful advice

AlexC wrote:hi, thanks i did find that post was a bit harsh lol

well he hasnt bit me again and he had only been here to days on that day so i think he is gettting better, he sits at front of cage in morning waiting to get out he almost jumps in my arms lol

nah not got pics yet cuz my fone broke when my horse dumped me in the river, an new 1 is getting sent so pics should be soon jay

thanks again for ur helpful advice

Oh to be young again! Definitely a really different reason to have rather than just losing it on a bus like my kids.

Glad your bun is settling down. It takes them a while to break a new owner in to be their lifelong slave.