Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Netherland dwarf rabbit keeps nibbling your hand, a friendly behaviour?

Netherland dwarf rabbit is a cute pet. Because of it tiny size and cute look, whatever s/he do to you will seem cute and adorable. This including the time when the bunny keep nibbling your hand. As a pet owner, it is good to know why the rabbit act that way. Is it some sort of friendly behavior? Or your rabbit is trying to get aggressive?

What could all this hand nibbling mean?
Well, nibbling is an act to show domination. Your bunny is trying to show you that he is the leader of the house/territory. This kind of behavior usually shown when the rabbit reach it breeding age. It is very common for a rabbit to do this especially if the bunny is not spayed.

How can you to stop it?
However, it is best to stop this behavior before it turn into a problem. This kind of act might look cute now but it can cause trouble in the future. As the bunny get older, s/he might start to actually bite you harder and since you never try to stop it before s/he might think it is OK to bite you.

You can stop this behavior by saying NO while tapping it nose lightly. Eventually your bunny will understand that you didn't like this behavior and stop doing it. Doing this is also a great way to tell your bunny that you're the one who suppose to be in-charge in the house.

Another way to stop this behavior is by applying some Bitter Apple on your hand. Your rabbit will stop biting because of the bad taste. Beside that, Bitter Apple can also be use to prevent your rabbit from chewing household items.

Basically, what your Netherland dwarf rabbit had done is not really considered as a behavour problem. Atleast not yet at this point. The bunny is doing it to show dominan not to attack you or being aggrasive. But before s/he start to bite you a lot harder, it is best for you to stop this behavior.

Further reading :
How high can a Netherland dwarf jump?
Do Netherland dwarf rabbit like to be around people?
Can Netherland dwarf get along with other rabbit breeds?

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