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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Imperfect Rabbits – We all have them.

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    • Wick & Fable
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        Hoppy 2018! With the passing holidays and celebrations, there’s a lovely influx of new rabbit owners around these forums, which has made navigating it exciting and insightful. With that comes the high frequency of “rabbits aren’t what you expect” post replies, in terms of petting, cuddling, bonding, and human interaction/dependence.

        Although we mean well, I think there’s a “Rabbit Envy” effect when all replies says “Well, I can’t relate because my rabbit is part of the wonderful minority that [likes to be pet/handled/cuddled/isn’t destructive], but what your rabbit does is normal. You should love them regardless.” It creates a skewed illusion about pet rabbits because a lot of us value anecdotal (other people’s direct experiences) information more than general statistics (“majority of rabbits are like this”), and this can make accepting a rabbit for who he/she is more difficult because you think to yourself “Well, all these rabbits are like this though… why isn’t mine?”. I don’t think any members have done anything wrong; I do this too. I think a topic with a new framework is needed right now as an important reminder and reinforcement.

        I’m starting this topic so BB members can post the imperfections their rabbits have, creating a communal understanding and acceptance of the struggle with a domesticated animal who, in reality, may not be everything social media portrays. Miracles have occurred if I can get Wick to stand still for a posed photo outside his litter box or when lounging.

        I’ll start, and hopefully this can turn into something both humorous and insightful.

        Wick hops away from me and pees in my vicinity when he’s upset at “something I did”…. Like opening a potato chip bag and unfortunately, it didn’t have any treats for him inside. “Darn you human for possessing bags that do not have my treats. I’m going to pee now.” This cannot be litter trained out of him because it’s a pee fueled by intent…. Forever permanent, sassy behavior. Drives me up the wall sometimes.

        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.


      • Deleted User
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          This is a great idea, Wick! I think it’s so true that to get a point across. that we tend to show the statistical side of things, rather than our personal experiences. I agree that it can almost make someone feel even more frustrated at a situation, especially a first time bunny owner.

          I call Bombur my perfect bunny. haha he’ll cuddle and let your kiss and pet him for hours. However, he’s a pain in the butt during feedings. You’ve never seen a more impatient bunny. I tend to feed Asriel first because he’s just sitting there being such a good boy, so Bombur will stand outside Asriel’s cage watching. When he realizes he hasn’t been fed yet, he starts thumping and grunting and running circles around me. Little brat even nips sometimes. He also has a bad habit of looking at you, doing something naughty, and looking at you again. If I say no, he won’t stop. If I clap, he won’t stop. He’ll keep watching me while he does it. He knows he’s in trouble when I get up, then he’ll hop on the bed for love like he’s such a good boy. He basically gauges my reaction to see if he can get away with something. 

          Asriel, as BunNoob has put it, is my olympic jumper. The times I swear he was going to kill himself. If he can’t reach something he’s hopped up to do, he usually falls over backwards, folded in half, and lands on his back. I sit there and peek out of my fingers hoping he didn’t break his spine (we live on hardwood). One time at a vet visit, he was getting his nails trimmed and kicked the vet in the face, then jumped on the table, then onto her shoulder, then almost all the way to the floor… until the vet thankfully caught him. He’s also very independent, and prefers his own company. Very rare occasions, he has actually laid on my chest for a long time for nose rubs, but typically if he sees anyone coming he hops up and is super alert. 


        • Deleted User
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            Ah Finn has many Cons over Pros 

            He has a cheeky little character, who is utterly adorable and is as potty trained as a human.

            BUT, his not keen on cuddles (although i give him them anyway weather he likes it or not), his a grumpy little sod thats costs me a fortune and his a bit of a loner. 

            But i love him anyway 

            …Yep my rabbit is defiantly imperfect. 

            I think where the issue lies is that more inexperienced handlers don’t quite know how to care for a rabbit and in turn dose not know all you can train a rabbit. Leaning to a bunny being stuck in a hutch in the back yard and forgotten about….becoming a “boring pet”

            So they just get rid of it or not bother about it, its like a Goldfish after all. Just sits there, can’t walk them, cuddle them, have them in the house, play with them. May as well get a dog right? This is the translation issue with rabbits. People still haven’t learnt everything you can do with and train bunnies. I still get people surprised when I tell them my rabbit is indoors and “What you called your rabbit Finn??!!” Yes i called him Finn. Should i have called him Thumper?


          • Sirius&Luna
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              OOoh, I can do loads of these

              Well at the moment, my three unbonded bunnies are having a poop war. I sweep up about 10 times an evening and there is still POOP EVERYWHERE. I even saw Atlas somehow managing to scoot poop under the pen wall?!? Also occasional pees. I really hope bonding solves it, but at the moment it’s a joy, I tell you…

              When I pick Luna up (for medicine/nail clipping/stopping her harrassing another bunny) she will chew a hole in whatever i’m wearing. No negotiation.

              Whenever I clean out pens they look tidy for approximately one hour.

              They ignore most toys I get them, but love cardboard boxes.

              Luna likes to grab the whole bag of pellets off the table, spill it onto the floor, then gorge while we try and sweep up around her.


            • Heaven
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                Wick I LOVE the idea for this thread!!

                Sam always runs up to me excitedly as soon as I’m home, clambers over me looking for treats, realises I don’t have any and promptly hops away. </3
                He also digs the carpet A LOT ALL THE TIME.
                He’ll sit like a little poppet while I brush him though, which is at least once a day. He’s also super affectionate and will usually stay near me when I’m hanging out at home, flopping next to me if he wants snuggles!


              • Cloversmom
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                  I LOVE this thread idea wick! Let’s see where do I start… the biggest issue when we first brought clover home was that she was quite the Houdini. We tried everything. We made so many adjustments on her xpen to try to contain her and nothing worked. We were always planning on her being free range we were just nervous about making that adjustment so quick since we were new bunny owners and wanted to kind of supervise her play time at first to see what she would get into. But basically we had no choice but to make her free reign because literally nothing would contain her haha.

                  Now that she’s bigger she just had a huge surge of hormones that seems to be really extreme to me. So I now wake up every morning surrounded in a circle of poo and am dealing with 24/7 bunny harassment. I can’t do anything without her in my business. She wants to be held and stroked all day and all night. Which most people wouldn’t view as bad but when you can’t even eat because your bun is harrassing you so bad and you can’t get up off the couch because even though you picked her up and put her off your lap she somehow still managed to hop on top of you again it’s a bit much. The second I stop cuddling petting her she hops all around me buzzing thumping her feet and jumps on my head. And sits there. Right now she’s mad that I’m typing this on my phone instead of cuddling her so she’s right next to my head thumping nudging and nibbling me. If I go in the bathroom I hurry and shut the door so she can’t follow me in and then she waits outside the door til I’m done haha. The next couple months should be interesting haha.

                  And lastly. A couple weeks ago she started waking me up a couple times a night for pets. Which was no where near as extreme as her harassment now haha. But when I would stop petting her I felt her nibble on my scalp to wake me back up. She did this a few times and then would stop and let me sleep. Well one day I was running my fingers through my hair and I realize I have this patch of hair that is like really short stubble. I was like that’s weird. Then when I was parting my hair I found another patch of stubble. That’s when I realized she wasn’t just nibbling my scalp. She was actually chewing off my hair! Now I have some bald spots haha


                • joea64
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                    Fernando has been driving me a little crazy lately by his newfound hobby of knocking the upper-deck hidey boxes all over the place, sometimes he’s even managed to toss one of them (which is due for replacement anyway; it’s badly chewed up and crumpled) right down the ramp to the lower level. This often leaves his mother with no good option for daytime shelter but the space under the ramp connecting condo levels (which is, to be sure, cool and well-shaded), since her disrespectful son likes to throw around her favorite hidey box (not the chewed-up one). Oh, did I mention he’s decided the litterbox is now his favorite daytime place to sleep?


                  • Bam
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                      Bam doesn’t eat enough hay. So I have to go out and forage fresh grass for him every day, even now in January. I get so many weird looks from passers by, but it just can’t be helped, Bam must have grass for his teeth and his tummy. He’s prone to sticky poop, which makes grass even more important. He has a tendency to wee on the couch if you let him on the couch. But he isn’t interested in the couch anymore, not since I blocked him from it last year for a couple of weeks, so it’s not a problem.

                      Yohio chewed holes in all my bedlinen. Bags and good shoes had to be placed high up from the floor or he’d chew on them. I miss him every day.

                      There’s hay everywhere, always.


                    • Wick & Fable
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                        Loving these!

                        Presently, Wick leaves really gross skin flakes wherever he lounges because of his ringworm infection. So gross.

                        Also I have to take him to the vet at least every 5 weeks because of his gnarly teeth.

                        And unsure how I forgot this in the original post, but Wick is… dumb, haha? And sometimes that’s bothersome…. He daydreams a lot, to an extent where sometimes I think there’s something wrong with him. You’ll lead him somewhere, turn around and go somewhere else, and he’ll stay in that position, not registering you moved. I’ll tell him to come, and he’s just frozen, looking for my legs from where I just was. I find myself repeating his name and waving my hands until I see his eyes finally move and realize I have teleported to a different location. I’ll come home from work and it takes a solid 1 minute of him nose-twitching to suddenly register what’s happening and dart over to me for food. He’s also completely oblivious to all stimuli when he’s grooming himself. Wick would perish very quickly in the wild….

                        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.


                      • Sirius&Luna
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                          Hah yes Bam, how did I forget hay everywhere! I got into work the other morning and there was a piece of hay sat on my chair…


                        • Deleted User
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                            Oh great idea Wick!

                            Ophelia, as many of you know, is an angel and a devil rolled into one, ha!

                            She is snuggly most of the time, doesn’t really chew on things she’s not supposed to, and is a good hay eater.

                            BUUUT. She’s also a total brat. If she doesn’t get what she wants when she wants it, she will go over and start trying to tear up the couch while looking at me. If I’m bothering her in some manner, I get swatted at! She’s a super duper stress ball and is IMPOSSIBLE to handle. Literally, nails are trimmed over the course of a week because you can’t get more than 3 done at a time without her raging and thrashing her way out of the bunny burrito XD


                          • DanaNM
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                              Great idea, I’ll go through alllll of mine, including ones that I fostered or only had a short while. Listed below in order of when I got them. Man, it’s been a journey since Bunston passed….

                              Bunston: Would dig and chew incessantly at the carpet was sooooo hard to handle for nail trims, very hard to catch and pick up. Not a cuddle bug who liked to be held or snuggled tightly. Preferred just laying near you.

                              Bertha: Also a digger, terrible carpet chewer! She might have learned this habit from Bunston. Pees on anything soft or fluffy. Loves to chew fabric! I have so many holes in my bedding from careless bed-making.

                              Jean-Pierre: Very antisocial and scared of everything. He was just starting to come out of his shell and accept petting (and not bolt away when we stepped near him) after being with us for 5 months, when he attacked Bertha and bit open her lip. She needed sutures, and we sadly returned him to the rescue. The fight came out of nowhere, so we didn’t feel safe trying to rebond them, as there hadn’t been any warning signs.

                              Pippen: Sweet bunny with congenital GI issues, most likely cow-pile. Hand-shy, had come from an abusive situation. Curious and active (when feeling OK) but never cuddly or wanting pets. We only fostered him for about 6 weeks, then he went into sanctuary care at the rescue. Not sure what became of him.

                              Moose: Bad box litter box habits, CRAZY table manners, would go so crazy for pellets he would almost trip us every time. Not a good hay eater, but this was linked to medical problems. Also not a snuggly bunny. Took about 5 months for him to accept petting, and even then it was usually only when he was already snuggling with Bertha.

                              Bun Jovi: OBSESSED with digging in the corner of his condo.No idea why (he does it even when he has free-run). He also found some spots in our apartment that were started by Bunston and has picked up right where he left off. Quite the climber, and is testing out all our bunny-proofing all over again.

                              Bertha and Bun Jovi have definitely been my most snuggly bunnies and will beg for pets for hours, but even they do not like to be held or pick up. I get lots of foot thumps whenever I have to handle either of them!

                              So, to summarize my personal experiences, 4 out of the 6 bunnies I’ve lived with have not been snuggly, and none of them have liked being picked up and held! 3 have been reasonably easy to pick up, the other 3 were challenging. 3 have been carpet diggers/chewers. 1 has had terrible litter box habits. 2 have had serious medical issues.

                              Far from a perfect record, but they have all brought joy to my life just the same, even those that I only cared for a short while.

                              . . . 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.  


                            • Cloversmom
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                                Wick I know exactly what you mean. Clover does this thing that whenever I go to get her fresh hay or pellets she hears me open the container and comes running from wherever she is and hops all around my feet does the food dance and I put her food in it’s spot. Then instead of going in to actually eat the food she was so excited about it’s like she gets so excited that she forgets what she was excited about and zones out and goes back to whatever she was doing. Eventually when she goes to where the food is she’s completely surprised that she has fresh food there haha.

                                And I didn’t mention the destruction. She has every type of chew toy in the book. We always buy her new ones. She rarely touches them. And she won’t chew on them for any length of time. But if I accidentally leave my boots out forget it. Everything’s fair game. Our back packs. The entertainment center. The trim. It’s all been graced by her haha


                              • Boymom4
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                                  Our rabbits play with NO toys, sleep all day and run around in the recessed corners of the house. Besides coming out for a scheduled nightly nose scratch that last only a short time as a way to get their bedtime treats, they are pretty much independent critters who couldn’t care to do less with all of us. They have no fear of anyone. They simply do not care to need us. Don’t even think about picking one of them up! LOL
                                  Sure, they have their less fun quirks than the iconic “cuddly bunny” (I’ve been lucky enough to have those in the past too) and yet they bring a huge amount of humor to our home as we run commentary on what is going through their minds.
                                  Olive is pitch black and since she lurks in the shadows we have determined she hates the light and anything light colored. Her endless loafing in the corner is actually world domination in the plotting stages.
                                  Nabbit is fat and lazy and since he is a Dutch we have determined that he perpetually is wearing lounge pants and his great grandfather might in fact have been one of those like colored pigs….we may never know.
                                  What I do know is in spite of them not being cuddly, they are vibrantly full of personality, so to anyone who is struggling to bond with a bunny like ours, I would encourage you to pay more attention to what they do and less to what they don’t do. You might be surprised to discover who you are living with! ?


                                • ThorBunny
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                                    Thor nips. A lot.

                                    She used to be so bad when we got her we weren’t sure rabbits were the right pet for us! She also definitely has a preference for women over men. She drew my husbands blood on several occasions – not clamping down bites but from hard nips when we didn’t get out of her way quickly enough. It may be why she ended up in the shelter in the first place!

                                    Over the last year we have made sooo much progress with her. Since she feels more safe and we have been better at re-directing her and rewarding good behavior. She will occasionally still nip but much more softly. And sometimes when we are not quick enough with the pellets It’s been a long hard road with many tears, thumps and upset feelings.

                                    On the other hand, she loves her pets, relaxes around us and truly loves to be social and have floor time. Recently she’s been getting more cuddly which is great to see her coming out of her shell. Took a year to get to this point! She’s been an absolute joy to have and I wouldn’t change her for the world I’m so thankful for this site for helping me to see the good and bad parts of rabbit ownership and to know I’m not alone in having some bunny issues!

                                    Oh. And she’s started chewing on the gate to our bedroom on weekend mornings to wake me up Smart alec bunny.


                                  • Mikey
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                                      This is why I love having three very different buns. Each has their very own attitudes, likes, and dislikes, which gives me great perspectives as rabbits as a whole

                                      Badger would be my stereotypical “ideal rabbit” in that he will allow you to do whatever to him, even if he does not like it. He will not fight back, and his grudges only last a minute at most. For example, hes gone through xrays and ultrasounds without needing to be put under, because the vet layed him out and just pet him so he accepted it all LOL. You can pet him, carry him, and hold him as much as youd like to (so long as youre not causing him pain) and he will just accept it. BUT! He cannot be around other bunnies at all because he is disabled. He needs a lot of space to avoid injury when he unavoidably falls while running around. He also loves to throw his water and his litter box getting his entire pen all nasty. Anything you dont want him to throw, you need to spend extra money on in order to make sure it is weighted enough so he cant fling it. When he is upset (very rarely, though, since we found his ideal routine), he digs his poop out of his litter box specifically towards whoever upset him/whoever he is blaming. He also has a digging problem in that he will only dig in blankets and carpet; weve got a few holes from him digging as play Hes also a very good climber, so he needs pens and gates that dont have bars going through the center, because he will use them to climb out. Regardless of the fact his back legs rarely work normally, lol.

                                      My Blue is sassy as all hell, and I mean that in a nice way. Walk past him and dont pet him? Youll be bunny butted for hours on end. Dont give him his morning massage as soon as you wake up? Bunny butted for hours. If he feels ignored (or if youve given one of the other two “more” attention than him), he will completely stop eating, sit in a dark corner, and just sulk for hours. He would rather die than go without his ideal amount of attention, I kid you not. Hes also a really big chewer; wooden toys dont last more than 48 hours around him. In that regard, he is very expensive. Hes also litter box picky in that he will purposely pee over the edge if he feels his litter box is not clean enough. He will scoot his butt up over the edge to the point it is hanging out almost above level to his head, and pee. If my boyfriend or I are in the room, he will do this while eye locking us. Blue doesnt have shame in nipping, either. In his way? Nip. Petting Bombur too much? Nip. Cleaning the litter box that he demanded be cleaned in that moment? Nip. Blue also knows how to undo baby gates, close and open doors that are not in all the way, and knows how to unlatch most pen/cage locks. He needs to be twist tied or metal clipped in. He is just full of attitude and sass and finds it funny when he gets in ‘trouble’

                                      Bombur would be considered a hell rabbit. It took over a year just to gain his basic level of trust. I have scars up my arms from him boxing, kicking, scratching, and biting me. I wouldnt even be touching him, and he would run across the room to attack. He has a fear of being picked up (but not held, he loves to be held lol) so any time he could see someones hands move, he would go into fear based attack mode. And no, hes never been dropped or hurt while being picked up; hes just very instinctual. To add, hes also afraid of heights but can easily clear 3feet (we think he can jump up to 3.4feet). He often follows his bondmate, Blue, into high spots and then cannot get down so he needs human help (when hes nervous, he will refuse to get into his crate, and he doesnt trust ramps). Que, being cut up while you try to help him because he scared himself by jumping too high. He also cannot be around people he has never met before as it sends him into a horrible panic (large eyes, thumping, breathing so heavy that you can hear it). If new people come over, they can say hi to Blue and Badger, but need to completely ignore Bombur. Weve kicked people out who dont listen to this rule, because Bombur becomes so afraid. And even then, he wont consider a human to be an acquaintance until after hes met them this way multiple times. A stranger who does not live in this household will never gain his trust. He sprayed so much while he was not yes neutered. We had so many mark stains. Hes been neutered for over a year now, and he still spray marks atleast once a day. No, he doesnt have hormone problems, either. Every day he leaves atleast five territory poops around the room, and atleast one pee mark. If hes madder than normal, he might leave more marks. Not a super negative, but he can hear when storms are about 30 minutes away and will try to hide under things; hes afraid to get wet from rain, even though he is inside/has never been outside without being inside of his covered crate. It used to be almost impossible to get him to eat through storms when he was super young, because he would be so focused on being dry than eating, even if you brought the food to his hidey spot.

                                      Atleast for right now, that is all I can think of for negatives of my three toddlers — I mean bunnies


                                    • JosipTheBunny
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                                        I looove this thread!!

                                        Where should I start? Bunnies are so interesting and naughty!

                                        Josi… our first bunny. We thought she was a boy so we named her Josip, but later at the vet we were told she is a princess. She is so independent. She won’t let you pet her, absolutely hates being picked up! She grunts when she is annoyed, we get lots of thumps when we have to pick her up for nail clipping, administrating medicine or brushing when she molts. But she does forgive quickly… a few treats and it’s ok. She doesn’t hold grudges. she sometimes bites, but not very hard. like if you are invading her personal space and she want’s peace – which is most of the time. She is not a cuddly bunny – often times I call her Ice princess because she is a white netherland dwarf with blue eyes. Such a beautiful bunny. <3

                                        Bobi… he is our second bunny. God he is so naughty! He used to be bonded to Josi, but since he is super agressive towards other bunnies he is now a single bunny. He doesn’t tolerate other rabbits… female or male. We he smells our other rabbits on us he lunges and bites hard! Otherwise he is the perfect snuggle baby <3 he cuddles with us, he likes being picked up and petted… he begs for pets and treats. We can literally cuddle him for hours. but if he smells another bunny on you… you get bitten! He draws blood. neutering didn’t help at all. He is also a big chewer. he ruined so many things already but we love him soooo very much. all our bunnies despite their negative traits are our babies and we love them unconditionally <3

                                        Cofi… he is no longer with us. He died 3 weeks ago of GI stasis. He was such a pretty angora, such an elegant bunny. He was not naughty at all, he loved exploring, but he just like his bunny wife Josi, hated being picked up, he allowed head rubs though. in his year with us he never chewed and destroyed anything. He truly was an angel <3 I miss him dearly. When he was a young bunny I remember he was such an escape artist! he could jumo so high and escape from anything when we tried to make diy enclosures.

                                        Bine… is our new bunny. Ww got him a week ago, he is 2 months old. In a few months we will try bonding him with Josi. So far he seems like a cuddly bunny, looooves head rubs and is very friendly. He relaxed in one day…so quickly. he already runs to us when we come in the room and begs for treats.

                                        I cannot imagine a life without bunnies. <3 I love how mischevious they are.

                                        There is always hay everywhere! I sweep the floor daily, vacuum at least 2 a week, ocassional poops hidden in my bed…sometimes on a pillow (because Bobi shares a bedroom with us and is free range). Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and he is sitting on my head. Hay in my hair and clothes sometimes poking me through socks, hard poop in a shoe, furr on a cup, spilled coffee or tea when I leave it on a night tabel God forbid we forget to close the door to other bunny rooms – bunny fights, fur flying everywhere, poops and pees. Bobi really can’t stand other rabbits.  


                                      • Heaven
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                                          Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and he is sitting on my head

                                          I laughed out loud!


                                        • Boing
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                                            Great idea!


                                            @Cloversmom
                                            – you may want to investigate nightcaps (the historical kind).

                                            Daisy eats books. Cincinnati eats rugs. Daisy is perfectly healthy. Cincinnati is not. Daisy beats up dust pans and nibbles wooden furniture; her favourite wood is maple. Cincinnati will not chew chew toys. Daisy devours them. Cincinnati is polite with food. Daisy steals pellets, both from the scoop and the canister. Daisy eats iPhone cords. Cincinnati does not eat any kind of cord. Cincinnati steals catnip toys and eats the contents, though I suspect the cat may be complicit in this.

                                            They both get along with each other and my cat. They both have excellent litter box habits. They both are kind, to rabbits, cats and people. They both let me brush them and clip their nails. They both love cookies.


                                          • Q8bunny
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                                              Chewie is amazing and we love eachother to bits. But he will not hesitate to kick me in the teeth if I even think about trimming his nails. It takes a vet to do that


                                            • Dface
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                                                Yumi attacks my dog. She bites hands of the people who help mind her when I’m not around. She boxes me when I take my clothes away from her. She chews wires, she chews the hardwood floor, she digs her litter if I’m not up in time to give her attention. She LOVES bed cuddles so much she’ll pee there rather than move away. Rips the bag of litter open when I’m cleaning. Stamps about everything. Is generally evill

                                                Peep. Chews the walls. Eats the walls. Holds major grudges. Trust issues. Bites feet hard enough to draw blood. Enjoys ruining carpets. Cannot be trusted on soft things. Opens Christmas presents (that aren’t his) eats lint rollers. Refuses most treats.

                                                Poop and hay gets caught up in fur so despite generally good litter habits there is hay fur and poor everywhere .

                                                But their good qualities far outway their bad ones and I wouldn’t change them for the world

                                                My bridge bunny was just mannerless. he used to get into the worst places for rabbits and go missing for hours in the house (hidden nap places) could climb exceptionally well up onto things, but took leaps of faith off of them. Used dog as trampoline. Stole dogs bed. Ate the hedgehogs food.
                                                Dragon kicked my laptop off a desk and broke the hardrive.


                                              • Bam
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                                                  Posted By Dface on 1/27/2018 9:16 PM

                                                   Opens Christmas presents (that aren’t his) 

                                                  Terrible, terrible boy!!! 


                                                • Cloversmom
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                                                    Oh I also forgot to mention the amount of phone chargers and headphones we go through haha


                                                  • Dface
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                                                      Bam- we couldn’t be mad cause he looked so happy doing it..but it did mean a lot of rewrapping!


                                                    • Bam
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                                                        Dface, I bet he was completely irresistible! It’s very difficult to be angry at a rabbit. they’re just too cute.

                                                        Cloversmom, Bam celebrated International Rabbit Day by snipping an original Iphone cord. I’d become careless because he hadn’t touched a cord in like 5 years. But he probably thought the day called for something a little extra. And not a cheap, generic cord, that’s for peasants.


                                                      • Heaven
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                                                          Sam chewed through my housemate’s MacBook charger yesterday & I had to pay to replace :l


                                                        • Anna
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                                                            I think this picture says it all!

                                                            This trail of destruction appeared more or less overnight. 


                                                          • Levilovescelery
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                                                              So Levi is super cute and sweet, loves being petted almost all the time, and as long as you hold him right doesn’t mind being picked up.And he is mostly easy to handle.But on his very first vet visit i unfortunately did not have a carrier and he peed in my lap(he refused to stay in the box I brought because he was scared for most of the first part of waiting).The vet I go to has good prices,is a great vet but the trade off is looong wait times so I sat there in the waiting room covered in pee!He also peed on me and the bed once.And poops on me ALL THE TIME.Not as bad as dog poop but still.Oh and also at the vets office he scratched up my chest pretty bad.the good news is I’m getting a carrier this weekOh, and the time I had to use his food bowl for water since he had never used a bottle and so used a small stainless steel bowl for his pellets.Woke up to a CLANG CLANG CLANG! Noise.It was Levi,he’d dumped the last of his pellets and was playing with the bowl


                                                            • Wick & Fable
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                                                                Wick transitioned to a small glass bowl, only placed in his litter box for pellets after he’d continually make a mess on the floor from dumping the pellets out. Rabbits really like to pick/lift bowls…..

                                                                He gets veggies on a plate because he can’t do much damage with that, unless he’s a secretly gifted frisbee thrower.

                                                                It’s actually good that Levi is getting water from a bowl! That’s healthier for rabbits because it requires less effort than a bottle. With bottles, rabbits can drink less because of malfunctions, required effort, and time it takes to get a good amount of water. The downside is you need to find a heavy water bowl so you don’t get floods here and there.

                                                                Also, I think you mentioned somewhere that someone one may be bothered by the smell of Levi? Unsure if I made that up, but rabbits do not smell themselves. It’s more the litter box. Their poo should be dry, so those don’t leave a smell, but their urine can smell sometimes. If you add a splash of apple cider vinegar with the mother into the water bowl, this will nullify the smell of pee. Regular apple cider vinegar would probably work too, but the acv with the mother helps regulate rabbit digestion and keeps the fur nice and shiny. The mother is a bunch of floating bacteria that’s great for rabbits. Wick gets it in his water constantly. Just a splash in each water bowl; nothing crazy.

                                                                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.


                                                              • Levilovescelery
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                                                                  His water bottle broke so right now his food bowl is for water and his hay rack has a shelf on the bottom I’ve been putting his pellets in.And I should try that!I spot clean his cage literaly every day.To be honest I keep his cage more clean than I keep my room(He mostly stays in his cage but I take him out for a bit at the end of the day with supervision.getting him a play pen soon)I’m also thinking about switching him to those horse bedding pellets for his cage,I’ve heard good things about those.Talking to the vet first to make sure those won’t bother his breathing or anything.I’ve heard those pellets reduce the smell a lot.getting him a litterbox too


                                                                • Sleepy
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                                                                    Guinness is a smart bunny, which means when she misbehaves she makes *sure* you know she’s doing it for you. So in addition to eating with her butt juuust outside the litterbox, if you tick her off, she’ll hop to a corner, wait until you see her, and then let loose a lovely pee for you to vinegar up. Likewise, she’s stolen things off tables and ran away with them just so she can happily half-bink away when you try to stop her. Before being spayed she was especially terrible since she’d hop up right beside you, start grooming herself, and then let loose over you and the couch.

                                                                    Plus, she’s a diva bun when it comes to attention. It must be on her terms or you get bunny butt. She used to throw her head at you to butt your hand away if she didn’t want to be pet but now a-days she just hops away, gives you butt, and looks at you as if to say “not NOW mom, uggh”.

                                                                    Bleu is the shyer of the two and he’s a suck-up for attention, which you’d think would be more ideal, but he’s more like a Slytherin bunny. Not only is he more likely to pull escape attempts but he’s also chewed through two answering machine cords, two laptop cords (including a mac!), the tips of a pair of glasses, the bottom of a couch, and we used to have a pair of plastic keys for them to play with until he developed a taste for rubber and started chewing bits off it. One time he got under the old couch and we were freaking out about whether he’s accidentally stab himself with a spring and when we put a flashlight on him, there he was: casually sitting on one of the wooden beams and grooming himself. He also *hates* being picked up so every time he’ll flick his feet at you the moment you put him down.

                                                                    They’re also both arse$!&$s about getting fed. If you sleep in the kitchen where they are, they’ll sleep near you…but they’ll also do things like throw the hay basket, get right in your face, and scratch at the blanket to get you to wake up and feed them already.


                                                                  • Levilovescelery
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                                                                      Sleepy it sounds like you have your hands full!Guinness sounds like a teenager haha.And blue sounds like a mischievous adventure bunny well at least life will never be boring with rabbits around!I think it’s pretty clear that everyone here loves them anyways though


                                                                    • Sirius&Luna
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                                                                        My sister looked after the bunnies while we were on holiday, and said that none of them peed where they shouldn’t. We got home and Luna welcomed us back by peeing on the sofa….

                                                                        I can only conclude that they do it deliberately to get my attention, if they don’t bother when other people are looking after them :/


                                                                      • Deleted User
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                                                                          S&L: lol it would be Luna. She’s such a diva


                                                                        • Sirius&Luna
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                                                                            Honestly, I’ve never had such a diva of a rabbit before. I’m sure it’s a girl thing.
                                                                            But then Ophelia sounds like a perfect angel.


                                                                          • GarfyTheLop
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                                                                              @S&L Garf did this to me the other day and I knew it was because he was mad at me but my boyfriend said I was crazy haha
                                                                              I was petting him for ages then stopped to go sort the washing and Garf just wee’d on the rug where we were sat!


                                                                            • Sirius&Luna
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                                                                                Oh they definitely angry pee. You’re not imagining it!


                                                                              • mschoonover11
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                                                                                  This is awesome Wick!

                                                                                  When you first see Toby, you’ll think “aww! what a cute bunny!” I mean he is because you can’t ignore a Holland Lop’s adorable flat face and their cute little floppy ears.

                                                                                  But in reality, he’s nothing but a mischievous lil boy. My house mostly has carpet except an area that has flooring. That’s where I let him free rome when he’s not in his x pen or 2 story bunny condo. The area in my house that has flooring doesn’t have a door, so when I let him play there, I have to put these pieces of plywood blocking the exit (as he bit a hole into my carpet). He knows he shouldn’t try to escape the area but he does anyways. Yesterday, I went to go get something out of the area he was playing in and I caught him trying to escape, and I said “no Toby”. (he knows he’s about to get in trouble when I say that.) As I was leaving the area, I heard a big BANG! I turned around and he had jumped over the plywood! I’m like “wow Toby I didn’t know that you could jump that high!” He’s just like Dennis the Mennis. When your not looking, that’s when they wait to do something mischievous.


                                                                                • SaisyDaisy
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                                                                                    Charlie is the same way as some of you guys are describing! She pees and poops everywhere BUT her litterbox sometimes, grolws and lunges and anything and everyone, and generally only holds affection twaords her food; Nonetheless shes my first bun. and I wouldnt trade her and her snuggles (when she’s all played out) for the world! Its so worth it, even with the bites, and rips and tears along the way!


                                                                                  • SaisyDaisy
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                                                                                      Charlie is the same way as some of you guys are describing! She pees and poops everywhere BUT her litterbox sometimes, grolws and lunges and anything and everyone, and generally only holds affection twaords her food; Nonetheless shes my first bun. and I wouldnt trade her and her snuggles (when she’s all played out) for the world! Its so worth it, even with the bites, and rips and tears along the way!


                                                                                    • mschoonover11
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                                                                                        My rabbit chewed up my Bible…


                                                                                      • Harley&Thumper
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                                                                                          I would like to thank Harley and Thumper for beign such tidy rabbits unlike Spaghetti

                                                                                          That was 30? seconds after putting the litter box down.


                                                                                        • DanaNM
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                                                                                            Posted By Harley&Thumper on 2/28/2018 7:37 PM

                                                                                            I would like to thank Harley and Thumper for beign such tidy rabbits unlike Spaghetti

                                                                                            That was 30? seconds after putting the litter box down.

                                                                                             I love this! Bunston used to do the same thing! Then Bertha came along and would flatten all the hay and pee on it, so we had to get them a hay rack!

                                                                                            . . . 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.  


                                                                                          • Harley&Thumper
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                                                                                              Unfortunately, I don’t really have a place to put the hay rack for Spaghetti unless I put up a wall of NIC grids just for the hay rack. So unless I do that I guess I just have to put up with the litter box becoming her nest.


                                                                                            • YandereCapybara
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                                                                                                Pros of living with Gary:
                                                                                                -Likes to play with cheap things
                                                                                                -Active and silly
                                                                                                -Fluffy
                                                                                                -Very independent

                                                                                                Cons:
                                                                                                -Loves destroying valuables (His current body toll is at three paintings, a leather piano seat, one prom dress)
                                                                                                -Lives like a frugal grandparent: prefers toilet paper rolls to store-bought chew toys, cardboard boxes with a bit of grass in them to beds, you get the idea :l
                                                                                                -Very picky eater

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                                                                                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Imperfect Rabbits – We all have them.