New house-BUNNY CHANGED BEHAVIOUR

[lost_beauty]

Hello everyone!It is my first day in this forum and I registered as I have some issues with my bunny.She is 1+year old,unspayed because in my country vets don’t have a clue about bunnies so they don’t perform surgery on them,especially female spaying which is more difficult.She is a lop-eared bunny,she loves me very much and licks me and loves it when I pet her,she eats,drinks and defecates normallyl,I pay close attention to her,so no health issue.When I first bought her 8 months ago,she was mean to me and would pee and poop everywhere but i managed to train her thanks to advice and tips i found on the internet.It took me 3 months to train her,it was very painful and frustrating.SHE MANAGED TO BECOME ALMOST PERFECT.The problem is I that I am a student so in summer I come home and live with my parents for 2 months.My bunny,Ruby and I moved to my parents’ home 2 weeks ago and since then she started peeing and pooping everywhere,it’s like she does it on purpose.I put her in her litterbox when she lifts her tail but she jumps out of it and runs away.She seems content and she sleeps,grooms herself,relaxes,she doesn’t hide.My parents and my brother come often to my room and they avoid her,they don’t like pets,so they don’t pet her,when she goes near them,they go away.It is not the first time Ruby is in this house,we also visited at Christmas and Easter for 2 weeks each time.And she would pee and poop everywhere.Because of that,my parents hate her and tell me to get rid of her.Please help!What should I do?Oh and when we go back to our other house,where i study,she becomes litter-trained again(in 2 rooms of the house,in the living room she loses control,so it is restricted area).

[LoveChaCha]

It seems like your bunny is marking her territory and that is normal. I don’t agree that your parents say you should get rid of her, I would educate them on rabbits Especially showing them a site http://www.rabbit.org. They could learn a lot about rabbits from that site and get a better understanding of your bunny. They don’t have to like her, but by understanding how rabbits are, they may have a better understanding of why she does what she does.

Here is a list of vets that are rabbit savvy:
http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

It is realy hard to potty train a unspayed rabbit. I hope that you will find a vet that will spay your rabbit. There are so many risks in not having the procedure done

[lost_beauty]

I always try to tell them how smart and pretty bunnies are and because of that,they don’t ever eat or kill rabbits.Is there a way to train her in this current house or is it futile?Here vets don’t know a thing about rabbits,someone I know spayed her young female bunny and she died.

[LoveChaCha]

That vet was not very good with rabbits. A good vet will never lose a rabbit. The rate is very small, but it is worth the procedure, as the rate of reproductive cancer is 80% by the age of 4.

Did you look at the link that I posted?

[lost_beauty]

I live in Greece.Here we only have 2 vet schools,they specialize in cats and dogs.One school closed for a semester and the students did not attend any operations for a year due to financial problems of the school.

 

[LoveChaCha]

I would add another litter box, just to be careful.

[jerseygirl]

I think you will just have to restrict her space while you are at your parents. Her instinct to mark would be very strong and it probably makes her feel more secure.

We had another member from Greece that posted for a while and she had the same issues regarding finding a vet to do a spay. I’m sorry to hear you have limited options.

[RabbitPam]

Hi, and welcome. I also remember the member jersey just mentioned, and I understand your difficulty in getting experienced vet care in Greece.

I would suggest getting an X-Pen (exercise pen), usually 36″ high, made for a dog or cat but easy to flatten and open up into a room with a door for you to open to get into it. They have no top, though you can buy one. If you bring one to your parents’ house, she will be confined but have room to run enough to keep her healthy. If you put it onto a temporary area rug, or one they store for you to use when you’re staying there, it will take on her own smell and she will eventually stop marking it. She is marking your parent’s house with the pee and poo, so she may settle down into her litter habits if she gets a familiar place at your parent’s home that always smells familiar.

She sounds like she’s done well with your patience and work with her. Hang in there. Being unspayed makes her more prone to territorial and aggressive behaviors, so it’s harder to keep the good behavior in strange places, but if you can’t help it then it just takes some time. Sorry your family doesn’t like her, but if she’s getting aggressive, she may nip, so it could be for the best that they don’t go to pet her.
WE like her already.

[lost_beauty]

Hi!Thank you all for your replies.I will not give up on her.She is very nice,she gives me kisses when I ask for them,she is not aggressive,only when I change her litter while she is inside she sometimes scratches me,sometimes she is just watching closely.She begs for food and petting and she loves my feet,she sits there forever and falls on one side and sleeps.She is very curious,she goes near my parents’ and brother’s feet and sniffs.I forgot to mention that she is perfectly litterbox trained in her own cage.I have one question though;How long should I let her out in my room and how often?every day ?How long?Should I clean immediately after her,and then mop, or let the room have her smell?I am worried because she is spoiled,back home she used to be out for over 4 hours every day.

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