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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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR I need help

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    • Mylin
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        Hello, 

        My bun is female Netherland Dwarf, and is named Pistachio. She is currently three months old not spayed. I plan to of course once she turns of age. 

        Some may have already seen me lurking around other forums asking questions as I am completely new to bunny ownership and recently I’ve been having a bit of a time with my bunny. I’ve found that she is  bit headstrong and doesn’t mind challenging me. Recently we’ve seemed to conquer her habit to mark my bed as her own. She hasn’t done so in a couple of days and it could simply be because I make sure I guard my bed and keep a watchful eye on her. Fingers crossed though!

        Now I am attempting to iron out a couple of other issues. Litter training is still a bit of a challenge with her. She only uses the bathroom in the cage for the most part, but does not use her litter box. In fact, she will go everywhere else besides the box. I’ve tried to make it as enticing as possible by making sure she has all the hay she would like. I also even went and hung her hay feeder above the litter box so that she would have to get in the box to use it. Sometimes she will hop in nibble at the hay in the box and enjoy some from the feeder as well, but besides the few automatic droppings the majority still are outside of the box. I wouldn’t mind it so much because it is at least inside the cage, it’s troublesome (and costly) having to do entire cage cleanings several times a week versus the more frequent light cleanings. I have even placed a litter box on the outside of the cage for her free roam time, but she seems to ignore it as well. 

        Secondly, I’m a bit worried about her picky eating that she recently started to take up. Prior she was perfectly fine and would consume her fill of Timonthy hay but recently she is favoring her pellets. They are the Oxbow Essentials brand for young rabbits. The pellets are Alfalfa and I’m wondering if this is because she favors Alfalfa more than the Timonthy. I know it is vital for her to consume her Timothy hay so this is a concern. I make sure to observe her droppings and they are still healthy and plentiful. 

        Lastly, and probably the main problem I actually came her to address was her habit of rattling the cage when she wants out. She will do this early in the morning, and is very loud about it. Typically she will grasp the wire of the cage and shake it back and forth until she has caught my attention. She continues to do this until I finally let her out, as she has seemed to learn that this the best way to get free time. I’ve tried telling her ‘no’ when she shakes the cage and it’s too early, but she’ll just give me a look before returning to the rattling. I have also attempted to ignore it so that she will learn that it will not mean she is allowed time out in hopes that she will eventually stop. It is just a bit hard since I can’t ignore it too long as I’m worried I”ll wake up the lady I am renting with. My bunny and I live in a single room together so we are sharing space. I don’t know what to do as it can be a bit disruptive to my sleep, but I don’t want to get in trouble with my landlady. I’ve scouted through these threads and found someone with similiar problems and have already taken into consideration the tips provided here : 

        https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx

        I’m planning on get her a phone book to chew as she likes to rip at my books when I”m reading. I have also both created and bought toys for her but she isn’t interested in them very much. What are some toys that have a high interest rate for rabbits? I have a couple of chewing plugs, I also provided her toilet rolls. I’ve placed pellets inside of an easter egg for her to rattle and push around but nothing seems to keep her interested. I’m hoping the book will work as she always seems to want to eat the book I’m reading. (I originally took her trying to seize the book from me as a sign that she wants my attention, but when I attempt to provide her my attention and pet her she usually hops away or pulls her head away so I leave her be.)

        I”m just concerned as to what to do. She is a sweet bunny and I know she is happy. She enjoys racing around the room and of course binkys quite frequently. Do you think all this behavior is her simple desire to be free range? She’s always much happier when outside the cage but this is problematic as she can’t always be out. Or is this just a way of challenging me into listening to her? I’m still trying to install that I’m top bunny but she doesn’t seem to be giving in either. I know this is all a bit of a ramble, but there’s just so much I’m still trying to learn. I just want to make sure I am able to teach her to follow the “rules” but make sure she is happy and enjoying herself. It’s just a bit more of a pressing issue since it is effecting my sleep (the rattling) which after days is causing me to be a bit crank and I’m concerned of having to forfeit her if my landlady complains. I’m starting to wonder if I was silly in adopting her, but then feel guilty about thinking that. 

        Thanks again!


      • Sindri
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        1515 posts Send Private Message

          Hi. I have 2 Netherland dwarfs myself. My Kilala bun sounds a lot like your little girl. I have a question do you line the bottom of your cage with anything? if you are putting soft bedding on the cage floor she may be confused and going on it instead of the litterbox. my rabbits don’t seem to like blankets or anything like that either so I leave their cage bottoms uncovered. I put in carefresh that’s what I use towards the back of the litter box and then put hay up front and they go in there. kilala pees always in her litterbox but in her outside box she will still poo outside sometimes because of her sitting outside her box eating hay.
          As for the rattling of your cage both my bunnies to the same thing. They know the routine of the day and I rarely get to sleep in anymore. they have kabob toys with bells that hang from the cage and I hear ringing in the morning and it gets increasingly worse until I get up and feed them and let them out. The boy is the worse. I probably wouldn’t get any sleep if I had rabbits in the same room with me. I wish I could help you with that. Kilala seems to freak out when in the cage she doesn’t like it at all. They do develop routines. I give them their bedtime pellet treats to get them into their cages at night and a lot of times if its later than normal they are waiting on me. Give her toys things she likes to chew on in her cage at night that may help. I am not sure what your room size is but if it was big enough perhaps you could get a xpen to put her in instead of a cage. I use those for confined playtime and spay and neuter recovery and they don’t seem to mind being in those compared to a cage. That’s something else you can look into as well. They come in varies sizes. I hope I have helped in some small way. I kind of laughed when you said you were trying to get her to follow the rules. My bunnies rule me. I think some people call themselves bunny slaves I think they are right. hehe Good luck and I hope you can get something worked out to get some sleep!


        • buddyboy
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          50 posts Send Private Message

            I also have a netherland dwarf,but mine was free running from the start.all rabbits seem to go into hiper mode at night and early mornings…if they even sleep at all at night.I’ve shut my bunny in the bathroom before, but just like you’re cage situation,he went crazy and wanted out.he started chewing the door jam,scratching the door and thumping.i have a cardboard box where i put down a flooring full of hay.the box has a hole cut in it for a door.one time i turned the hole against the wall so he Couldnt get out,and he went ballistic,scratching and thumping.i couldnt handle it,so i let him back out.he is most confortable free running and he has his private areas behind furniture,in the closet,and basically anythinf he can go behind where i leave him alone.my sugguestion to you is let your bunny be free running at night and before you leave in the mornings,supply him lotsa food before you go to bed.rabbits sleep most the day,so when you leave for the day,would be the good cage time,maybe even put a towel over the cage.when i come home from work my bunny and i say hello,i give him treats,then he goes back to his…leave me be… Spot and sleeps.i think the cage in the day and free run at night will work a little better for you.


          • njbunny
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              What kind of cage are you using? My bun has a huge dog crate for night and a homemade C&C pen during the day. In the pen he is constantly pulling and shaking at the door area. He grabs the bars with his teeth and flips his head back. When he is in the dog crate he never touches the bars. I cannot figure out what the difference is. Not sure if because the C&C cage has some give he thinks he can move it enough to open it? It’s odd because he has tons of space in the C&C pen but that is the one he keeps trying to push his way out of. Just thinking there is something about the pens/C&C cages that make them do that. Also, when mine starts to shake the bars I just go to another room. Eventually he will get the point!


            • rayray
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              376 posts Send Private Message

                Buddyboy – I totally agree. Ziggy was free roaming at night and in his cage during the day. He is much happier with that and I even get binkies in the morning when I get out of bed. Unfortunately, as Ziggy is not neutered and has since decided to pee the bed, he has lost those privilages until he’s fixed. lol!
                Mylin – I’m thinking most of the litter box issues you are having now will be somewhat resolved when she’s spayed. Continue with the litter training but don’t get too discouraged. Hopefully, the training she’s learned will show once the hormones are gone. I have the same problem with my male bun right now (pooping everywhere) and he has started marking territory (ie. me, my bed, and I’m sure he’s eyeing up a couple other spots as we speak). I’m hoping the neutering will stop a majority of it. Fingers crossed and best of luck!!!


              • buddyboy
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                  I havent neutered my 2yr old bunny,and i just kept puting his poops in hus feeding box,he would come back and snif around for the missing poop. I just kept this up,and i think he realized the whole marking thing wasn’t working. He has since stopped pooping anyware but his hay box. Ive had him for 5 months,it took about 3 montgs to get him totally potty trained.


                • NewBunnyOwner123
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                    I would advise NOT free roaming your rabbit yet. Especially with the lack of litter habits will make a smelly house eventually. I’d get that knocked out before allowing unsupervised free roaming at night. You just never know what they could get themselves into and the fact that she is only 3 months is a big factor too. Young bunnies know how to get into lots of trouble and you need to be their to supervise this. My buns are almost a year old and they are only just now graduating to a bunny room and probably in another year they can be free roam. They are just big trouble makers together so I’m waiting for them to calm down a bit.

                    For litter training, remove ALL types of bedding from the flooring of the cage. Of you have bedding on the floor of the cage this may be why she just uses the entire cage. It could get confusing to them. Only have bedding/litter in her litter box. The floor can be bare. They prefer the plastic anyways because it’s cool. When she is great with her box you can put a blanket in their, maybe. As some buns really can’t help but to pee on a nice soft blanket. If you have a corner litter box she might not like that some buns prefer a larger box and the corner boxes are just too small. Also, getting her spayed is a big factor Ina successful litter training as well. It reduces the urge to mark.


                  • Mylin
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                      Thanks for all the input so far guys!

                      I am already implementing some of the suggestions to get her on track.

                      I had originally been using Carefresh to line her cage, but this morning I simply laid some paper on it to help with soak up any urine. It’s actually a whole lot easier like this ( and cheaper! yay ). I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. But I will be using the bedding in the litter box which I have provided a healthy helping of hay in. I also made sure to keep the feeder above the box as well. She still does not seem to be eating it though. I plan on continuing with the litter box training of course and hopefully she’ll get it. If only I could get her spayed now, but it will come eventually.

                      In regards to her housing I think I came up with some sort of healthy compromise. Currently, she has a pretty big rabbit cage that I bought at the pet store. I’d say it’s maybe 3.5′ x 2′ if I was to guess. A golden retriever could certainly lay down in there so I think it’s a decent size. Prior I would lay a blanket over the cage when she was inside and when I removed the blanket she would know it was time for her to bounce around. That worked for a bit, but once she learned the rattle trick that didn’t seem to do it anymore. Instead I have now bought her a pen which wraps around her cage and allows her a bit more space to hop around. I feel like this will certainly allow her to feel she has that extra freedom that she wanted but also make sure she isn’t all over the place like I want. I actually tried it last night and today and it seems like a success. I set up the pen last night, left her cage door open and when I went to sleep she hopped right in her cage and went to bed as well. This morning I was able to get a full night of sleep which was awesome! She had already been entertaining herself outside of the cage and didn’t have to rattle the door to wake me up. Since it was a success last night, I took a dare and I left her cage door open when I left for work and when I came back looks like all was still good. No messes outside the cage! She didn’t quite make it to the litter box but it all was in the cage in the very least! I think I”m happy with this new set up. It’s only been one day so I can’t say too much but from first impressions it’s looking good. I just want to make sure, but would there be any problems with this new set up?

                      && Sindriona, now that I think about it I think I have actually become a bunny slave myself. I tried to think of myself as the dominate bunny but in the entire time that I just got her I have bought her more treats then myself, I clean her habitat more than mine, I make sure I work my schedule around her and once I learned that a pen would do her good I rearranged my entire room just so she can get some prime space! Haha.


                    • Deleted User
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                        Hi Mylin, my Henry was everything you described above (in the first week I actually thought what have I done (sshhhh – don’t tell Henry, lol)). Thank fully he was so adorable (ha ha ha…) I did exactly what your are doing – ask! Just to let you know the advice you have been given is fantastic, and that you are not alone. By the way, Henry is still a horror to live with (I literally just had to pick up the dog food dish cause he was nibbling on it) gosh, he exhausts me! But like my hubby, I fell in love (why?????).
                        Anyhow, just letting you know, Henry needed to be neutered to stop him from spraying/weeing on my bed (every time he jumped on the bed I winced with me grabbing a pillow for protection, and the dogs hiding behind me). And I did this for about 2 weeks after…. dam, I must have looked stupid!
                        Henry eats (snacks) on oaten hay, it was suggested I was giving him to many pellets, so have cut down to 1/4 cup a day of the same (Oxbow young rabbit food) and he still only snacks on the hay. Was told that some buns will do this for a while, so am not to concerned. If he’s hungry to eat more, he’ll dig into the hay? (stubborn bunny – I bet he won’t!). I also reduced his veggies to 1 & 1/2 cups a day.
                        Henry was always free range but locked in at night cause he kept waking me at 4am (don’t do mornings – I have a fridge magnet to prove it!), but like Pistachio, ‘demanded’ his freedom! So he is no longer locked in, but I have a board up to stop him getting into my room while I am sleeping. I know you are sharing and wish I had a suggestion but I honestly don’t, but it sounds like your well on your way with your new set up, how fantastic! Oh, and just quickly, again cause I didn’t know any better when Henry was bought home, used newspaper and catalogues in his house along with shredded paper for his toilet – as you said cheap! and it worked for us.
                        I know you said it’s only been one day, when it’s 2 you maybe on your way? Fingers and toes crossed for you! All the best, Henry’s mum.


                      • Mylin
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                          Thanks!

                          I was definitely questioning my decision after had taken home my young one but like you said they’re just too cute. She always seemed to know when I was thinking it too because she’d hop right on my chest, plant her fuzzy paws on my cheeks and give me a little kiss before dashing off for some more mischief. Should I consider cutting her pellet diet down? I was under the impression that they should be provided an unlimited amount of pellets until they have come of age, so six months? I’m pretty sure this is something that is answered somewhere in the Food and Diet Forum so I’m going to check it out there in a bit.

                          As an update on her new home, this was the third night. She is definitely happier with her new dedicated space. She still returns to her cage for her naps actually plays with her toys now that they are outside of the cage. I guess she really didn’t find it a fun place! One thing I did notice, though she is happy with her new pen, she still will not let that stand as a substitute for her fee time. I didn’t let her out of the pen yesterday and she let me know she was aware of my tricks. Just as she did with the cage, she took to occasionally shaking the pen. Oh dear, here we go again. This is another argument she has one now she is triumphantly dashing around the room. I actually had to retype this a couple of times as she enjoys hitting the backspace button when I am typing on my laptop. Seeing as I am fighting a losing battle on this one, I’m going to go ahead and just submit this post.

                          I will keep up with the updates, in case of further developments. Further comments are always welcome. (:


                        • Sindri
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                            Hehe I totally agree with what you are saying about rearranging things and cleaning their space before yours and I have spent a ton of money on my rabbits a lot more than on myself. I am glad she likes her space. Mine seem to be very routine orientated and they like things ran on a schedule and done a certain way. That’s probably why she let you know she was aware of your tricks as you said. ehhe I just got done having a very naughty bunny chew up my baseboards in his room because things got rearranged in his bunny room. I didn’t realize how sensitive they are about changes like that. Its been a few days and he is back to his old self of course I put hot sauce on the baseboards too. hehe
                            As far as cutting your pellets down that’s up to you. I have never feed my bunnies unlimited pellets but a lot do. When I bought Usagi my first rabbit the person I bought him from said to give him 1/4 cup a day. Now he gets 1/8 of a cup in the morning and some pellets here and there as used as treats. Kilala my 5 month old gets 1/4 of a cup a day. If my rabbits get more than that I notice they don’t eat as much hay. If your bunny is 3 months you can slowly try adding veggies just one at a time.
                            Best of luck! Sindriona

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                        Forum BEHAVIOR I need help