Horrible behaviour – unspayed female

[Vicky]

Hi, I have an unspayed female, she is like 5 months old.

But her behaviour is horribly bad, she chews everything, she is digging everywhere she can ( in her litter box too) she destroyed my carpet. She is hissing, biting like everything bad you can imagine. And I cannot stand it anymore.

The vet told me I have to wait until 6 months to have her spayed. But is there any tips how can I at least ease this behaviour?

I really don’t know what to do anymore.

She has PLENTY of chew toys but she ignores them.

She was a sweetheart like two weeks ago..

Thank you for any kind and encouraging words..

[Bam]

She has hit puberty, so what you see is the effects of raging hormones. It’s nothing personal against you and it’s nothing that can be disciplined away.

Could you make her a (temporary) enclosure? Until she is spayed and has healed, an enclosure + supervised play time could perhaps work better for you. Many of us want to give our buns free roam, but some bun’s can’t handle the responsibilty until they have grown out of their difficult “teenage” phase and been neutered/spayed.

If you make her an enclosure, it’s likely that she will become very territorial about it. This too is an effect of hormones. It’s best if you can clean her area while she’s not in it, so as not to upset her. It may seems like you would be giving in to her, but her behavior is not about dominance or wanting to be the boss.

[Vicky]

Yeah she will have a enclosure just in two weeks maybe, we are reorganizing the flat haha.

But yes thank you for advice, I guess I just have to wait until she is spayed.

I’m glad it is nothing against me because sometimes it feels like it.

[DanaNM]

That’s rough! But yes I agree it’s puberty and will get better. I think an enclosure is the best solution for now.

My Bertha was a very determined carpet chewer so could never roam unsupervised. What worked best for her was to cover any problem spots with heavy ceramic tiles, and give her grass mats and cardboard cat scratchers to chew instead. Something about the cardboard cat scratchers satisfied the same urge to dig as the carpet, because she could stand on them and rip them up.

Adding a litter box screen can help with the box digging. They sell them on binky bunny, or you can use knitting mesh (wick has some info about it here https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/rabbit-makes-a-mess-of-his-litterbox/)

You can also make a designated digging box by filling a box with shredded paper. Buns that like to dig also seem to really like tunnels. I like to use the concrete building forms with the inner plastic liner removed so they are safe to chew, and stuff them with paper. Then the buns can really feel like they are burrowing. 🙂

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Vicky]

Wow that’s a lot of good information and solutions! These ceramic tiles are great idea.

I tried to do that with the shredded paper but she shows no interest in it.

But you really calm me down that it will get better. How I said she was such a sweetheart before.

Thank you!!!

 

 

 

[Wick & Fable]

“She has PLENTY of chew toys but she ignores them.” — this is really important, because it means that she does not see these as chew toys, and she may never, so while it’s unfortunate you likely spent money on them, they are not what your rabbit is looking for. Chew toys are only helpful if a rabbit actually uses them, and if what you purchased isn’t what they want, it sucks, but you can use that information to better inform future purchases.

If she is chewing walls, large furniture, etc., she may be a rabbit who likes things anchored down for chewing. Chewing something that moves or that is small may be unappealing. Cat scratcher come in larger forms and a lot of rabbits enjoy those, as they can stand on them while chewing and really get into them without it moving too much (similar to chewing a wall…)

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Vicky]

Oh well you have the point here. She really doesn’t not like to chew moving things only the ones that are anchored down how you said.

Is there anything I can make myself at home from cardboard and it would be good for her? I was looking up some ideas but everything are just simple small toys like balls which she does not like.

[pinkiemarie]

Have you tried sticking hay in an empty toilet paper tube? My rabbits love that and it’s basically free 🙂

[Vicky]

Yes i tried 🙁 more times but no interest

Now I tried to make something like the diy cat scratcher so I hope it will be good.

But I’m little frustrated because I don’t know what she wants and I want to make her the happiest.

 

[DanaNM]

oooh one other tip, my most infamous digger, Bunston (the little brown one in my avatar) LOVED shredding phone books. If you can find one, they are awesome for destructo-buns.

I’ve heard of people mounting a piece of safe lumber (like untreated pine) to their baseboards or furniture, so the buns can chew that instead of the baseboard.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

OMG, yes, phone books. HUGE hit. They aren’t easy to find anymore though. Sometimes you have to go to the local phone company to find one. I also second the cardboard cat scratchers.

[Wick & Fable]

I think there are more rabbit owners than you think that have spent money on toys that never get touched — some rabbits are selective, so learning about what your rabbit likes is a part of the process. Observe the things she’s destroying — how they are positioned, their orientation, their weight, their material, texture….. that can be informative on what would work.

My Fable, who is where I get my experience with a destructive rabbit from, has a wonderful past time of digging and chewing at fleece blankets I’ve binderclipped to a wall in an open-cage that she relaxes in. So she can’t yank at the binder clips themselves, the fleece blankets are inside an old oxbow toy, and I will regularly re-stuff the blankets inside so she can ejoy pulling them out again She digs and chews at it repeatedly and then rests to the side after. I came up with this because she loves pulling, digging, and chewing clothes people are wearing…. and this has really helped her get that energy out on non-people, haha. Like with people wearing clothes, the fabric is anchored so she can dig and chew all day with no worries.

 

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Vicky]

Wow so many ideas !! I have an old phone book here at home.

 

About the blanket thing, I have a blanket for here but she sometimes chew it and eats a tiny piece isn’t it something to worry about?

[Wick & Fable]

If she is actually eating the blanket in large quantities, that’s not ideal. If she’s just chewing it and leaving behind pieces, that’s fine. I have been told that 100% cotton is preferred as a material because it’ll break down in a rabbits stomach  unlike synthetic fabrics. What’s pictured is fleece blankets that actually have tons of holes in them. Every day I pick up the little bits my rabbit leaves behind. Rabbits tend to not eat fleece, but that’s not an absolute truth.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Vicky]

Yeah well she does not eat a ton. But when she chews it she eats a little pieces of it.

Everything I give her is not interesting. Even the phone book I gave her in the morning! She played with it like few minutes and done.

I will look for 100% cotton blanket hehe. Thank you!

[DanaNM]

Have you ever tried palm plates? You can get organic palm plates online, they are exceedingly popular at the shelter. Never met a bunny that didn’t like them!

My bunnies also looove the seagrass mats from the BB store and all the willow baskets and wreaths.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Vicky]

Ooo i need to have a look at these seagrass mats or plates it sounds good. I hope I can find them cheap.

Thank you so so much !!

[DanaNM]

The seagrass mats from BB are nice because they last a long time and don’t fall apart immediately like most hay mats. You can find palm plates for not too much online since they are meant to be used as disposable plates for parties etc.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Vicky]

Thank you soo much! All ideas have been very useful, I will try them out.

[bunbun00]

Hiya, my rat and beebs are the same. They have 2 things they loved. Both by Rosewood. Ones a tree boredom breaker and they are OBSESSED with it and the other (unhealthy distraction) it’s a “cake”.
If she loves carpet, I’d just give her off cuts of carpets or towels. Bebe tries to get my area rug and she drags any clothes she rings into the litter tray (unspayed so I think she’s making a nest)

[Author]

Messages