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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 Frustrating behaviors

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    • lunavenus
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        My two baby buns are finally 3 months old and they are slowly going into their puberty stage. They are starting to develop some realllllyyy annoying behaviors. For example: their litter habits went from good to bad to just inconsistent sometimes. I don’t know if it’s because of the size of the litter boxes making it uncomfortable for both bunnies to fit in one and munch on hay or something so I bought them a bigger litter box (large cat litter box) and set that up. I’m going to observe their behavior starting tonight with their litter habits and will update on that later. 

        When I took them on vacation with me, they liked to explore out of their playpen but after they came back home with me. They don’t like leaving their cage AGAIN. What should I do about this? What is a good way to encourage them to come out?? This is starting to get difficult to deal with. I want them to exercise and not be couch potatoes. I want them to get their body moving and be healthy fit bunnies. I literally have a big play area set up connected to their cage with the door open when I’m home but they won’t come out like OMG. They come to me when I walk to the entrance of their cage, but they just sniff me then ignore me or sometimes nudge me for head pets. I’m going to assume this means they think they are the dominants. In the end, they still don’t come out. Is there a way to establish co-dominance??? 

        Another thing. How do I show them that one behavior is acceptable (I approve) and the other unacceptable (I disapprove). How do I show them that I’m mad at them and won’t tolerate certain behaviors? Do I stomp my feet, and turn my back towards them to ignore them? Do I say NO in a stern loud voice? What should I do? 

        I know I have to compromise on some things but seriously, I need to be half boss too. It’s my turf they are living on and I need to establish some sort of dominance in this rabbit hierarchy so my rabbits don’t take me lightly constantly and constantly do whatever they want without an repercussions. I spoil them too much and I’m pretty sure it’s becoming amplified since they aren’t spayed yet and they are hitting that hormonal stage soon. I’m going to get them to the vet in the next few weeks to schedule their spaying, but until then please somebody give me some advice on how to deal with the stuff I listed above. I love my baby bunnies, but they really are a handful 


      • vivi
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          i totally understand what  you are going through

          I love my Beny too, but he has been doing some crazy things that drive nuts

          I do tend to yell NOOO loud and explain lol like he understand…lol he does not...but the big NO helps sometimes and sometimes it does not help…I will continue to do the NOOO because I don’t think bunnies understand much….good luck!!!


        • MiNinoJack
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            My bun likes to bite the baby gate when he’s out. I clap my hands and say no firmly. He stops and looks at me. If he’s in a mood he’ll try to do it again and I that’s when I walk over to him, and he always runs away from the gate. It becomes a game sometimes as he tests me. He sooooo wants free reign of the entire house.

            After he runs I pet him and reassure him that he’s loved and I mean him no harm. He knows what he’s not supposed to do. I’m guessing he responds so well partly because he’s neutered.

            You just have to hang in there until they’re fixed! In the meantime try blocking off the areas they get into trouble. Put puppy pee pads on your floor and cover them with blankets or towels (so they don’t eat the pads) they can pee on so they can get out and run around. If they nip you let out a little high pitched “eeee!!!” So they know they hurt you. I have found positive encouragement has worked better than negative discipline. Good luck!


          • Beka27
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              My advice is to just breathe and buckle up for the ride. You can’t do too much in terms of behavioral correction right now bc their hormones are in charge!

              Do you know for sure (100% no doubt!!!) that they are both female?! Baby bunnies are commonly mis-sexed and if one is a male, the other could get pregnant within the month. If there is any doubt that they are both female, be prepared to separate them within the next week or two.


            • lunavenus
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                Update on their litter box behavior. I think their litter box habits was bad because they tried so hard to squeeze TOGETHER into the tiny kitten litter boxes I had in their cage. After I switched the two litter boxes out with one BIG cat litter box, they stopped leaving pee and poop everywhere. Most of the poop is now in their litter box and they don’t pee anywhere else but the litter box (THANK GOODNESS). I also had to order better litter because the one I have (although paper based not yesterday’s news) makes my room smell funky like spitballs and socks GROOOOSSS. So, I ordered Aspen Supreme and hope it will help with the odor control.

                I also made some adjustments to their playpen. Their playpen took up about a lil less than half my room. Since they dont usually pee in their playpen, I figured eh why not expand their “territory” a lil bit. So I rearranged the metallic grid squares I used to make their cages to block off areas to my desk, and drawers (so they don’t eat my cords and get stuck under the drawers). They get maybe a lil then than three quarters of my room now. Ever since the adjustment, they come out a lil more to “explore.” THANK GOODNESS THEY DIDN’T PEE ON MY CARPET YET!! I’m going to hope they never do hahaha, I have urine cleaners and a special flashlight to detect urine on hand just incase they do pee on my carpet.

                I am pretty sure they are both females as both the reputable breeder I got them from and the Vet’s assistant checked in front of me (showed me) and told me that they are females….. I’m still having second thoughts and doubts so I think within the next 2 weeks I’m going to take them back to the vet to DOUBLE TRIPLE check and also to make further inquiries on the spaying process (pricing, procedure, etc). I don’t want any litters on my hands. That’d be too much stress on top of my college work and NOT the way I wanted having pet rabbits to go. Either way, I bought 2 rabbit cages (smaller than the one I made them but I have no other choice as my room is too small for another big cage) to separate them as extreme measures of when or IF their hormones push them to fight one another. I bought these two cages before I even got my rabbits after doing much research so I am prepared!!

                I tried the yelling, squealing, slight shooing/pushing them away… Doesn’t seem like it does much. So I resorted to using a mist bottle to slightly startle them. I introduced them treats today, so they seem a lil more trusting of me (ignoring me and sometimes comes sniffs my face). I’m hoping I can get some positive reinforcements as I introduce treats and fruits more into their diet. 


              • Excript
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                  We can never be their boss as we’re just peasants/slaves to them (lol).

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              Forum BEHAVIOR Frustrating behaviors