last hope for a solution

[anulyph]

 hi im new to this forums and so glad ive stumbled across this. I really need advice please. Ive had my holland lop since he was 9 weeks old. He is now about 16 weeks old. I managed to semi litter train him when I got him. He was picking it up very quickly. 3 weeks ago I decided to get him a friend (now im regreting I made a huge mistake). It was like love at first sight and bonded immediately (new one was 5 weeks old now 8 weeks). I recently seperated them into separate cages about a week now. the poop and pee was getting ridiculous!! He all of a sudden stopped using his litter box. Now that there seperated hes gotten better at peeing in the litter box only but not so good with the pooping. The little one just goes everywhere in its cage! I do the whole picking up and putting in to the litter box. I clean cages every 2-3 days! the pooping in the cage doesnt bother me to much. My biggest problem is when I let them out of the cage. My holland is like a bb gun. He starts shooting out pellets as soon as hes out. Then he starts to spray pee everywhere!! you would think after a couple of mins it would stop but no it just keeps going..I even put his litter box out but he wouldnt go in it outside of the cage. I no longer bring them out the same time together anymore as he tries to always mount the other one now. Hes not neutered, im wondering if it would even make a difference? I heard its really expensive? hes also starting to dig up and chew the carpet. Ohh I dont know what to do. This is my last hope. My husband wants them out the reason I got him was for my kids.my 5 year old wanted a bunny so this was going to be his suprise when they finally come home. The bunnys cage is in my kids room. I cant have bunnies pooping and peeing and eatting and digging the carpet all around the house!! Last thing i need is for my babies to eat and step in poop and pee. this is so heart breaking. ive become really attached to my holland. I showed my son his picture (not telling him its ours) and he said “mommy I like him, can we keep him forever”. they are really spoiled. They have everything they could possibly need the load of chew toys. I possibly have a family that wants to adopt the baby bunny. But please help me to find a way to manage my hollands behaviours so we can keep him. 

Thank you  

[Bam]

You need to have him neutered. You can’t have two un-neutered males togeather once both are sexually mature. They will fight and they can hurt each other SERIOUSLY. Is the other one a boy too? If it’s a girl there will be baby-bunnies as soon as she can have them unless you neuter the male.

Neutering most often improves litterbox-habits greatly. During bonding they can become worse again though because both rabbits feel the extra need to mark their space.

Where I live neutering a rabbit is not expensive, but it varies a lot.

[anulyph]

 im not so good with sexing them but I am almost positive the little one is a girl now. Which is why ive seperated them. I know i wont be keeping the little one. I just want to control or find a way to decrease my hollands behaviors as I really want to keep him. 

[StickyBun]

Did you do any research before getting a bunny?  Digging and chewing are natural and normal behaviors for bunnies.  No amount of training is going to make those behaviors ‘go away’…it is just what a bunny does.  They are nothing like cats or dogs.

Create a dig box for your bunny.  I took a large, low sided cardboard box and filled it with shredded paper.  Underneath all the shredded paper I placed a few treats, some hay and some pellets….just a bit of each.  When my bun is out of his xpen enclosure for play time, he loves to go to the dig box and dig, dig, dig and find his surprises! 

Chewing carpet is a behavior that is normal as well as much as it is unacceptable.  Not only does it damage your floors, it also is harmful to bunny if eaten.  All outside play time in the room MUST BE SUPERVISED. Period. No exceptions.  If he tries to chew carpet, clap your hands loudly and say NO! in a firm voice.  If that doesn’t work, then simply place him back in his enclosure and playtime is over for a bit.  It isn’t an instant fix and it will take him a while to get it but he will eventually come to understand that if he chews carpet, his playtime outside his enclosure is over. 

Everyone will tell you that neutering is absolutely necessary…and they are correct.  What I will tell you is that it is not an instant fix either.  Young bunnies must be watched extremely closely just as you would watch your young children closely.  You will still have to teach your bunny what behaviors are appropriate and what behaviors are not.  Bunnies are not an ‘easy’ pet…they are just as much work as a dog or cat…maybe even more so due to their very sensitive digestive systems.

Good luck.  Take some time to do some reading on this behavior forum.  It will help you understand bunny behavior.  Check out the House Rabbit Society page as well.

**Do you have cardboard boxes for your bunny to play with?  I took larger boxes and cut doorways in them for our bun to run through while he is out playing.  Of course instead he jumps on top of them and destroys them by tearing the layers of cardboard up!  Great fun for him and not exactly how I thought he would use them but hey…they are his to play with as he chooses.  Bunnies like to dig, chew, rip and tear things up…so give him appropriate things so he can do his natural behaviors.  I have heard of other members giving buns phone books to destroy and dig.  Its going to make a huge mess but again, that is pretty typical with bunnies.  You mentioned that you have to clean their enclosures every 2-3 days?!!?  Geesh, I clean my buns every single day and I don’t think its much of a big deal…but I knew what to expect.  And yes I work full time and have 2 children as well

[Beka27]

Welcome to BB. I’m sorry you’re having some frustrations with your bunnies…

Bam is exactly right… Your male needs to be neutered to control those behaviors. Spraying, territorial marking, and destructive chewing is normal with an unaltered bun when he reaches sexual maturity. Puberty starts (for males) sometime between 3-4 months. In most cases, neutering eliminates these behaviors within a couple weeks as the hormones subside.

The cost of spaying and neutering varies; it really depends on where you live and the availability of rabbit-savvy/exotic vets. I’ve heard of prices as low as about $60… but if you’re in a “high-cost-of-living” area, it may be as high as $400. The best thing for you to do would be to call around to local vets and get quotes. You may also want to contact local rabbit rescues and ask if they know of any low-cost spay/neuter programs in your area.

You can keep both rabbits, but they would both need to be spay/neutered. Once they are both fixed, you can do bonding sessions to get them to accept each other. Some rabbits will bond in a week, some might take a month, but it is a very likely that they could live together happily. Girls can’t be spayed until about 6 months, so they would need to be kept separate until she is older.

I really want to encourage you to explore your options for keeping both, or at the very least, keeping your male. Bunnies are a joy to have as house companions, but the proper steps need to be taken so you can all live peacefully.

You have come to the right place for assistance. We love to help people learn about rabbits BEFORE they make the decision to bring one home, but we also help people who have gone into rabbit ownership without knowing the full story ahead of time.

[anulyph]

Thank you all. Those are all helpful information. The lilittle bunny has found an awesome home today. Im so happy with the family shes went to. Ive decided to keep my holland and will work extra hard on him using all your tips and advice. I finally found a vet here in hawaii and will schedule an appointment to find out about neutering. When he plays he is ALWAYS supervised but the box idea sounds great!! I will definetly do it later today. Thank you all for your help and support.

[Beka27]

Absolutely! If you have any other questions about this topic, or anything else, you know where to find us :o)

Keep us posted on how his vet visit goes!

[tracface]

Nuter him. I too had two bunnies. One baby pasted away but they are just kits. It takes time i too have a kit and have had multiple bunnies before. It taked time. Each time he poops out side his cage stick him gently in the littrr box. He will get it

[CheriB603]

I bet now that the other bunny is gone, his litterbox habits will go back to normal. He no longer feels the need to mark his territory. Stick with ONE bunny! Especially if you hope to have him bond with you and your kids. Good luck and have fun !!!

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