Nipping bunny - how to retrain?

Question
Thanks very much for your answer and suggestions - actually, my bun seems to be getting the message and is starting to nose-bump when she would previously have nipped. I think she decided that letting me be "top rabbit" is better than getting damp, but we'll see - agreed that it will take time.

I'm wondering, though, if some of this behavior might't be hormonal? She was spayed in May and is still *huge* on digging and shredding (newspaper, thankfully!)
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Followup To

Question -
I adopted an adult rabbit from a rabbit rescue organization 2 months ago. She's spayed (surgery was done in May) and has a lovely personality, but she nips at times.

The nipping in this case isn't "Put me down!" or "Leave me alone!." It happens when she's feeling playful, also when she wants me to move, and sometimes when she wants to be petted. I've worked hard with her to resolve the petting/nipping problem, and that's much, much better now. But I still get nipped (sometimes pretty aggresively) when she gets playful. Squealing doesn't help, and neither does saying "No!" while gently pressing her head and shoulders to the ground for a couple of seconds.

Tonight I started misting her in the face with water, and she seems unfazed. In fact, she decided to challenge me by nipping much more often. Result: a bunny with a damp head and a rather frusrated owner. She *does* know how to take food gently from my fingers and palms, as well as the difference between very gentle nips and hard ones that leave bruises.

Hoping you can help with this!

Best Regards,
E. Collison

Answer -
Dear E.

Wow, that's a new one!  All I can say is that your bunny is very lucky to have such a patient mom!  :)

Truthfully, I fear that this behavior may just have to resolve over time with your patient handling, which sounds as if you're doing all the right things.  But if you would like additional tips, you might get better help from the folks at:

behavior@rabbit.org

since medical stuff is more my strong suit.  I have a bunny who used to hand by her teeth from whatever limb she could grab, and I never could solve the problem.  Not even *Haldol* worked on our little psycho!  Now that she's nearly 13 and bedridden, she finds it harder to bite (and it's not friendly, playful biting, either), but just last night she drew blood on my poor, unsuspecting husband who was just trying to tuck her in and give her a treat for the night!

So this might not be something that will go away in a hurry.  It sounds as if you're doing everything right already!

Dana

Answer
Dear E,

If your bunny was spayed very young, there is some chance that a bit of ovarian tissue was left behind.  However, if she's fairly young (less than two years old), then the behavior you describe sounds normal for a rambunctious "teenager," spayed or not.  She's just a bit of an alpha!  Sounds like a real character, and you're in for a lifetime of fun with her.

She will gradually calm down as she get older, but you can enjoy her mischief now, knowing that it probably won't last forever.  :)

Dana