Well my first thought would be to get another rabbit to keep her occupied.

Barring that though, I would go and purchase a small pile of various toys for her to try and play with. Or you can just put random items on the floor and see if anything sparks her attention. My girl likes to take and hide my keys while the boy likes to throw around a wooden toss toy. I’ve heard many rabbits love slinkies and I know of a rabbit who would never leave his egg whisk behind. Just make sure that whatever you gives them isn’t likely to snap into sharp pieces if they bite it.  There are many willow toys that not only keep them occupied but also are lovely treats for them.

To take care of that dang spot she wont’ leave alone, go find a cheap, small throw rug or even a rug sample and put it over the spot. I actually used a bath mat and that seemed to have her give up. She wanted that one spot only for some reason.  Also, make sure she has all the timothy hay she could desire.

Welcome to the wonderful world of bunnies!! Glad to hear that you rescued your bun… whats her name? We love photos so get some of here up here soon

As for the destructive nature of your girl… Id say thats just her being a bunny. Block off the areas under your couch so that she cant get there. Maybe she likes it under there because its dark– if so you could try a tunnel (Lowe’s or Homedepot sell cheap cardboard tubes for concrete molds) or an even cheaper alternative is a cardboard box (fold the flaps under so that she is sitting on cardboard and cant dig the carpet) Try putting big 12X12 tiles in the corners that she digs… these are heavy and bunnies have trouble moving them. Also phonebooks are a great digging distraction. Also try throw rugs placed on top of the carpet let them chew and dig on that while leaving the carpet in one piece.

If my buns are being naughty and dont stop what they are doing after the 1st warning I move them back to their cage for a “time-out” They stay in there for 5-10 min and then are aloud to come out again. If they misbehave again its one warning and then back in the cage. Over and over.

Welcome to the forum….Keep us updated!!!

I wish I knew! Its a Lucy thing I think. My Lucy is crazed about destroying things and esp. carpet as well. My solution was 6 smallish areas rugs all over my room to hide as much carpet as possible. But she will just dig up the rug and get to the carpet under it if you dont think ahead. Shove some boxes under the couch so she cant get under it to destroy anything. Distracting toys are a good start but they didnt work for my Lucy either. The one thing that has is a small cardboard cat scratcher replacement piece. I just bought the cardboard hunk pet stores sell as replacements, and put it in one of her hot chew areas. It does usually keep her from pulling the carpet there because she loves to chew on it. If you get one though, be careful! They cant be eating a ton of cardboard, so I would not leave Lucy out with it. Im lucky, Lucy does love cardboard but she loves running around more, so she doesnt sit and eat it, just hops by for a nibble. Ive had it for maybe a month and its still in really good shape, just mainly the sides are rounded off now.

Hi. First of all, welcome! You have a very pretty bun! I would suggest the ceramic tiles too. You can find a few that match the decor of your house, or try asking for scrap and get a discount! The cardboard might work to, but if your bun is persistent, which it sounds like she is, she’ll eventually be able to get under the cardboard and move them. The tiles will be, hopefully, too heavy for her to move. I know summer is almost over so this doesn’t really apply but when she’s hot, they make a nice place for her to lay and cool off.

Lucy is beautiful! I find the distraction toys only distract for a small time. With my two, they love to tear at cardboard boxes and I let them. Around the house I have things like heavy pots in a box and they tear away. It’s safe for them and no big deal for me to replace the box when needed. I find they love to attack things that dont move about (like carpet but not like chew toys) so maybe try fixing acceptable chew items like willow or apple wood, sea grass matts onto a heavy board and put those down in the troublesome spots. I’ve been meaning to provide something like this for my rabbits but have’nt got around to it. I though I could use cable ties to fix the items down as it would be safer but they’ll likely chew thru them in a hurry! Let us know what you end up doing and what works for her.

Like the others said, this is a natural rabbit thing. Was she spayed very recently? She has a dewlap so that makes me believe it was right before you adopted her. She could still be experiencing some hormones for 2-3 months post-spay. Also, at a year old, she is still young, buns tend to mellow out by about 2-3 years (some of them…)

Cages, pens or condos have their place. While I agree with you that buns need daily playtime, they also need a safe place that is their territory and where you don’t have to be worried about their where-abouts. This can be an extension of the cage. If the living room is going to be her primary play space, it will need to be thoroughly bunny-proofed. And then bunny-proofed again… and again. Are there any specific areas that you’re having issues proofing, we might be able to offer suggestions.

I bought a package of NIC cubes and used them to make a fence around the living room. It keeps my bun from getting to the corner areas of the rug, the tv wires, and under the couch. I only needed one grid high because he’s not a jumper (and we’re always around when he’s out so if he did jump over, we could catch him). I love the NIC fence because it keeps my bun out in the middle of the room and away from tight spaces where he could hide or get into trouble.

I also like the idea of getting some cheap throw rugs and putting them over the problem areas.

ETA: Your bunny is adorable! Congrats on being a new bunny owner.

Welcome!! She sure is cute-and lucky to have you!

I was also going to say you should read this https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/BunnyProofingYourHome/tabid/61/Default.aspx on bunny proofing your home-it may not look beautiful but you can save your posessions from ‘destructo bunnies’

It can sometimes reduce in size, but I think when it’s fully formed like that, it may not shrink up too much. In my experience, if a female is spayed by about 8 months at the very latest, the dewlap never really forms at all. Really, it doesn’t matter as long as she isn’t regularly getting it wet. The important thing is that she’s spayed and with that, cancer risks go way down.

Can you take a photo of the couches? Perhaps we can recommend some “prettier” solutions for you.

I think if you get creative you’ll be able to come up with a couch solution that won’t be noticeable or ugly. Otto likes to get under the recliner and I don’t because it’s not safe under there (even though we never sit on it). I kind of stuffed a rug under it so that he can’t get under and it works well. It doesn’t look odd or out of place the way a 2×4 would and it does the job. I’m sure you can think of something. Maybe get a piece of wood that fits just under the couch, then cover it in fabric similar to the color of the couch? I agree with Rachel that a picture would help us think of ideas.

I would talk to your FI again about her disciplinary actions. Pretty soon Lucy will begin to be afraid of her. There’s nothing wrong with gently pushing a bunny away from something they’re chewing, but hitting is never ok. I hope you’re able to work out a solution that works for both of you. Just think of it as practice for raising kids together 😉

Punishment does not work-not for pets, not for kids-that’s what the research says.

Here are some resources you can share with your fiance-also please tell her blocking off the couch does not have to be permanent. Once they get the picture you can take it down

The keys to behavior modification are rewarding good behavior and blocking or ingoring bad behavior.

http://www.parentingwithdignity.com/PWD/video_series/9-punish.htm

http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/punishment_doesnt_work

you could get cheap fabric from walmart or a fabic store that matches the couches and then cover the 2×4 (just staple it on) that way it’s not noticable. and if the bun chews on it you can just go to the linen closet and get another round!

our couch has a recliner so gizmo likes to run in under it and out the back end, he doesn’t chew on anything though so we let him be.

but we did have to block off the tv stand.

he did jump behind the tv stand once but since it was blocked off on either end he got stuck in the wiring. Instead of plowing in there and grabbing him i let him get a little stuck first (i’m a mean mommy) but now that he knows it’s no fun he doesn’t go near it. (been over a month)

Yeah the punishment may be compounding the problem. Being a prey animal if she’s smacked etc she’ll run and take refuge – probably under a couch. Then they have tunneling, digging, root cleaing instincts. Rabbits can’t unlearn this, it’s natural instinct. With areas they’re destructive with the best thing is to prevent them going there. How far of the floor do the couches stand. I think if you put wood under the bases, you can inset it about a foot and it’ll be less visible. I would just try it using strips if rigid cardboard first, set it up and see how it looks.

Or what about using a staple gun and fixing large sheets of rigid cardboard to the entire base? If Lucy wants to get under there still and go destructo mode, hopefully then the only damage would be to the cardboard.

Bunnyproofing is a must for house rabbits. It’s not the most attractive thing having NIC grids and wood and cardboard around your living room, but it’s the only way you can make sure your rabbit is safe and your stuff is safe. Rabbit people do have to compromise on aesthetics at times, but again, it is necessary.

Did you do much research about rabbits before deciding to adopt, like what kind of housing was required and what to expect from their behavior? They are very different from a cat or dog and allowances need to be made for that. If your fiancee is sincere about her threats to hit the rabbit, or if there is no way to accommodate your home to the bunny, it would be best for the rabbit’s sake that she be returned to the rescue.

Glad to hear that you did research before deciding to adopt your bunny!!  Lots of people purchase bunnies on a whim…. so you just never know. 

Do you have the lamp cord covered so that she cannot chew on it? If she gets a hold of that she can electrocute herself…. it would only take a second for her to bite it and hurt herself. The sell clear plastic sleaves in the small pet section that are specifically made for bunnies (they also have ones that are scented), or you can purchase a cover from any home improvement store.  You really should cover the cord or block it off.

Glad to hear that the digging and chewing has stopped.  By blocking off the back of the couch she might find other things to play with.  Make sure she has lots of toys to play with when shes out.

She really is a cutie!! 

I use a squirt bottle with Beelsee. She used to chew on my closet doors but then I did the squirt thing by surprise with her and she now leaves them alone. I made sure when I squirted her that she did not see me. After a couple of weeks she lost total interest of the doors because of the squirt. Was funny to watch her turn/jump around every time and try to see where this odd thing of water was coming from LOL! Can’t remember the last time I had to use the bottle since it has dust on it now lol. Not sure if this will work with your buns but it may be worth a try.

I’m so glad you researched first! You would not believe (or maybe you would…) the number of people who do ZERO research and just pick pets based on how cute they are or misconceptions on how they SHOULD behave. For example, people think rabbits are cuddly and love to be held. We’ll have new members join this forum and they say, “What’s wrong with my rabbit, for some reason it DOES NOT love to be held and cuddled?!” Right there we know they did limited (if any) real research. I’m a big researcher myself, so I am really happy you went into this prepared.

That being said, the majority of buns try to trip us up… lol. No amount of research can prepare you for every situation. It sounds like you’ve been able to get a handle on things tho, which is great. Diversions are going to be your best bet for now, and like I said before, she should continue to mellow as time goes on.