New, need help!

[Stinky]

Hey all..

Stinky is my house rabbit who was found stray a couple years ago. I’ve had 8 other rabbits, but she’s the only one currently. She decided she was litter trained, not me. She used to have free roam of the house, but we have a few problems.

 

1) The dog loves to snack on her food when my bedroom door is open. It’s a training flaw on my part, I know. But prevention is the best medicine.

 

2) She unplugs the television when we don’t pay attention to her, and has chewed through a lamp cord. Luckily, she unplugged it first.

 

3) She POOPS and PEES on the couch when she’s out. I can’t get the smell out, and she thinks it’s “her place.” Up until now, she’s gone in her litterbox as long as she’s locked in my room. But recently, she’s decided that my BED is a nice place to potty. I never catch her in the act, and would never “punish her” but the jokes about leaving her out on the mesa are getting more and more frequent in my family. And it’s not sounding half bad. Hahaha.

 

My questions are these. Has anyone used a scat mat to keep them off certain areas? Do rabbits respond to these as well as dogs and cats do? Also, has anyone used those scented cord protectors? What else can I do to keep the peace?

 

She’s a great member of the family, and gets along with the dogs, cat, rats and other creatures just fine. She’s never been a real “people person” but I don’t mind. She’s more like an aloof cat than a bunny. I just can’t see her living life in a cage, and I know this is an easily fixed problem. Please help!

 

Thanks,

Leah and Stinky and the rest of the Gang.

[wendyzski]

Is she spayed?  The pooping/peeing may be a territorrial issue which would be worse if she is hormonal.  a solution of plain white vinegar can help get the smells out so she doesn’t automatically mark.  Or you just may need to cover the couch when she is out with an old blanket or piece of plastic.

You need to cover the cords.  She’s not chewing them because she’s hungry – she has an instinct to keep the escape routes from her burrow clear of roots in case something tries to catch and eat her.  Covering and/or fastening down the cords will help with this – if they aren’t loose she may not “see” them, and if they are covered she may view them as sticks to be moved rather than roots to be chewed through.  You can use plastic covers bought for the purpose or just go to the hardware store and get some tubing and slit it up the side (carefully) with a utility knife and then slip the cord inside.

[MooBunnay]

Hi Stinky – welcome to binkybunny

The first thing I would say is the same as Wendy – if your bunny is fixed, often their “acting out” behaviors, especially chewing and pooping and peeing will be lessened.

The peeing on the couch and bed are very normal frequent issues for a bunny. These are places that smell the most like us humans, and therefore they want to mark them as their own. If you only have the problem with Stinky peeing on the bed when you aren’t there to supervise – purchase an inexpensive clear plastic shower curtain, and put it over your bed. This will discourage Stinky from even jumping up on the bed. Do the same with the couch. I’ve tried many different things and these work the best!

As far as cords, I think you said it well, “prevention” is the best! There are many ways you can block off areas that you don’t want the bunny in. A popular way is the “NIC” cubes, or “Organize it” cubes from Target. They are metal grids that are supposed to be locked together to make bookcases, but can be used to block of different areas. You’ll need zip-ties to tie them together in different lengths and shapes.

[BinkyBunny]

Wendy and MooBunnay gave you great advice. And I can tell you that for Jack (and Rucy) it took some time, but once I found out that their only mission for ever being up on the furniture was to pee on it, then I would only allow them out when I could supervise, and the moment the jumped on the couch, they were shooed down. Over time they knew not to get on the couch. Now that doesn’t mean that they don’t now occasionally sneak a pee, but now it happens only a few times within a few years time. I think he peed once on our main couch and then twice on the couch in the bunny room.

[bunnytowne]

Sounds like a very intelligent bunny.   Unplugs the cords b4 chewing on them.     Though the end result is a pain in the butt….

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By bunnytowne on 04/19/2009 01:14 PM

Sounds like a very intelligent bunny.   Unplugs the cords b4 chewing on them.     .

 

HAHHAHAHA!  Funny Bunnytowne!

[Stinky]

Well, she USED to be smart. She chewed through the cord of an iHome yesterday. While it was plugged in. The root thing is new information for me, and makes total sense. Thanks. Stinky is not fixed, as far as we know.

 

The problem is becoming more urgent, as we have a houseguest. My friend is staying in my room, and Stinky has been in a plastic tub modified for rats for a couple days, with stretch breaks. I feel bad, but I can’t have her ruining stuff that doesn’t belong to me. And terrorizing people in the night. And making smells and pee-pee on their pillows. Lol The poor girl went from a house that didn’t allow a betta, to my place with animals up the wazoo. It’s a culture shock WITHOUT a rabbit being a pest.

 

To be honest, I doubt spaying her will fix anything, but I’ll keep it in mind. I guess I’ll just only let her out when I can supervise her, and thwack her when she jumps on my bed. I’m seriously considering a shock mat to put under the sheets.

 

Also, I just started working in a small pet shop (that is uber sketchy) and they have mites. What can I do to make sure they don’t travel home on me, and get transferred to the animals?

 

Also ALSO, if I do end up looking for a new home for the Stink, what kind of questions should I ask potential adopters? Probably somewhere that would be okay with working with her on her litterbox habits, right? Instead of a cage life. That just makes me wanna cry.

 

THANKS!

Leah.

[Stinky]

UPDATE–

 

I bought some of that carpet cover stuff that has the smooth side, and the little spikes on the other side. I put it upside-down on my bed, thinking she’d jump up there, not like the way it felt and jump off. Yeah, no. She still pottied all over it.

 

At my wits end, getting closer and closer to buying a perminant cage for her. I need a solution quick!

 

By the way, she hasn’t even TOUCHED her litterbox in the last week. >.<

[Sarita]

Really you do need to consider getting her spayed.

I think you have given her too much space to start as well. I would suggest you get her an x-pen or a puppypen instead of a cage to confine her.

[bunnytowne]

Yes start her off in a small area like in an xpen put the hay in her litterbox along with the litter.

Spay will definitely help  If it is a matter of $ call around at humane society in your area. I am sure they will know someone low cost but rabbit savvy.  Even some humane societies will do rabbits spay/neuters too for a low cost.  Or vets they do vary in their prices.  Or foster people they woudl know too.

One in titusville does it for 20.00

It will definitely help too along with a smaller play area til she gets it.  Being young they do make mistakes but the litter box should be visited at least a few times a day.  Since she ignored it completely sounds like too much room to roam for now.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yes, spaying is very necessay for health and all these kinds of behaviors. She’s not likely to improve if she isnt’ spayed. Have you located a rabbit vet yet?

[Stinky]

I don’t have space for an xpen. She isn’t young, she’s almost 4 (estimate) and she’s had this much space for the three years I’ve had her. And she didn’t magically become unspayed in that time. She’s always had good litterbox habits until recently. She’s been in a tub for a couple weeks now, with stretch breaks. But as soon as I leave the room she goes up on the bed and I just don’t have the time to stand around and watch her. So she’s been in there a lot lately. If anyone knows of a person or family wanting a house rabbit that needs some behavor improvement, we’re in Albuquerque NM. She’ll only go to the perfect home. You can email me at leah_mageea@yahoo.com

 

Thank,

Leah

[Beka27]

I wish you luck in rehoming her. I agree, it sounds like you may not be the right person to care for her if you don’t have the time and you’re not able to provide correct housing. Rabbits can be tricky characters, very few are 100% perfect in every regard, and they require people willing to work with them and love them in spite of their imperfections. I doubt anyone here will be able to help you with rehoming as most of us are already at our capacity on rabbits, and when we do adopt, we try to do so from rescues who have their rabbits already altered. Be aware… many shelters will be getting in their yearly “Easter dumps” around this time too, so you will have even more competition in finding a good home. You may want to try Craigslist, but just be sure to put a lot of info about her, a picture will hopefully help, ask an adoption fee, and screen anyone who responds.

[BinkyBunny]

You also might want to have her checked out by the vet. Sometimes a dramatic change can be due to medical issues.

Sometimes bunnies need refresher courses. I have had to do that to mine a few times who are perfectly litter trained. Sometimes they can be set off by something that we may just not know, and taking the time and using a pen somewhere (even the kitchen or to block off the bathroom and then gradually open up space by just blocking rooms instead of using the xpen as a cage is another way to do it.

. So IF you really do decide to continue to find a home for her, you will need to tell someone else to do this.  Have ’em come here and if they have the room and time to follow our advice, they will have a better chance at success.   But I would first check to make sure there isn’t some UI infection or other illness that is causing this change before you try to find a home for her.

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