New bunny destroys everything!

[luna]

Hi,

 

As some of ye already know i got a new bunny(female) almost two weeks ago to eventually bond with my neutered male. Henry has always been a very neat bunny and we were very lucky with him. The new girl Poppy is a complete messer. I first set up her enclosure with lino covered over with fleece and a towel in the corner to play with and also a big cushion insert from a cat bed which is on the 2nd level. Within seconds she destroyed the fleece with her digging and there were holes all over it so i took it out and replaced with afew flax mats which she also destroyed within a day. The flax somehow got everywhere.(we are still finding bits behind the couch) She tears up news paper which i dont mind but it seems like she is angry more so than “playing”! The cushion we got her has holes all over it too and everyday she manages to push it off the second level and it ends up on her litter box. I wouldnt mind but i secure everything with clothes pegs but she has broken most of them!

 

I decided to put the fleece back in and have folder it underneath the lino so she cant pull it up. Im just gonna have to put up with her biting holes in it as the flax mats and newspaper were creating too much of a mess! Also the first few days she was very good with pooping and peeing in the box but now she is pooping all around her food bowl and when she comes in from floor time she goes straight up to the same corner and pee’s and then licks it up I really do think that she is sexually maturing now and is frustrated… im just curious as to what other people think? There is quite a strong smell from her cage and i did a full clean 2days ago!!! She has also started honking as she runs around the living room( i thought only males do this?)….this started yesterday and she also goes over to Henrys cage every day and pee’s in the same spot beside his litter box and then licks it up. Im finding her behaviour really bizarre. She is now 4months old, we were going to get her spayed in January but i am considering booking her in for 2weeks time. I have a feeling she is older than the breeder says she is. If anyone could shed some light on my bunnys “unladylike” behaviour i would greatly appreciate it. I had to do alot of sucking up to my boyfriend to let me get a second rabbit and id say he is having serious regrets now because iv been so stressed out these last couple of weeks with cage cleaning that i barely have time for anything else Thanks guys!

[jerseygirl]

Oh gosh, they are up and down when they’re so young. The digging thing is something I find more in does. Also, their play styles vary and it sounds like you have a digger and chewer! A phone book is likely a neater option than newspaper and safer than fabrics etc. She could well be maturing. Some have had their buns spayed at four months but you may find vets could be reluctant to do it this young.

You may need to move her litter box or put in a second one to where she is peeing. Also, if she is making a habit of peeing while out, try catch her at it (i.e. look for the tail lift before they pee) and pop her in her box before she pees if possible. This will help reinforce her litter habits.

Wiith the honking, I always think it is not only a mating ritual thing. I think of it as a sign of a contented bun. My female did this when younger and still does every so often.

[Cassi&Charlie]

Bunnies can be really frustrating if you don’t get where the weird behaviour is coming from! I’d say she’s marking her territory with her bad litter habits and until you get her spayed, her habits might stay like this. Don’t give up hope though. As Jerseygirl said, try to catch her in the act of peeing. Look for a tail lift and probably a shuffle back into a corner. My bunnies also get a look of intense concentration when peeing

My bunny Layla is a digger and a chewer. I got a cardboard box & filled it with torn up newspaper, which she happily dug through instead of digging out her litter. Also a phone book works great for chewing!

Layla honks every morning when I get up, so I’m sure its a happy sound as well as a mating sound. Either that or she’s just happy to see the person who feeds her.

Although she might be a handful now, it will be so rewarding when she’s spayed and bonded to Henry. Every bunny has a unique personality and since you’ve only had her a few weeks you probably haven’t been able to bond with her as much as you have with Henry. Hang in there !!!

[luna]

Aw thanks for your reassuring words I really do love her so want to make this work. It can just get abit stressful when you add it to other stuff that is going on in your life too. I rang the vet and have booked her in for surgery on the 16th when she is 18weeks old and they have no problem with that. The only problem is that i have moved house recently and it will take me forever to get across to the vet in the morning to have her there by 9am so the nurse said i could bring her in the night before no problem. Would the stress of keeping her in the night before compromise how she reacts under anaesthesia?

 

Thanks for the tips about keeping an eye out for when she raises her tail. I have done that a couple of times but she is like a girl possessed. As soon as i have my back turned or leave the room for a minute she is straight back and she doesnt seem happy until she has marked that spot. i am really excited about bonding her and Henry. So far they have reacted very well around each other and Henry is head over heels inlove. He grooms her through the bars and she always goes straight over to him looking for attention too. i just hope he doesnt continue with spraying her every time they make contact. Its not very pleasant for her or our carpet!!!

[Cassi&Charlie]

Haha, I have cream carpet so I know the feeling!

Will the vet keep her the night of the surgery? I don’t think it will make a huge amount of difference because she might be just as stressed from the long drive in peak hour traffic so I wouldn’t worry too much.

Make sure you wait for a little while after the surgery before introducing them, even if it does seem like they’re in love. A spay is a big operation and the bunny is often feeling under the weather for a week or two. It just means introducing them to another bunny might be too stressful straight away, and her hormones might still be a bit crazy.

[luna]

I will be bringing her in the night before her surgery and she will come home the following evening when she has had the surgery all going well. I will be waiting at least 2weeks before they start dating again Thanks…. im going to try do everything by the book so it all turns out right! im looking forward to Henry having a friend. He is so tiny …she is almost twice the size of him and she is supposed to be the young one! They will be a cute couple

[Cassi&Charlie]

Sounds like you’ve really done your research!

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/bond.shtml

That site was my bible when I was bonding my two, as well as BinkyBunny because the members are great. God luck & hope to see lots of updates.

[luna]

Thanks a million for the info…that article is brilliant. I have it bookmarked will keep you updated and will prob be stressing aboout the procedure coming up to the 16th so no doubt i will have lots of questions then!!!

[jerseygirl]

Actually, taking her the night before may help her settle and she’ll be more likely to eat before the op. Make sure you pack some of her pellets to take in with her. You prob know this as you’ve had Henry fixed, it is really important rabbits ARE NOT fasted before surgery. If the vets office advises fasting I would be vary wary about their knowledge! Hope it goes well for poppy, keep us posted. Dying to see pic of her (hint hint!)

[luna]

I know …sorry i freely admit im bad with posting pictures…. i will get around to it eventually! promise I will bring her own food in with her and her fave veg plus her blanket and a cuddly toy. They said to me on the phone not to fast her. i have alot of confidence in this vet. He is very rabbit savvy ! Thanks for all the advice… i have learnt so much from this forum in the last few months about rabbits. They are such complex creatures and its nice to have a place to go for information. Its also great to know i can bring her in the night before and it wont do her any harm. Thanks

[Beka27]

^^^oh good! my main concern when you said you’d be boarding her overnight before the surgery was to make sure they continue to feed her, but it sounds like you have a great vet!

honestly, when you posted in the bonding forum, i did think she might be older than what they told you, or just a really early bloomer. i think you said she was 14 weeks when you got her? i think in many cases you can get to about 5 months before the female hormones really get going, but of course every rabbit is different.

is there any chance she might be a boy? even breeders can make mistakes. they might have sexed her when she was much younger and then never double-checked later… just a thought… well, i guess you’ll know soon enough… lol.

[luna]

Oh no Beka….i had to laugh when i read that because during the night i woke in from sleep and i just thought to myself, “uh oh…what if Poppy is a boy?” So this morning i tried to have a look and she kicked out before i could get a look or press anything. She has been leaving droppings everywhere today and there is a really pungent smell that reminds me of when Henry was spraying and i cant locate it… Aagghh Is this smell a male thing?  Would Henry be behaving like a love sick puppy if Poppy was male and spraying her/him etc?

 

I really hope she is a she… i asked the breeder twice when i was collecting her and he assured me that she was female but your right… you never know and yes i guess i will find out very soon. Lol!

[luna]

Posted By Luna on 12/04/2008 7:56 AM

Oh no Beka….i had to laugh when i read that because during the night i woke in from sleep and i just thought to myself, “uh oh…what if Poppy is a boy?” So this morning i tried to have a look and she kicked out before i could get a look or press anything. She has been leaving droppings everywhere today and there is a really pungent smell that reminds me of when Henry was spraying and i cant locate it… Aagghh Is this smell a male thing?  Would Henry be behaving like a love sick puppy if Poppy was male and spraying her/him etc?

 

I really hope she is a she… i asked the breeder twice when i was collecting her and he assured me that she was female but your right… you never know and yes i guess i will find out very soon. Lol!

 

oh yeah and i think she is definitely older than what the breeder said. There is no look of a baby bunny when you look at her and he told me that she is fully grown. At 14weeks? He must have thought i was clueless. Anyway i said nothing at the time because i had fallen in love and it didnt matter.

 

Its funny when you think about it. He sold me what he said was a “fully grown 14week old female mini rex” and i might have a 5month old male dutch!!!!

 

OOpps sorry didnt mean to double post ..must have hit quote instead of edit!

 

[jerseygirl]

Who wants to make I bet with me? ha ha! I still think she’s a girl. She’s totally acting like one. Luna, you may have to think of alternative names just in case. Poppet? Although, someone about here has a buck called Daisy I think – lol !

[Author]

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