Aww…WHO DID THAT?

[MimzMum]

Okay, for the last few xpen sessions I’ve had with the buns, one of them is starting to pee profusely in either the willow playhouse or the cuddl-e cups to the point where I have a huge puddle udnerneath these items on the floor.

Why would two pretty much bonded bunnies do this? Also I’m still having issues where they tend to nip each other. Yesterday, they were sweet as all get-out in the pen and today they are chasing and mounting and I am finding pieces of fluff when I go to break it up.

 

WHAT is going on with these buns lately? They have been so….off!

[MarkBun]

Sometimes there are setbacks. The peeing I’m not sure about but I am assuming they have their own litter box in there. I wonder if there’s been any change or not. I would remove all items except for a few small toys so that you can watch and see what is happening.

I caught Maryann trying to mount Dono yesterday. These spats will arise from time to time.

[charlie82]

Hi!

Are you still splitting them up after their x-pen sessions? If so it will take a long time to bond them properly as each time you put them back together they are having to re-arrange the hierachy and establish themselves once more. It’s far better to set up a pen if possible and just leave them together full time until they are completely bonded. They will go through some fur pulling stages and unless they are literally fighting with intent to hurt you should just leave them be. Physically stopping them from nipping each other (if it’s just the normal bunny nip and not horribly aggressive) is not enabling them to establish their relationship with one another.

As for the willow playhouse and cuddle cup……… even my two perfectly litter trained rabbits will urinate in these sort of things to the point that I can’t allow them to have them. It seems to be something about ‘soft furnishings’ and willow baskets/tents etc that makes them want to pee! In fact all of my bunnies are the same, 100% toilet trained until I give them a willow basket and they feel the need to christen it…

[MimzMum]

I am still working on getting a bigger pen that will hold them both. I’ve investigated NIC cubes, but there’s something about them that just seems so unstable, I guess I’m a little shy of using them.
Of course, finding something that will hold them both without costing a fortune is a bit of a stretch. 0_o;

[MooBunnay]

Hi! I’d highly recommend looking back into the NIC cubes, there are lots of ways to make them more stable, I find that looking them up online and using some online directions works the best. I agree with Charlie that the reason for the fighting and the issues between the two is because they are being housed separately – its probably keeping them from bonding properly, and since they have their own separate “homes” they probably feel the need to also claim their running territory as well.

Have you looked on craigslist.org, or garage sales for dog pens or dog crates? I just bought a HUGE dog crate at a flea market for $30. You have to give them a good sterilization, but they work great. Also, you could consider making a version of a dog pen out of the NIC cubes, instead of making a whole condo, that way you don’t have to worry so much about the stability of the cubes. GIve Ebay a try too – watch out for the shipping charges because dog pens are very heavy – but you can probably find a good deal there as well. Good Luck!

[MarkBun]

What I did to make the NIC cube more durable is that I overlapped one row of squares. By binding them that way, they don’t flex/flop like ones that are just put end to end.

I also have an old large dog crate that if you wanted to pay the shipping for, you could have. Not sure what that would be though.

[BinkyBunny]

Sometimes bunnies will start to claim some favorite spots. So if one likes to hang out for some “me time” in a place, and not share they could mark it and if that doesn’t seem to settle things, they may nip at each other, or then even fight over it. For now, I would just take it the things out and see if that may have been part of the problem. IF that seems to solve the problem, you can put the stuff back in once they are completely bonded.

[MimzMum]

Thanks for the offer of the dog crate, Markus. I’ll think about that one…are you guys sure that all it needs is to be sterilized? I thought bunnies couldn’t be housed or fed from anything that has been used by a dog? (And what exactly is it about dogs that is toxic to bunnies, besides the incessant barking and chasing? My two buns get extremely nervous if they even hear the dog through the window from outside.)

The doubling up of the cubes sounds like a good idea! I’m sorry, have you guys suggested that to me before? I’m so absentminded! ;_;

I did remove the Cuddl-e Cups and the playhouse…but had to put the playhouse back in as Pip was very uncomfortable without it being there. Since she also likes the Snapple boxes, I tucked one of those in there to catch anything that might ‘leak’ and she didn’t pee in it at all. If the house wasn’t in there, she’d hassle Mimzy over the willow tent. For the most part, they cuddle together, but every once in a while, Pip seems to prefer being solo. Which is why I haven’t put them together in one spot other than the exercise pen as I don’t want them to fight while I’m asleep or out of the room. Boy, this bunny bonding is hard! *sigh*

Anyway,t here was no urinating on the floor yesterday, but they did scuffle for the best spots in the pen. It was only for a few minutes at a time, but I think Mimzy looked quite harassed by the end of the day. He was ready for his ‘private room,’ most definitely.

I did look on craigslist a while back for cubes and found some, but like an idiot I didn’t follow up on them because I though I was going for something else. *groans* A well, I’ll just look again, I’m sure someone has them.
Markus, are your pens on the site somewhere? I’d like a good look at your setup again. If they’ll hold MaryAnn and Dono, they should hold my two! ^_^

BTW, as an aside, I did take them out to the “Bun-Galow” on Monday…Mimzy recognized it right away and scooted off to throw binkies, while Pip would come out onto the grassy area once or twice and then go right back in the carrier as if to say, “Okay, mom, I looked at your fancy outdoor xpen…CAN WE GO BACK INSIDE NOW?” ^_^ I gave her a few minutes to get used to it and then she was off bouncing right by Mimzy. Problem was, it was so hot here that day I couldn’t leave them out there…but they know we have a great place for the Bunny 500 now!

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