Naughty Pancake

[Alex <3 Pancake]

Hi,

I have a buck called Pancake and he is around 4 – 5 months old. He was really affectionate and love cuddles but now he is growing up and becoming a man. He is booking to be castrated in a couple of weeks but I am worried that this won’t help the scratching and ‘attack bunny’ behavior.

 

He lives outside and has become very teritorial about his run. We have most problems when I need to put him in his run or to bed at night. He is also very distructive at the moment.

I just wonderd if anyone else had the same problems before castration.

Thanks

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[Sarita]

He’s adorable. Neutering will help with some of his behavior issues. Some rabbits altered or not don’t like you messing with their territory. You just have to learn to modify your behavior to meet his needs. For instance you will want to let him come out of his house on his own and entice him back into his house with treats rather than grabbing him in his territory.

But what exactly do you mean by destructive behavior? Maybe some of his behavior is just age-related – he’s a young rabbit and is probably very active.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I also have the same question, what exactly is his destructive behavior? What kinds of toy and safe chew distractions do you have for him? Have you ever thought about bringing him indoors to live? Instinct tells me that his behavior is mostly due to his hormones kicking in and the neutering should help. Ideally, bunnies need a safe area that is not invaded too much by humans like Sarita said or they get territorial.

[Alex <3 Pancake]

He has plenty of toys – I spend all my wages on toys lol! I’m not overly worried about the destructive behavior at the moment because I’m hoping he is just finding out what everything tastes like. He chews everything! Including his run, hutch and rips all his toys up. I guess it keeps him entertained!

I would love him to come inside so much! I had a house rabbit before and I loved it. My Partner doesn’t want him inside at all and it took a year to persuade him to let me get Pancake. ( maybe in time I will talk him round )

I have problem that to garden is not bunny proof and when I let him come out of the run on his own accord he likes to do a lap of victory round the garden. At the moment it is OK but I don’t want him to escape when he gets brave!

We did this this evening and we even had a little brush before bed time. We had a good relationship before and I’m worried we won’t again.

Another question –

He has his ears up most of the time but he IS a lop, is this just a large amount of personality or will he put them down as he grows up? (they are broken)

Thanks guys x

[Sarita]

You should have as good of a relationship with him after his neuter – probably even better – I don’t think I would worry about that.

It does sound like he is just exploring and still learning like you suggested too and it probably does keep him entertained.

Maybe you can get some kind of puppy pen to herd him into when you let him out so you don’t have to worry about his escaping the yard – I know I would have those same fears.

His ears looks down in the picture – he looks pretty young too now and he has some big ears!

I hope you can persuade your partner to let you bring him inside too.

[Alex <3 Pancake]

The pic is from when I first got him, the ears didn’t stay down for long!! They are still very big, as are his feet! I think he may become a very big man – funny because I intended to have a dwarf lop (pets at home also said that was all they sold).

I’ll post another recent pic of him when I can get them off my camera phone.

Thank you evryone

[Scarlet_Rose]

Lilja you are welcome. I agree that your relationship will be better after the neuter and may be able to persuade your partner to let you bring him inside, does he know that you can litter train him? What are your partners concerns about it and if you dispell them I think that they would be open to at least giving it a try. As for his ears, I don’t think that they will be up when he gets older but I am not an expert on them. Perhaps one of the other mods can give us both some insight into that.

[Alex <3 Pancake]

I’m not quite sure why he does not want him inside. i think he thinks he will poo everywhere and chew all our cables. When we first got him he would come in a little bit but then he started widdling on the sofa. I am sure when he is neutered he will stop that.

He also thinks he may get ill from the germs??? He only had cats when he was young and is not really the animal type. I would love for him to come in at least to play. I started a new job today and Pancake was on his own. When I came home he had destroyed one of his toys. He also would not sit for a brush and escaped around the garden – he had to go straight to bed

It’s so funny being Pancakes mummy but also a bit frustrating. He is a big character!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Lilja, humans don’t contract any bunny illnesses and well they can smell if you do not clean them and as for germs, you’re OK so long as you clean.  I think that if you spend a little time with Pancacke, you can get him to obtain better habits that will make him more welcome in the house. Poor guy must have really missed you, he’ll get used to your new schedule but be sure to spend some extra time with him when you are home. Bunnies do not generally like change too much. Pancake sounds like a character alright, the cutie pie. 

[Alex <3 Pancake]

I have started to let him have a bit of a hop around the garden when it is bed time and this has cooled down the tantrums a little. He is so funny, I put an umbrella up over him run if it looks sunny or if it is raining. When we had our hop about this evening, the brolly was upside down with the handle up in the air. This was a great toy!! When he hoped on it it sun round – whoa! was the response I like this game. He had me in stitches!!! I also gave him a little bit of banana when it was time to go to the run. The bribe worked well. I will have to find a healthier bribe soon though.

I am determined to have him inside, I feel this is where rabbits should be kept so they don’t get lonely x

[Scarlet_Rose]

That is so darn cute! Rabbits are such characters. Take it slow with bringing him inside, which I am sure he will love, and slowly get your guy used to the idea as well. Some bunnies really like being involved in everyday human goings-on plus you get to spend more time with your furry companion.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome Lila! I think you will see him calm down once he is neutered. It can take though a month or even up to six weeks for the hormones to die down, so the behavior will not change right after surgery. As far as your partner goes, the concerns can easily be addressed: Use cord covers to protect your cords. Littertraining can happen (but you most likely be more successful after surgery). What you would need to do is confine your bunny to a smaller area (xpens are great for that) at first anyway. So maybe your partner would get used to it since your bunny shouldn’t be given full freedom of the house right away anyway.

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