So When Do Bunnies Become Worth the Effort?

[Russell]

My daughter brought home a baby bunny against my wishes several months ago. she tired of it immediately. I fell in love immediately. I built her a big bunny Taj Mahal had her spayed about 2 months ago and am waiting for her to stop being a sucky bunny. She used to be affectionate and like to be pet. she’s never been big on being held but she would hop up on the back of the couch and hang around the back of my head.

After the spay she became completely litter trained almost immediately. Thats really what has saved her. She will come up to me but not allow me to touch her. She doesn’t really want anything to do with anyone but the dog.

She decided to kick almost her entire litter box out all over everything and last night my daughter caught her sitting in the box and peeing over the side.

She appears to be healthy and not entirely unhappy. However this relationship has become a one way street. She has become livestock not a pet. Livestock doesn’t get to live in the house.

Do bunnies go through phases? Or do I have a defective rabbit?

[Eepster]

Adorable as they are,it is not uncommon for bunnies to not be very cuddly.

What does your daughter do to interact with the bunny, and how old is she, we got Porky when my son was 5? Ways my now 8 year old son has found to interact with his bunny are reading books to him; giving him treats they can share and eat together, such as apple slices; playing piano to the bunny (Porky really does pay attention when my son plays it’s really cute.)

As far as peeing over the side of the litter box goes, it’s not really a behavior thing just an aim issue. The front half of the bunny can’t see where the back half of the bunny is hitting. A larger box with higher sides might help.

To get her happier about petting, try treating it as a grooming request between two bunnies.  get down on the floor with her and ignore her and do your own thing.  Then put your forehead to hers the way bunnies do to each other when they are requesting grooming, and just wait till she starts licking your eyebrows and hairline.  After she has relaxed into grooming she will be ready to receive grooming (pets) from you..  

[manic_muncher]

Some buns take a little longer than others to warm up to us. I laughed a bit reading your post, because it nearly sounded exactly like my Boy, Bumpy. We just hit month 3 following his neuter, and we’ve had him for 6 months now. He would come when we called his name, but only if it suited him. His best friends are food, my dogs, and us provided we have food or dogs around us. With THAT being said… within the last 4 or 5 days, he has REALLY come out of his shell. He runs around behind us, no food needed! One of my dogs follows me EVERYWHERE, especially to the bathroom (he’s afraid I’ll sneak off to the bedroom and leave him behind), the other dog would follow me sometimes. Bumpy would follow them to the bathroom and sniff around, chinning things, just investigating everything. But NOW… he’ll show up in the bathroom without the dogs at all. He runs to me, licks me, binkies around, just having a grand time.

I had gotten to the point of acceptance of his aloof attitude. While I really wanted him to want to be close to me, he still provided me with tons of giggles and happiness just watching him do his thing. So this change the last few days has reeeally made me SUPER happy! Give her a bit more time, she’ll start being more social with you again, and maybe more so. Keep in mind, it can take up to 6-8 weeks for the hormones to fully dissipate following a spay, and some rabbits take a little (or a lot) longer than others to trust you.

Regarding the litter box, occasionally Bumpy runs the bunny 500 around his pen and sometimes flies thru his, kicking out litter. If she is doing that, it shouldn’t be too frequently. I know several members here used wood stove/horse stall pellets as litter, which would prevent litter being kicked out accidentally. If she is actively digging in it… it might be possibly to redirect her digging to something more acceptable, like a cardboard dig box with a phone book inside, or newspaper. And finally, peeing over the side, sometimes happens. I’ve noticed Bumpy normally stands pretty much in the same spot so he doesn’t do that, but I’ve observed him making a quick run to the box, sideways hop into it and hurriedly lift his tail. Almost like he waited until the last possible second to make the mad dash to the bathroom. A litter box with a taller side maybe help with that. I know some even use some of those plastic storage containers for litter boxes.

I don’t think she’s defective! Just give her a bit more time! Keep talking to her and offering treats. She’ll come around.

[Beka27]

Some of the behavior may be her growing up. Baby bunnies are generally more affectionate/tolerant of cuddling and may seek people out more.

What kind of animals are you used to? Behavior-wise, rabbits are more like cats than dogs. Some cats are very cuddly and attention-seeking, other cats only want food and a clean litterbox and are fine having nothing to do with you.

[manic_muncher]

Hmm that’s funny you said that Beka, I always think of Bumpy as dog who is litter box trained! I’ve had many cats, but I am really a dog person, that’s why I love Bumpy so much! Perhaps since I have dogs and he’s friends with them, he emulates them?

 Edit:  I don’t know if anyone has this problem, but if I completely clean his litter box (dump, disinfect, no smell at all) he will hold his pee for upwards of 12 hrs and then pee beside the box.  He will NOT use a properly cleaned litter box, unless I add a bit of the old stuff to it!

[Eepster]

Posted By manic_muncher on 02/08/2014 10:26 AM

Hmm that’s funny you said that Beka, I always think of Bumpy as dog who is litter box trained! I’ve had many cats, but I am really a dog person, that’s why I love Bumpy so much! Perhaps since I have dogs and he’s friends with them, he emulates them?

 Edit:  I don’t know if anyone has this problem, but if I completely clean his litter box (dump, disinfect, no smell at all) he will hold his pee for upwards of 12 hrs and then pee beside the box.  He will NOT use a properly cleaned litter box, unless I add a bit of the old stuff to it!

I never ever thoroughly clean Porky’s box.  When we first got him and he wasn’t litter trained yet, I would put the paper towels I used to soak up most of the pee and any poops I swept up into the litter box to make it smell like the place to poop and pee.

[Bam]

I think what you’re experiencing is bunny teens. All animals go through a phase of teenagery, whether you desex them or not. The teens is a time for emancipation and independence from the parents. But then, as the teenager mature into an adult, there is a return of sense of belonging and the importance and value of being part of a family.

My Bam didn’t start to become cuddly until after he’d been with me for a year. Yohio came around after just a few months, ca 5. Both boys are so cuddly now I never would’ve thought bunnies could become so cuddly. They’re WAY cuddlier than my dog.

I’ve learned that with bunnies, patience is key. It’s very good for me, having been an impatient person all my life. If you can muster the patience, perhaps by trying to look at the whole thing as an excercise in mindfulness and empathy, I think you’ll be able to form a terrific relationship with your bun. The stuff you describe doesn’t indicate that she’s abnormal in any way.

I wish you the best of luck, and if you like you can come here often and ask every concievable bunny-question and we’ll all be so happy to try and help you out.

[Russell]

Thanks to all for the encouragement. I would love for her to become a sweety again. I guess we’ll wait and see.

[Jessie1990]

Alright so, to help with the digging we got a litter box here from BinkyBunny store with the screen included. While it’s not as tall as the one we had before, this allows you to put A LOT less litter in the box. When the rabbits claws hit the metal screen, it becomes “unpleasant” to dig the litter out. So my bunny has stopped completely. I lost sleep for almost a month because of digging, it was so loud. So, that is what I suggest for the digging.

Honestly, your bunny sounds a lot more pleasant than one of mine lol. Ashe is not just aloof, she actually “attacks” us. This goes through spurts. She is highly territorial and has been “fixed” for 6 months (I think about that). She also has a little quirk, where if you move too quickly she attacks you. I mean full on scratching and biting. They break skin but she doesn’t latch on or anything. So, as a result I have to move very slow in and out of her field of vision. We have discovered that she is a VERY intelligent animal, but she is also very easily scared for some reason.

We got her from a petstore when she was very young. This is why it is suggested to adopt an adult altered rabbit. You never know what exactly they will be like when they grow up. We are really not sure why she is like this, unless she experienced something quite traumatic in her short time at the store. I have never had her vision tested, because even if that was the issue, there is nothing that can be done that we are not already doing. She does respond a lot better to sound. She also molts quite frequently which can cause grumpiness.

To help her with these problems, we lay on the floor or stay in the room but let her do her own thing. She comes up when she is ready. She used to take awhile to actually approach, but now she zooms around for about 10 minutes. Her area is in my computer room, so I will just game while she is out. When she’s ready for my presence she will come nudge my feet until I come down lol… she’s totally the queen of the house. Really wish I named her Diva… But Ashe fits too I suppose.

Just be very patient and willing to learn the rabbit body language. It helps a lot. (I’ve avoided quite a few bloody fingers that way

[bunnluff]

It took me a long time to understand that all pets have personalities just like people do, and that while most people and pets are friendly, lovely beings, some aren’t. Case in point, my precious dwarf Bella. She has gotten increasingly more stinky with age, and had I been one of those heartless people who just gives up on an animal, maybe I would have given her away. But I adored her from the moment I saw her and that’s a love that can never be broken. I do everything in my power to make sure she knows how much she’s loved and cared for. But she’s an absolute beast. Peeing where it suits her, attacking me nearly every day, running away from me all the time. I’ve been incredibly patient with her, but I can’t always do things on her terms. So I just accept how bratty she is and thankfully I have a sweetheart rabbit who makes up for it.

[Russell]

Posted By Jessie1990 on 02/08/2014 02:57 PM 

She also has a little quirk, where if you move too quickly she attacks you. I mean full on scratching and biting. They break skin but she doesn’t latch on or anything. So, as a result I have to move very slow in and out of her field of vision. \

She decided to display this “little quirk” last night as I was latching her cage. I have a 90 lb dog that this behavior is unacceptable from. I see no reason that it should be seen as anything other than unacceptable in a 3 lb rabbit. I will not be nearly as tolerant as you if she actually gets ahold of me.

I will continue to care for her and make attempts to groom her but right now I am not a happy rabbit owner. She’s now here because I have a responsibility not because I have high hopes of a warm and fuzzy relationship.

I’m hoping that time will change things.

 

[BunnyLady1989]

I’m sorry I had to laugh as well. When I got Lulu she was only four weeks old and came from a pet store. Of course I didn’t realize this and because of her being so young I’ve had many problems with her health wise, training wise, and especially attitude wise. I’ve loves her to death from day one and I know she loves me too but she’s never been a cuddler. It wasn’t until this past summer, at the age of 3, that she really changed. I had her spayed at the appropriate age and training eventually got better. It just took her much longer to train than a typical bunny. When she turned 3 though I found out she had a pasteurella infection and I could have lost her. It was definitely the worst two weeks of my life, but with lots of motherly love and medication she made a full recovery. From that moment she has changed into a cuddly little girl. She now will hop into bed with me and cuddle, which she never would do. She would usually just jump on the bed to dig and get into trouble. She now has this cute attachment to her toys, mainly her little stuffed animals. Every bunny is different and their attitudes can be all over the board. Patience is going to be the most important lesson with all of this. I think you will be happy in the long run, she just needs time good luck!!

[Stickerbunny]

The lunging sounds like territorial behavior. Some rabbits can become very territorial, especially over their cages. Baby bunnies are often cuddly which gives people the wrong idea about rabbits. They don’t like to be held, being a prey species – it is to them a predator saying “I AM GOING TO EAT YOU!”

For petting, my male is very affectionate and loves being pet. My female, not so much. She will accept pets on her terms, but not mine. Laying in the floor and letting her climb all over me is more fun to her most the time. I can’t reach out to touch her though, or she runs away. But, sometimes she’ll come up to me and want pets and lay there for a few minutes, as long as I ONLY pet her head from nose to between ears, no further on her body.

As Beka said rabbits are more like cats – some are affectionate, my male will even sleep in the bed with me, he’ll lay around for hours being pet and purr at me for it. And some are more aloof – Stickers does the whole cat “freeze and run away” thing at times and she occasionally purrs, but she wants very little to do with me for the most part, a few pets a day and she’s happy. She likes my boyfriend better and will run up to him for pets, but runs away after a couple of strokes too when she’s had enough.

Right now, your girl is growing up, so you don’t have her adult personality. She could warm up to you again after she gets out of her “teen” phase (a lot of rabbits calm down around 2 years old). She’s going through puberty, just without the massive hormones since you spayed her. That means “mom and dad” (the owners) don’t know best, just like with human kids and they are boring old meanies that stop her having fun.

Stickers teen phase was terrible, I had Powder from adult so never saw his. She would run up to me and grunt and nip me. She stopped doing that after that phase, but it was annoying. She also treated me like I was evil and wanted nothing to do with me at all. The only thing that would get her to come near me was a craisin. She destroyed EVERYTHING her teeth touched and she was digging like a mad rabbit at everything she could get her claws on.

If she’s digging her litter box, I would suggest a diggy box for her. Lots of chew toys so she can get her excess chewing out. And patience. Try doing some training with her, such as clicker training, that way you two can bond through something that helps burn off her destructive energies. There were times through Stickers teen phase I didn’t like her, even though I loved her, but as she gets older she gets a lot less annoying. lol

[Deleted User]

Not being a cat person, imagine my horror – just after getting Henry and going to the vet for him to tell me – owning a bunny is just like owning a cat! What? Thankfully, I fell in love with Henry the day before, ha ha ha…..
Don’t give up – my Henry was a horror (ask any BBer) and now I wouldn’t swap him for the world. Our relationship is like no other I have ever experienced (& I LOVE my dog’s), but Henry? How I ended up feeling about him is indescribable – I so hope you get to experience that too. Cheers Russell and take care.

[BunnyLady1989]

Oh, and the digging in the litter box issue could be the type of litter being used? She may not like it. My girl is very picky when it comes to what kind of litter is in her box. And if it’s ‘too dirty’ for her liking she will dig it out too. Crazy girl. It will be a lot of trial and error, but once you work out everything it will all pay off

[Stickerbunny]

Posted By BunnyLady1989 on 02/16/2014 10:51 AM

Oh, and the digging in the litter box issue could be the type of litter being used? She may not like it. My girl is very picky when it comes to what kind of litter is in her box. And if it’s ‘too dirty’ for her liking she will dig it out too. Crazy girl. It will be a lot of trial and error, but once you work out everything it will all pay off

A litter screen ( can make one, or BB sells them) prevents digging out litter too

[ElectricRabbit]

Oh my gosh this reminds me of Orejas my mini lop buck. When I first got him he was EXACTLY like that if not worse! On several occasions he would scratch and bite me. I would shower him in love and he would shower me in pee  It was horrifying. I wanted to give up so many times I lost count. He has now been with me almost 8 months and I love him and he loves me  I somehow (by some miracle) was able to cut his nails. I gave him treats and petted him while calling his name. Our relationship got better when I got him the outdoor hutch. He loves being outside just laying on the wire (there’s a wood/built in wooden box). I take pictures of him all the time and he loves being my model. It takes time to build a relationship. He finally started getting used to me after…. 2 or 3 months?  I think it was three. 

But it’s worth it. When Orejas escaped his play pen once I felt like I lost my other half. I felt like I lost my baby. I found him thank the heavens and he was sleeping from the grand adventure he had (he was gone for like 2 hours). Nothing feels better than a companion that you love and need as much as they need you.  

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