HELP!!

[Daniella5191]

<p data-xf-p=”1″>How can I stop my rabbit (14week female) from biting her pen and moving it around? The pen is attached to her cage and she has normal access to it most of the day apart from through the night. She has been really good with her routine for the past 5 weeks of having her, but now she makes so much noise to be out through the night and then once she is out she will bite the cage and move it around! I woke up one morning to seeing Daisy running around my living room because she had managed to lift the pen fence up and get underneath which I never thought was possible for her! I have tried the saying “NO” in a stern voice and also pointing her heard to the floor, which I feel so cruel in doing! The only thing which I can think of which may have upset her is moving her cage and pen roughly a meter to the left from where it would normally be. She has constant supply of hay, two different types mixed together. She follows the Burgess Excell Feeding Plan which I use 1week plus and dwarf rabbit feed (2x 30g), Burgess Excel feeding hay (2 big handfuls of fresh hay every night), Burgess Excel nature snacks (mountain meadow herbs, dried apple snacks and gnaw sticks- willow, apple and hazel) as well as this she has a ball, a rope with wood on each end, a sea grass tube and a gnaw accessory attached to side of cage and obviously constant access to fresh water.</p>
<p data-xf-p=”1″>I really think she is a spoilt bunny and has plenty to occupy her but she chooses to bite the cage and try to escape.
Any help would really be appreciated!</p>
<p data-xf-p=”1″>Thanks</p>
<p data-xf-p=”1″>Daniella</p>

[Hazel]

How much time does she get out of her pen each day?

Also, don’t push her head down. It won’t do any good. Rabbits don’t do that to each other so it really means nothing to her. At best it will confuse her, at worst it will reinforce the behavior you’re trying to discourage because she probably thinks this is your attempt at grooming her (the dominant rabbit will put their head down to demand grooming).

[Susanne]

My rabbits used to do that when in a pen, I had to put bricks around the pen strategically to keep it from moving. And yeah rabbits don’t respond to discipline so a lot of trial and error in bunny proofing has been my experience.  I think they have a lot of energy and are curious so it’s just their nature to want to go run and explore 🙂  The more she can explore with supervision also should tire her out some for when she is in the pen.

[LBJ10]

Some rabbits can learn what “no” means, but you have to catch them in the act (i.e. chewing something they aren’t supposed to) and then redirect them. I think telling her “no” as she’s running around the room isn’t going to mean anything to her. Also, as Hazel pointed out, pushing her head down isn’t going to mean anything either. If anything she is going to think you’re trying to groom her.

When you put her away for the night, I would reward her with something like a treat or a few pellets. Make sure there are lots of nice things in the pen to keep her busy for the night. You can weigh the pen down so she can’t push it around or lift it up. This will likely upset her at first, but she should grow to accept it once she realizes there is no moving the pen anymore.

[6-CanadianBuns]

Hello everyone, Loki my Lionhead and myself are new here and have already learned a lot.  I have wondered myself if I am doing anything wrong in winning him over.  I have had the pleasure of his presence since Jan 28th 2021 and apparently he was born on Aug 15th 2020.  Loki will come to us if we have pellets and sometimes without.  I will sit on the floor for hours to no avail.  I get up at 5am to feed him a cup of greens and in evening he gets 2 tablespoons of pellets and unlimited hay.  He has a bedroom containing a table and bookcase and a Clarke dog crate that is always open. At 5am the gate to the room is opened,we close it about 10:30pm.  I feel I need to groom him soon and worried if picked up will ruin any trust I may have built with him.  Any help in this regard of do I just wait? Are there some rabbits that just don’t want to be near anyone even if that means being alone?

I might add, (important to know) he will be neutered in May.

Thanks in advance

Sarah

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