Do Rabbits Bite? 4 Safety Tips When Interacting with Bunnies

Quick Answer:

Yes! Rabbits do bite. Keep reading below to see why they bite.

“Anything with a mouth can bite” is a popular saying among people who work with animals — and it’s an accurate one. While most people fear bites from dogs or wild animals, animals like rabbits are no exception to the biting rule. Though we often picture rabbits as calm animals that pose no threat, they have teeth — and they know how to use them.

Why Rabbits Bite

Rabbits are prey animals, which means they are at the bottom of the food chain in the wild. While domestic bunnies don’t have to worry about predators, they have the same instincts as wild rabbits when they feel threatened. Bunnies are rarely aggressive, but will bite because they are scared, or because they are defending themselves or their territory.

Bunnies can become protective of their space, and may attempt to bite during cage cleaning, or when items are being moved in their habitat. Conversely, they may bite not because they want you to go away, but because they want attention. Biting is one of the only ways bunnies can get your attention, so it can mean many different things. They can also bite if they’re feeling hormonal.

The Power of a Rabbit’s Bite

Depending on the bunny’s reason for biting, bites can range from a small pinch to a very painful laceration. Bunnies have prominent incisors in the front of their mouths which can break the skin. While their teeth may look like rodent teeth, rabbits are not in the rodent family. They are lagomorphs, and their teeth have a different physiology than squirrels or rats. Like rodents, rabbits’ teeth grow consistently throughout their lives. Hard enamel covers the soft dentin in their teeth, which is also consistent with rodents.

However, while rodents have 16 teeth with two sets of incisors, rabbits have 28 teeth with six incisors. Rabbits have two incisors on the top (maxillary incisors) and two on the bottom (mandibular incisors). Behind the maxillary teeth are two additional incisors known as peg teeth. These six chiseled incisors help them bite through the plants that make up most of their diet.

Bunnies’ teeth have to sever through tough plants, so they are incredibly strong. Despite bunnies’ smaller size, studies have shown that a rabbit’s bite is about a third as strong as an average dog bite — meaning that if a bunny is determined enough, it can cause some real harm.

If a Rabbit Bites

While painful, rabbit bites are rarely dangerous. Infection rates are low, especially if you take precautions such as washing and disinfecting the bite immediately after it happens. You may get a laceration or a bruise from the bite, but it should heal fairly quickly.

A very deep bite has a greater risk of causing infection or even tetanus. Watch for redness, swelling, or discomfort; if these symptoms persist, contact your doctor to see if you need a tetanus shot.

It is always best to avoid being bitten, even if a typical bite won’t do much damage. Here are four tips to avoid an unpleasant and painful interaction with a rabbit.

1. Avoid Rabbits’ Faces

The best way to not get bitten is to not give a rabbit an opportunity to bite. This means keeping your hands away from their mouths. While many people put their hands in front of new dogs to let them sniff in greeting, this gesture can be incredibly threatening to rabbits.

Why is this threatening to rabbits? It all comes down to dominance. To show their dominance, rabbits will often shove their face into that of a subordinate bunny to intimidate them. If you put your hand in front of their faces, they may see it as a challenge, and react aggressively in response.

Another reason to avoid rabbits’ faces is their eyesight. A rabbit’s eyes are located on the sides of its head. This monocular vision allows them to see nearly 360 degrees, as well as above them—a critical skill to help them avoid predators. However, it also leaves them with a blind spot directly in front of their faces, and poor vision up close.

As a result, approaching a bunny’s face from the front can startle them, causing them to lash out to defend themselves. This blind spot also means that even a relaxed, non-threatened bunny may mistake a finger for food.

2. Hold Rabbits Securely

Bunnies feel most comfortable with all four feet firmly on the ground. This makes proper handling very important as being picked up is an automatic stress trigger. Rabbits instinctively kick out their back legs when they are picked up. Not only can this sudden motion cause a person to drop a bunny, but it can also cause serious harm to the rabbit itself.

Rabbits’ hind legs are so powerful that kicking out aggressively can actually break their own back. This makes protecting a rabbit’s spine very important. To prevent them from kicking, hold the rabbit close to your body with a hand supporting its hind legs and back end. Ensure you have a firm grip so that the bunny cannot squirm out of your grasp.

If you know a rabbit is squirmy, pick it up close to the ground. This way, the bunny won’t fall far if the bunny does escape your arms. Protect your arms from scratches or bites by wearing long sleeves when you handle rabbits. If a rabbit is very strong or kicks out excessively, consider wrapping the bunny in a towel in a “bunny burrito” to immobilize its back legs.

3. Take Cues from the Rabbit

A rabbit’s behavior indicates if they are scared or stressed. A distressed rabbit may grunt or thump its hind legs. Oftentimes, though, the cues that they are unhappy are more subtle.

A bunny’s posture can be very indicative of their mood. Content rabbits have relaxed body language, but a scared one will be incredibly alert. It may appear tense or shift its weight to the front of its feet as if it’s about to run. The rabbit will hold incredibly still and freeze in place, perhaps moving only its ears to detect sound.

A nervous rabbit may also flatten to the ground with its ears flat on the back of its head. This is a submissive posture that they will go into if they feel trapped and like there is no escape.

Hiding is also a good sign that a bunny is not comfortable. Anxious rabbits will spend much of their time in a hide house or somewhere they feel protected from view. A bunny that is incredibly wary about coming out will react poorly to stressful situations like being forcibly removed and handled.

Noting and respecting these cues can help keep interactions as stress-free as possible, which will help prevent situations where a rabbit will bite. If the bunny does bite, try to determine what triggered the action.

Since rabbits generally bite when they are afraid or defensive, figuring out what caused that fear can help prevent future problems. Examine when your rabbit bites. Is it during handling? When you’re cleaning the cage? Is food involved? By identifying the trigger, you can come up with solutions to prevent it from happening in the future.

4. Deter Biting Habits

There’s still a chance a rabbit may bite even if you take all of these precautions. Deterring a bunny from biting again can stop a one-time incident from becoming a habit.

To do this, make some noise! An injured bunny makes a loud squealing sound. Replicating this sound communicates that you have been hurt. Other loud sounds such as clapping your hands or whistling can also encourage the rabbit to release the bite and let them know it’s a negative behavior that you don’t like.

Once the rabbit stops biting, pet them gently and offer praise to reinforce the good behavior. With time and consistency, this can help train a bunny not to bite.

Summary of Safety Tips When Interacting with Rabbits