When Rabbits ATTACK!!

squidpop":3gn0q07n said:

I've only got 12 rabbits and I've only been bitten a few times.

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That would be a few times more than I'd tolerate. LOL. Nasty tempered does
do not last very long around my place. It's too easy to call the snake guy. I
let him deal with my problem children.

and, I sure don't want any of their daughter's around either.

grumpy.

grumpy":2dcf2oxr said:

squidpop":2dcf2oxr said:

I've only got 12 rabbits and I've only been bitten a few times.

Click to expand...

That would be a few times more than I'd tolerate. LOL. Nasty tempered does
do not last very long around my place. It's too easy to call the snake guy. I
let him deal with my problem children.

and, I sure don't want any of their daughter's around either.

grumpy.

Click to expand...

I agree with Grumpy, -- I still have one doe that bit me [but it was my own fault, because I reached into the nest box while she was trying to kindle] and she is a little aggressive when the kits are small , but after they come out of the box, she is fine. I am not to squeamish about biting rabbits, and have been bitten a lot of times [I have handled thousands of does] but a doe that is aggressive at the cage door is a freezer bunny. -- and-- I would never even think of breeding those traits...

michaels4gardens":3k16vity said:

grumpy":3k16vity said:

squidpop":3k16vity said:

I've only got 12 rabbits and I've only been bitten a few times.

Click to expand...

That would be a few times more than I'd tolerate. LOL. Nasty tempered does
do not last very long around my place. It's too easy to call the snake guy. I
let him deal with my problem children.

and, I sure don't want any of their daughter's around either.

grumpy.

Click to expand...

I agree with Grumpy, -- I still have one doe that bit me [but it was my own fault, because I reached into the nest box while she was trying to kindle] and she is a little aggressive when the kits are small , but after they come out of the box, she is fine. I am not to squeamish about biting rabbits, and have been bitten a lot of times [I have handled thousands of does] but a doe that is aggressive at the cage door is a freezer bunny. -- and-- I would never even think of breeding those traits...

Click to expand...

Actually it wasn't my does that have bitten me it was bucks after I handled other bucks, and very out of character for these bucks because they are usually freindly and let me pet them at the front of the cage all the time without biting. And I was really only using that for an example of how - if you had gloves on and you had the scent of another rabbit on the gloves the rabbit might just be very confused.

One thing I've never done.........is wear gloves.

If I have to put on a glove ... it is time to be in the freezer .. YOu don't bite the hand that feeds you

I've been busily reading everything here since I joined last week. I have successfully raised several orphaned squirrels over the years, and I have been bitten by some of them, (especially the last one, an alpha male). So, I am familiar with the nastiness, and pain, of that bite. How bad IS a rabbit bite? I assume it is similar to a squirrel's since they have similarly shaped teeth. I have not yet gotten set up and obtained any buns. I'm still in planning stages. I want to be as prepared as I can be, and get my expectations in line with something resembling reasonable.

Stephanie":3reo8w5e said:

I've been busily reading everything here since I joined last week. I have successfully raised several orphaned squirrels over the years, and I have been bitten by some of them, (especially the last one, an alpha male). So, I am familiar with the nastiness, and pain, of that bite. How bad IS a rabbit bite? I assume it is similar to a squirrel's since they have similarly shaped teeth. I have not yet gotten set up and obtained any buns. I'm still in planning stages. I want to be as prepared as I can be, and get my expectations in line with something resembling reasonable.

Click to expand...

This really depends on the rabbit. They can choose to administer a "gentle" disciplinary bite, or a blood-drawing killer bite that may require stitches.

Buns tend to give plenty of warning signs though, (defensive posture, flattened ears, lunging, grunting) which helps keep the incidence of bites rather low, even among those who keep the moody or aggressive ones.
If they are going to surprise you, it's usually immediately postpartum.

I don't breed a doe who turns into a biter a second time, as I know not all rabbits do it, and it is really a lot more fun for me to breed animals I can handle without gloves.

If you are careful about temperaments and watch their body language closely, you may never get bit. I have plenty of very nice rabbits that simply have no desire to bite people.

Of course, there would be the normal precautions in place if you were dealing with injured or panicked animals, but that is with all things. I do my best to prevent my rabbits from getting injured or panicked in the first place. So far, I've been lucky.

I'm new to buns but I'd eat her. I wouldn't want that trait to continue in my herd. I have raised dogs, pits and dobermans, and any pups that show aggressive traits, only 3 in 15 years, were put down right away. I know rabbits are not likely to hit the front page "When Bunnies Attack" (not that anyone would react in a negative way like breed bands) but still I like my fingers.

I'd take the gloves off then approach her, but look for her body language and see if she is still aggressive. I would avoid breeding her at all until she is calmed down; remember aggression is genetic and will be passed on to her kits.

I have a doe that dose NOT like my jacket. Funny thing is it's made out of rabbit fur and I personally think that she thinks it's another rabbit and gets territorial because if I don't have it on she's fine with me. I never wear gloves when I handle my rabbits and if it's cold out and I do have to wear them I have a black leather pair that's great and none of the rabbits seem to mind them. So for you it could be color.

I am glad I read this post last night.

This morning I made sure I introduced my gloves to her first!!! She took a couple boxer swipes at me with her front legs when I reached in her cage, but I think I scared her when I had to move her cage (with her in it). Once I got her out of the cage and into the backyard for some exercise, I converted her cage so I can open the top of her cage and get her out!! When I was handling her she was okay and didn't panic and didn't try to nip me, so I think I just scared the poor thing.

I don't wear gloves and have no problems with our rabbits.

My dad wears gloves all the time and a couple of the does will "box" at him when he goes in their pens.

Can't get dad to take off the gloves - he says he always forgets where he puts them. (He usually puts them in his back pocket!)

I blame the gloves.

All that being said, if a rabbit attacked one of us - gloves or no - it would soon be invited to supper!