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FORUM BEHAVIOR new bunny concerns

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    • Aimee
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        I adopted an angora bunny (not sure of her age). I just got her yesterday morning, so after being in her cage for a couple of hours I let her run free in my room. At first she seemed scared and hung out in the closet where the litter box is, and would use it when she had to pee. After about an hour though, she seemed to open up and came out of the closet and over to me to let me pet, etc. Suddenly, I noticed her running around the room like crazy and then saw she was pooping the whole time, it was all over the room. I know her previous owners only fed her pellets and she has hay here, so I figured maybe she was cleaning out. But it hasn’t stopped. She will jump up on my bed and pee and poop up here. I know she probably has to be box trained, but why was she doing so good at first? I take her to the box every 10 minutes or when she is out but she just hops out and goes about her business. I read about males marking, do females to do this as well? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!


      • Aimee
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          I wanted to add, no other pets in the house and there never has been so there shouldn’t be any other scent. Is there a chance ‘she’ is a ‘he’?


        • Beka27
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            Both sexes will mark territory, and females can actually be worse than males. This sounds like normal marking behavior. You want to start small and allow her to become accustomed to the house and her litterbox. She stayed in the litterbox because she was afraid at first. As she got used to the sounds and smells, this is when she felt comfortable enough to venture out.

            What kind of research have you done about house rabbits, or have you had house rabbits in the past?


          • Aimee
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              Thank you for your reply. If it will take time, that is fine and I am patient. I just didn’t know if I was doing something wrong. My room was starting to look like someone spilled multiple boxes of Cocoa Puffs lol.
              No, I have no experience with past rabbits. My experience lies with ferrets, guinea pigs, sugar gliders and cats. This is a whole new world to me. I did research before I brought her home, now we are learning about each other as we go. I am not sure of her age but she weighs 7 pounds and has alot of very matted hair, I am going to call the vet in the morning to see about getting a professional grooming done. She is very sweet and loves to hang out on my bed while I am on my laptop, but when she has to ‘go’ she takes off running around the bed and I end up getting sprayed a bit. I have seen her use the box a few times so far today, but other times she just seems to forget.
              She also bites when I stop scratching her head, I am sure this is because she wants me to scratch again but I am trying to stop that by not rewarding her with a scratch after she bites. Bless her heart, she eats up attention and love because she belonged to a 4 year old. The mom said he ‘lost interest’ and they were moving, if they couldn’t get her adopted out they would let her go in the woods behind their house. So I jumped in feet first and I am hoping for the best!


            • Beka27
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                Thanks so much for rescuing her from that situation! I think it’s a good idea that the vet see her, do an exam, fecal test, etc. Do you know if she is spayed? Chances are she is not, so this will be something to discuss with the vet. Good litter habits are not always possible until the bunny is spay/neutered.


              • Aimee
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                  Honestly I didn’t think to ask. I sincerely doubt it though. I will be sure to discuss all of this with the vet when I bring her in. So far, I have been trying to work mats out of her hair with my fingers but some of them are as big as golf balls!


                • Beka27
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                    Poor girl, those mats can be very, very painful. As they get bigger, they pull on the skin (I have always had very long hair and it’s like a ponytail being pulled too tightly.) You will probably be better off having her shaved down and starting over with her fur. Angoras need daily grooming and are not good “starter rabbits” for people who have little to no desire to spend the time. I’m sure you can do it, you just need to start with a “blank slate” and get into the habit of daily brushing. We don’t ahve many angoras on BB.com. Cactuspancake has a new angora but I think she’s the only one right now.


                  • Aimee
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                      I was wondering about shaving her down. I would really feel more comfortable letting a professional groomer do that though. I was wondering, if she was shaved down would she be ok temperature wise while it was all growing back in? I was thinking about how cute she would be in a little sweater or something, although I am not sure she would appreciate it LOL.


                    • lashkay
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                        Welcome! Your bunny’s behavior and reaction to what you did with her makes perfect sense to me. The reason she was probably doing so good at first was because she was too scared to venture out of the closet at first and found the litterbox a safe haven to huddle in while she was still scared, having been in her cage only a couple of hours and not yet having gotten used to that when suddenly she found herself in yet another new environment- your big room. Scared of all that open space where she fears she’s exposed to predators, she sought the comparative seclusion the closet offered and its even more appealing litterbox inside, an even smaller space that’s partially protected with its walls on all four sides in which she can feel partially hidden while she’s scared and stil taking time to see if there’s the threat lurking about of any attackers. After an hour, she was apparently over her fear enough to explore and since you didn’t seem to pose a threat, she was curious about you, came over to check you out and evidently even permitted you to pet her and maybe felt a little skittish from being touched so soon before she’d fully gotten used to you so she decided to take advantage of the open space to run like crazy like rabbits will sooner or later if they have open space. Since she hadn’t yet learned to use the litterbox yet as her exclusive toilet – the litterbox just seemed the most appealing place to hide in while she was scared and so she peed and pooped there when she had the urge as well while she was afraid to move and this was the only spot she felt secure enough in to claim as her own – she went wild and ran around, as a moving target is harder for predators to catch than a slow or stationary one, and she now regarded the whole open space as her toilet. The nice soft bed is an especially appealing place to a rabbit to pee and the whole place is up for grabs for pooping as well. They’re both a way of marking their territory to other rabbits, and yes, femaies are juist as territorial as mailes so mark just as much if not more.

                        I’d confine her to the closet using say, NIC grids to fence it off from the room, while reinforcing her to use her litterbox as a toilet by wiping up accidents outside the box and putting the wet pieces of paper towel in the litterbox along with her poops until she catches on and learns to use only the litterbox as her toilet however long it takes. Only when you feel confident that she’s stopped soiling outside the litterbox, give her just a little space in the room by extending the space with more grids, from the closet to include a small area outside the closet, while continuing to reinforce her litterbox habits until she has no accidents outside the increased space. Then take the next step and expand the size of the space by opening up the fenced in area and using more grids to enlarge it, still reinforcing the litterbox habits. You can continue taking slow gradual steps for however long it takes to reinforce the litterbox training, then increasing her access, until you give her the whole room. She’s likely to learn to adjust to being given access to more and more freedom, in steps, while still adhering to only using her litterbox as a toilet. Make sure you’ve bunny proofed the entire room first by either making sure all electric cords are out of her reach or enclosed in something chew-resistant (enclosing them in sump pump hose cut to size is probably one of the best. Most other cord protectors are not as chew-resistant so give the bunny plenty of safe chew toys to keep them busy which is good for them and you’ll want to do anyway. Also most houseplants are toxic so you’ll want to make sure those are also out of reach. Please post pictures!


                      • Aimee
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                          Thank you all so much for the suggestions and keeping this flame free. Since I was a foster home for a few years, I know it wasn’t the best decision to jump in last minute, but she needed the help and I am committed to anything I bring in.
                          I got a few pics of her with my cell phone, so excuse the quality. I think she is beautiful!

                           

                           


                        • Beka27
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                            She is adorable! I love white bunnies! I believe she’s an English Angora.

                            Definitely have a groomer shave her down. Rabbit skin is very thin and prone to abscesses, so until you know what you’re doing, leave it to the professionals. She will not be too cold without all that fur. She’ll probably be more comfortable.


                          • lashkay
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                              She IS BEAUTIFUL! Does she have blue eyes? She looks beautifully groomed too in the pictures. I love the way a little hair spills over the tops of his ears. Great pictures!

                              When I entered my post, no further postings had been posted yet, so I thought from your first posting, that your bunny had not yet had the chance or time to get to know you very much. From your subsequent postings I see you have gotten to be quite bonded. That’s wonderful!


                            • jerseygirl
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                                Welcome Aimee!

                                She is just beautiful! Some members have English Angoras but they’re not regular posters unfortunately. Plenty of the regulars do have some longish haired rabbit though and will have tips to share.

                                Thank you all so much for the suggestions and keeping this flame free.

                                BinkyBunny forums are flame free


                              • Aimee
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                                  Yes, she does have blue eyes. She is such a sweet baby girl!


                                • KatnipCrzy
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                                    If you are planning on spaying her soon- you can ask the vet to shave her down at the same time.  It might be less stressful for her this way- as they will most likely do the shaving after surgery when she is still groggy and waking up as opposed to 2 separate visits to the vet.

                                    She is very beautiful and lucky that you took her in- Angoras are NOT good childrens pets due to the high maint grooming they need.


                                  • lashkay
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                                      Regardless whether you initially choose to shave your bunny, you’re bound to seek info about the high-maintenance grooming KatnipCrzy mentioned. With two double-maned (boy, are they ever!) lionhead rabbits, another long-haired breed, I was on the look-out for info on how to groom and comb them. I found myself reading on angora grooming and care quite a bit for tips that are useful and can be equally applied to lionheads. Here are the links to several articles I found very helpful:

                                      http://www.ontariorabbits.org/diet/careinfo7.html

                                      http://www.mybunny.org/info/groom_long_haired.htm

                                      http://home.pacbell.net/bettychu/care.html

                                      The third article, TLC for English Angoras is good but probably best to disregard the calf-manna grains mixture for feeding and stick to high-protein high fiber pellets, alfalfa hay for the protein needed for the wool, and timothy hay and oat hay for the fiber they need to prevent wool block and keep hair ingested from grooming, passing through the system. Also, under treats, corn is not good for rabbits.

                                      For cutting off hard mats in the wool, I use a pair of excellent sharp bladed but round- tipped grooming scissors I found on amazon that work beautifully. The sharpness cuts the mat off cleanly and quickly while the round tips protect the bunny from being hurt if accidentally poked. Also, I am one of many who have found the Hairbuster comb (at the Binkybunny Store and several different types available on the hairbuster website) excellent.


                                    • Aimee
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                                        Thank you for those extra links! Everyone here is so helpful, I was a little overwhelmed at first but it is getting easier.
                                        When she runs circles around my feet, is this a good sign or a bad sign? I googled it and got some saying she is trying to assert dominance and that isn’t good, but then I also read she likes me and is excited to see me. I would like to think she likes me cause I like her too


                                      • Beka27
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                                          Running circles is mostly hormonal behavior. That makes me think she is not spayed and it’s time for it to be done. It can be cute at first, but it can quickly escalate into ankle nipping and spraying of your legs with urine. Not pleasant at all.


                                        • Aimee
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                                            I am definitely going to check into her getting spayed when I call around today for grooming and her first check-up. I wasn’t sure of her age, but hearing that I guess she is old enough to get it done. Good to know!


                                          • Aimee
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                                              I am running into issues, noone in my area seems to groom rabbits. I have explained the situation, I keep getting referred to someone else who can’t help me. Does anyone know of anyone in the area of Eastern NC that might would do this?


                                            • Otti
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                                                Hmm are you calling grooming places or vets offices and rabbit shelters. You might find a vet that would know how to shave the rabbit down like others were saying, or find a rabbit shelter that offers rabbit grooming.


                                              • Deleted User
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                                                  Angoras benefit from regular shearings every three months or so. She will not be cold; you don’t clip them naked, just short.
                                                  She is g o r g e o u s. I love her. What a story, rescued from being about to be dumped in the woods.She would not have lasted there, sticking out like a sore thumb, a white cloud of fluff without a clue~


                                                • jerseygirl
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                                                    Hi Aimee,
                                                    Why don’t you try some breeders in your area? This rabbit might even be from a local rabbitry. They sometimes have an identification tatoo inside the ear.  Anyone breeding angoras will be able to advise you on where to get grooming done or even offer the service themselves. You could also contact angora rabbit groups for local contacts or those that sell the the wool.
                                                    This is a place that has some angora in Efland NC http://avillionfarm.com/?event=anim…pe=rabbits

                                                    Also, the House Rabbits Society’s NC listings of rabbit vets: http://www.capefearrabbits.org/vet.html


                                                  • Aimee
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                                                      Posted By jerseygirl on 11/15/2010 06:53 PM

                                                      Hi Aimee,
                                                      Why don’t you try some breeders in your area? This rabbit might even be from a local rabbitry. They sometimes have an identification tatoo inside the ear.  Anyone breeding angoras will be able to advise you on where to get grooming done or even offer the service themselves. You could also contact angora rabbit groups for local contacts or those that sell the the wool.
                                                      This is a place that has some angora in Efland NC http://avillionfarm.com/?event=anim…pe=rabbits

                                                      Also, the House Rabbits Society’s NC listings of rabbit vets: http://www.capefearrabbits.org/vet.html

                                                       

                                                      Thank you! I emailed them, I also found a rescue in Raleigh that takes in rabbits too, so I emailed them about anyone they might know about. I have been able to comb her out every night and last night noticed a few of the smaller mats had worked their way closer to the end of her hair so I snipped them out. I am mostly concerned about her belly though, that is a no touch zone with her and it is matted and filthy. After being in her litterbox if she jumps up on my bed I have litter grit to sleep in…lol. Hopefully I can find someone soon!


                                                    • Beka27
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                                                        As you become more comfortable, you may even be able to get the right clippers and do it yourself every few months. But as I said, rabbit skin is so delicate, I think having pros do it the first couple times would be best.


                                                      • Aimee
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                                                          So now I have an appointment with a groomer 2 hours from me on Saturday, and an appt for a fecal exam and all the first time goodies on December 4th. The vet said they can figure out her age then and we can go about scheduling a spay. Thanks so much for all the helpful info!


                                                        • Sarita
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                                                            That’s great you found a groomer and a vet. Maybe once she’s groomed she will be easier to maintain. She’s a beauty!

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