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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Peeing and Biting

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    • Buttercup and Scull
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        Hi-

        Buttercup and Scull are both spayed females about 8 months old.  They’re actually pretty good buns but there are a couple of things I would love to fix.

         

        First,  90% of the time they pee and poo in their litter boxes (on in their hutch and one in the corner of the living room).  There is plexi-glass under the floor of the hutch (so it’s not right on carpet) as well as in the corner where the litterbox is.  Every day I find at least one pee beside, and even UNDER (how they manage to do that I have NO idea!) the litter box.  Clearly they know how to use the litterbox, so why go right beside it?  Also, yesterday, one of them managed to pee in her kibble bowl.  Not a drop outside the bowl…pinpoint accuracy.  But why do that?!  Any way to correct it?  Or should I be grateful they are as good as they are?

         

        Secondly, they’ve started biting!  Since they have no expression and don’t make noise, I can’t tell what they want!  I let them out of their hutch for about an hour in the morning and several hours in the evening for exercise, playing and nightly “bunny massages”.  So when they bite are they mad? Hungry? (there’s always hay, kibble and water in their hutch and I give kale and carrots occasionally and 1/2 banana very occasionally), wanting affection?  It’s so hard to tell.

        They still dig and bite at the sofa and try to tear up the carpet, but when they do, they go back in the hutch.  After having the cushions on my sofa completely destroyed on one side, I now have a mat on the sofa that emits a little pulse if they go on it.  All they have to do is see that it’s there and they don’t jump up.  I also give them lots of cardboard boxes to rip apart and my kids make “chew houses” where they can sort of burrow and find all kinds of bunny chew things.

        Anyway, maybe not the hugest problems anyone had with their buns, but thought I’d post and see if anyone has any thoughts or advice.

         

        Thanks!

        Karen


      • jerseygirl
        Moderator
        22338 posts Send Private Message

          I have just a couple questions: What style and size litter boxes do you use?
          Secondly, when is it that they are biting? Could you give a typical scenario?
          Hopefully, with some extra details, members can get a better idea of what the problem may be.


        • Buttercup and Scull
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            Thanks for asking…

            They are corner litter boxes, about 12×18″…I’ve seen them both it it at the same time (guess it’s true girls have to go to the bathroom together..haha).

            Yesterday I let them out in the evening and they immediately started biting my ankles. I wasn’t focused on them (had some computer work to do) so maybe they wanted attention. Sometimes when I’m watching tv they’ll bite at my ankles or jump up and bite me on the arm or tummy. Sometimes it’s while I’m walking from the fridge to their hutch with a bag of Kale. It seems you’re helping me answer my own question…they bite when they want something (food or attention). Could there be any other reason? Is this typical of bunnies? Buttercup loves attention and will curl up on my chest and as I massage her she licks me…so cute. She’ll also curl up with my 7 year old for an hour or two…very sweet. Scull is skittish and doesn’t like affection and she’s the one that does most of the biting (not when Buttercup is snuggling…i.e. not out of jealousy. She’s territorial too…she bites me when I clean the hutch.

            I don’t know if any of that was helpful.


          • Emmie
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              Zelda does this too. Is it more nipping than biting? With Zelda, depending on what I’m doing, she usually nips at me gently to say hi, or it’s like a grooming thing.

              I’d say they’re just happy to be let out of their cage!


            • jerseygirl
              Moderator
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                It’s helpful

                Rabbits do love attention! That is so sweet that Buttercup will snuggle like that. It could be because Scull is skittish that her nipping is thru some fear. she just might feel less secure and some can always be more “high-strung” then others, as you see with your pair.

                I read in the book “Why does my rabbit…” by Anne McBride a story about a rabbit that took to biting his owners ankles. He was sole bunny and an affectionate guy otherwise but this was a purely attention seeking behaviour. The owner was advised to completely ignore him when he behaved this way. Like you, her rabbit did it when she was busy doing things. I think she initally wore boots so she wouldn’t feel the bites but smart bunny learnt that once the boots came off, he could revert to the behaviour. She had to wear layers of clothing on her legs instead and persist until he got the idea that he got zero attention when he did this.

                There can be other reasons though. I have one who’ll sometime graze my ankle as a “hello” or “move!”. He’ll do it once then continue past me. Sometime the dig and nip at your clothing as a sort of play and you have to try teach when it becomes uncomfortable. Maybe give a squeek if they nip too hard or give them something else to bite into.

                With the litterboxes, I would guess they are either both trying to go at same time and somebody ends up peeing over the edge
                OR
                The are becoming territorial about the litterbox.
                Try adding a second one or using something bigger that allows both of them to fit and room to spare.


              • Buttercup and Scull
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                  I guess it is an attention/play thing. I think it’s nipping but boy it can hurt! I guess I should just be grateful that I have pretty good buns and give them more attention when I let them out of the cage. As for the peeing, the box is definitely big enough for both of them (they are Netherland Dwarves, only 3lb ea) and they do take turns…no fighting, so not sure what to say about that one. I guess just be glad it’s easy to clean up on the plexi-glass and that they don’t do it on the carpet!

                  Thanks for taking the time to respond!


                • jerseygirl
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                    Regarding the peeing, it could be one culprit…

                    Are you using a new type of litter?

                    Peeing in the food bowl sounds like a marking behavior. So there may be a territorial issue between then or towards the humans. If Scull tends to bite when you clean the hutch, it may be better if they’re off elsewhere while you do it so she doesn’t feel threatened or that she needs to defend their territory.


                  • Cuckoo
                    Participant
                    37 posts Send Private Message

                      I have the same poblem!
                      My bun would bite me, not to get attention i believe but from establishing dominence. However I squeek, he’ll immediately put his head under my hand (which he just bit) and kind be there like he’s asking for grooming.


                    • Buttercup and Scull
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                        Thanks for all the great insights!! Now when she bites I have a better idea why. Sometimes it’s wanting attention (now I make sure to give my undivided attention whenever I first let them out), sometimes it’s asserting dominance, a lot of the time it’s territorial. I’ve actually noticed recently more ‘ruckus’ in the hutch…skirmishing and even humping (which surprises me since they’re spayed females). I think Scull is asserting dominance over Buttercup too. She also takes runs at her when they’re out of the cage. Buttercup escapes by going onto the hardwood, where Scull won’t go. There isn’t room in the hutch for 2 litter boxes, so they’ll have to figure out a way to be okay with it. Thanks again, bunny lovers!

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR Peeing and Biting