HELP/ADVICE WITH HOUSE BUNNY PLEASE

[ramsey]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum (never been on a forum before) not sure how to use.  But urgently need help/advice.

I have a 7 month old black mini rex, female.  Is due to get spaded tomorrow.  She has always been toilet trained, occassional accident, but now she seems to be constantly messing her cage and not using her toilet tray, she seems to tip this over, is rolling and lying in mess, so I am not happy with letting her out of the cage when her paws are dripping with urine.  She has also started (about 2 weeks ago) to growl/squeek/bite/attack my husband anytime he goes near her. She even lunges at the rest of us but not as much as my husband,  I am wondering once she is spaded will she calm down, stop attacking and start using her toilet tray again. My son is upset, this is our first rabbit, he thinks the rabbit does not like him.  Sorry if this is a bit long, only need some urgent advice, because my husband has said he wants to get rid of the rabbit.

[jerseygirl]

Absolutely having her spayed should help. Please mention these things to your vet though. They might need to check she is not ill before doing the spay. Rabbits habitually keep themselves clean so her rolling in the mess and having dripping wet paws is worrisome. Are you sure she’s not dipping them in a water bowl.
Is your vet well experienced with spaying rabbits?
If the vets office has asked you to fast her before the operation – be concerned. It is very important that rabbits DO eat before their operation – unlike cats or dogs.
Hope her surgery goes well. It will take sometime for the hormones in her system to gobut then you should see an improvement.

[Sarita]

Spaying will certainly help but I wonder too if she might have a urinary tract infection as well.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

That sounds like she definitely needs to be spayed! It’s good for their health as well as behavior. It will take some time for her horomones to calm down, so do allow a few weeks after the spay for her to settle back down. If she continues to not use the toilet, as Sarita suggested she may have a UTI and that’s something your vet can easily check for and treat.

[KatnipCrzy]

Others have already addressed most of your questions- so I won’t repeat what they said.  But how old is your son?  Bunnies do best with attention and affection on THEIR terms and that can be tough for kids to understand.   Kids usually want to pick the bunny up and hold them- and in general most rabbits do not like being held.  But if they have the choice of jumping on your lap and snuggling and know they can leave- they are much more willing to be affectionate.

 

[MooBunnay]

A quick fix for the litterbox issue would be to get your bunny one of those covered cat litter boxes that kind of look like an igloo – she won’t be able to tip that over! You can find these at any Petco or Walmart in the cat section.

Regarding the lunging, is your bunny lunging when your son/husband put their hands in her cage? That is a very normal territorial behavior, b unnies get pretty scared when people are sticking their hands in their personal “area.” This is because rabbits are prey animals, and really interact with people very differently from cats and dogs. It is better to have your son/husband sit on the floor while your bunny is playing and allow the bunny to come to them. Your bunny might very well see them as predators and get scared when they are trying to pick her up or coming at her quickly.

How is her diet? Is she eating plenty of hay?

[Beka27]

How was her surgery today? My mini rex was 6 months old approximately when her hormones kicked in… and HOLY COW! She was awful for the next month before the vet could get her in to be spayed. Almost immediately she calmed down (altho she is still a bit feisty at 2 years old). Her litter habits are perfect and she’s not as territorial as she was before the surgery.

Your results may vary as all bunnies are different, but don’t worry, there is hope!

[skunklionshow]

Any updates?

My Jess was a demon b/f her spay.  Please give us an update….

[ramsey]

Thank you all for your replies. Her spading went well, her nails were also clipped and her back teeth filed down, apparently there was some infection. She is still a bit fiesty (well she is female) but I’m waiting for her hormones to kick in. Continuing to toilet train. She has just recently (before surgery) started to scratch and dig whilst on the sofa, then wets on there. Have sprayed area with vinegar (read somewhere that this may help), hopefully this will stop once she is more settled. Took her to the RSPCA to have her spayed, they also chip for free. Excellent vets also works out a lot cheaper than a private vet. My son is 7 he knows how to hold her properly, use to hold her a lot when we first had her, but now she is bigger not so easy to do. I have been told that rabbits do not like being picked up, but vet said the more we handle her the more she will get used to it.
MooBunnay: I live in Birmingham, England, we do not have a wallmart /petco – have not seen an igloo style toilet tray at pet shops, I have found a litter tray with higer sides and a slight edge, this is supposed to stop the litter falling out. Not sure about it though, will keep looking.
Once again, thank you all for replies.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi Cutie! I wanted to chime in here and say that the wetting on the couch is a common thing as well as the bed. Rabbits can and do get territorial whether they are male or female and will attempt to assert their dominanace and top-bunnyness by marking areas that are most heavily scented by you, the human. The vinegar helps to get rid of the smell and stain but won’t likely deter further incidents. You may try disciplinary correction which would be catching her in the act and squirting with a water bottle, clapping your hands and saying no, scooting to a litter box tray, covering the couch or cusion in plastic, or completely blocking access to the couch. Does she have a litter box outside of her cage that she can use? Sometimes this will help as I’ve seen some bunnies not want to only use the one in their cage because my belief is that they think you will shut the door and they can’t roam around anymore. Be sure that she doesn’t do a lot of jumping while her suture is healing from the surgery, otherwise it could open up and or become infected.

[MooBunnay]

Yes, many people on here have experienced the bunnies peeing on the couch, unfortunately it is very common, as well as bunnies peeing on the bed. Really, the only 100% solution is to not allow the bunnies on the couch or bed, for some reason, they just really love to claim those areas as their own.

I’m glad to hear that the surgery went well, is she recovering well? As far as the igloo litterboxes, if you manage to find one somewhere, I think it would help a lot, that or just a heaver/larger litterbox that she cannot tip.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Cutie-You can sometimes find great litterboxes that aren’t actually litterboxes. I like stackable storage trays-they have high sides and work perfectly for a fraction of the cost of a ‘real’ litterbox

Glad to hear the surgery went well-and free microchipping is a super deal!

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