feeling guilty, my rabbit is very destructive.

[Valyelof]

I have owned many rabbits, males and females, mostly dwarf buns but after then passing of my 10 year old dwarf I decided it was time to start again. I immediately found a roughly 1 yearabsurabbit that needed a prompt re-home because the owner had allergies.

I went to visit him and fell in love, he let me hold him andnlet me check his teeth and everything but was skiddish about checking his genitals (a lot of people mis gesituationsoramlly check) the owner said he was a nuetered male and I scooped him up and brought him home.

He was the perfect bun for about a week but now he is such a trouble maker the thought of rehoming this baby has crossed my mind and u feel incredibly guilty like im giving up. My last rabbit that passed at 10 was a very high stress special needs bunny and inwasnhoping to avoid copiois amounts of stress with a new rabbit, I can handle your typical behaviors but this guy is giving me a run for my money.

First off, hes a big boy and has a considerable reach, he has started pulling hard cover books off my bookshelf and im scared hes gonna squish himselfwith one. He also rips anything he can off anything he can reach.this wasnt apparent at firsy butnonce he settled in he started all this up

He beats up my 30 lb maincoon cat! He isnt rough with me but plaus VERY rough with my cat who loves rabbits and tolerates a LOT from them. Hes never nipped or hurt any but he actually avoids my new bunny because he often tries to mount him and while hes laying down he likes to sit on him and just all around annoy him. I always monitor the cats around my bun to assue safety but I dont want to risk the rabbit putting ny cat in a situation where he feels he needs to defend himself and ultimately hurt my rabbit.

He chews more than any rabbit ive ever owned. I have rabbit proofed house. I have pvc pipe on exposed chords and others are taped to the wall or out of reach. This rabbit chews the PVC which is not healthy and he managed to crack one. He chewed through anotherbtube protecor as well and severed my internet chord. Im nervous hell hurt himself, I watch him like a hawk but he chews so fast that i cat get to him in time in some situtations. He also has began to chew my HOUSE. he ripped the moulding off the bottom of the wall! It was even loose! He chews my door ways, my couch, literally EVERYTHING. Its crazy! I got him TONS of chew toys even chew toys for dogs that he ignores! Apple flavored wood toys, rings, balls, everything and he ignored them. I even got gim just a huge block of wood but after a few nibbles he never chewed it again. He gets all the hay he can eat and has vet approved diet. I got his teeth just in case butt theyre fine and the vets have no clue why he chews EXCEPT. Upon closer inspection he is not nuetered.

Theres a million other concerns that im slowly addressing but these are my main ones. I got him a play pen for bunnies to block off an area for him but he is strong enough and big enough to collapse it.

My only hope is that neutering will help because I am at a loss and hes already pulverized my house. Do you think get him fixed will help?
It breaks my heart to not be able to let him out for as long as I ised to because I simply do not have time to watch him for hours on end. He LOVES to run and binky all over my house and is so happy and lovingn he loves pets and kisses and he isnt aggressive towards my cats just plays rough.

I do not want to rehome him, PLEASE give me some advice for an overly destructive bun

[Bam]

I think having him neutered is a great start. It generally calms a bunny down considerably, a lot of the destructo behavior could very well be redirected sexual frustration. Breeding is really, really important to intact buns, in nature they have to spread their genes quickly before they get eaten. With that urge gone, he’s likely to be easier to handle. I’d see about getting it done asap. Keep in mind though, that for a few weeks after the neuter, the bun can actually get even worse than before the procedure. This is known as a post-neuter craze and has to do with fluctuating hormone levels. The hormones in the blood-stream will die down eventually, so it resolves itself. Just so you don’t panic, I mean =)

Don’t feel guilty, your situation is very stressful.

[Author]

Messages