Roscoe has been demonstrating some serious teenage hormonal behavior the last couple of days.  His crate is in our living room, and he is in it during the day while we work and at night while we sleep.  The rest of the time he has the run of the bunny-proofed areas while we are home.

 

The last day or so his litterbox habits seem to have gone out the window.  He's leaving marking pellets all over the living room, on the furniture, and today he sprayed the couch, I think because the dog was stretched out on it.  He actually jumped up on the couch, and sprayed the couch at the dog's head.

 

He's not neutered yet, and I can't make the appt until I get the paycheck from my 2nd job, which should come in the mail hopefully by the end of the week, which means I can make the appt sometime the following week.  That's almost 2 more weeks of dealing with this.  My husband has been very understanding, but is honestly getting very annoyed with the pellets and Roscoe marking the entire living room.

 

So here is what I have come up with.  My plan was eventually to give Roscoe is own bunny room - a spare bedroom.  Problem is that it has hardwood floors, and I was hoping to wait til I had some extra cash to buy an area rug so he had better traction for binkies.  I decided to clean that out today and bunny proof it, and my plan is to move his crate to the bunny room and let him be loose in the room during the day and while we are sleeping, and have the run of the house while we are home. 

 

I am just worried that he will still think of the living room as his domain, since he seems to be continually marking all over that room.  He doesn't mark anywhere else in the house - just the living room.  I am fine with him leaving pellets in the spare bedroom, I can clean those up easily and won't have to hear about it from hubby, etc.....  So the question is, do I leave him confined in that room for a day or two to establish that is his new home?  Any advice would be appreciated!

I feel your pain... lol. Ash is a big ball of hormones right now also. I think that's great that you're able to devote a whole room to him. I wish I had the extra space... But I think even if he's given is own room he's gonna mark when ever he is allowed to run around until fixed. You will def notice a huge change in behavior once he's altered tho, after Hunny was spay she completely stopped marking. She would even pee on the couch everytime she was on it & after the spay nothing... not even once. It's just gonna take patience till the deed is done... Good luck!

Idk if I'm trying to convince you OR myself, lol. I feel so bad cause I can barely let Ash run around cause he's marking & spraying everywhere, and as soon as Hunny comes his way - FORGET IT! He's totally controlled by those damn hormones & natural instinct to well... hump like bunnies. Lol!

You're right - I am so lucky to have the extra bedroom that isn't being used!  Hubby really wasn't too hip on the idea until the marking started, now he's cool with it.

 

I got the room all set up and put a 3-ft tall baby gate across the doorway - and he spent the last hour grabbing it with his teeth and shaking it, and digging at it with his front feet. He's got all kinds of stuff in there to play with, and all he wants to go get out to come downstairs with us.

 

Well, a few minutes ago, we heard what we thought was the shaking again - but apparently it was Roscoe climbing the gate cuz he just came hopping down the stairs, happy as you please.  I am going to take him back up there and sit with him, see if that will make him happier.  I can't wait for that check to get here you I can make that neuter appt!  Still want to have his crate up there, though, got tired of the mess in the living room, much easier to keep everything organized this way. 

 

I hope you get Ash fixed soon and get him settled down! 

No surprise he got over the gate... I use to keep a gate in the hallway to keep Hunny outta the bedrooms & that didn't last long... now we just keep all the doors closed.

i would never have the human versions...

Can you just confine him more in his normal habitat then allow some time out in the spare room or elsewhere? I would not allow him in the living area at all at the moment. The confinement should only be temporary. Or what about setting up a temporary pen attached to his crate?
If he has some time out in the spare room, maybe go hang out there with him and give him lots if projects to do. Cardboard boxes to tear up often appeal.

It might be worth ringing your vet and seeing if they do payment plans. That way you can book him in sooner.

HUNNY - Tried shutting the door, but the latch is broken. Roscoe can't get it open from his side, but guess what? My dog Brego doesn't like that his buddy is confined, so he goes up and pushes the door open and lets Roscoe out. So now we're using both the gate and the door. The door keeps Roscoe in, and the gate keeps Brego out.

LONGHAIRMIKE - I have a human female teenager, and she's never been this much trouble, LOL!

JERSEYGIRL - I think we've got the issue resolved for now. Roscoe has the run of the room. His crate has a side door and an end door - I've got them both open and he's bouncing in one and out the other. I also made him a tunnel out of a vacuum cleaner box and a couple of other bunny hideouts out of other boxes. And I put a camping chair in there and sat in there with him for several hours last night reading a book. When I finally went to bed, he jumped up on the chair and chilled out and has been fine ever since.

This morning, I opened up the room so he could run free in the house while I got ready for work - so he's got a bit of run-round time with the dogs like we do every morning. Then he comes back to his crate to get his morning greens and munches away happily. I was completely surprised that he came out, down the stairs and hung out for a while - then I took his b'fast up to his crate, thinking I would have to go find him and shoo him up the stairs - but I turned around and there he was, bounced into his bunny room and headed for the "feeding trough."

Funny thing is - he didn't mark anywhere in that room all day yesterday or all evening UNTIL my hubby came in to kiss me good night. As soon as hubby walked out the door, he proceeded to leave marking pellets all around the room. I'm really starting to believe this is a power struggle between the human alpha and the bunny alpha!

Lol! It has happened before. He just may be competing against this human-man-thing for your affection.