Plops questions about a couch pooper and possible cord chewing in future.

[BinkyBunny]

I brought this out of a longer thread because other people
can benefit from this and I didn’t want it to get lost in the long
“Welcome” thread.

Plops questions:

“she is good about using the litter box while in her cage, but when she is
out of her cage i cannot keep her from going on the couch. if i catch her in
the act and put her in the litter box, she usually will finish in the litter
box, but she still prefers the couch. any suggestions?

i’m an avid videogamer and so i have cords all over, but she has never
chewed a single one. she is still very young and i would assume if she dosn’t
chew them now, she won’t later. is this a wrong assumption?”

How old is she?  Is she spayed yet?   (if she’s not
then marking should get better when/if she is)

Some bunnies do fine up on couches, beds etc.  Then there are others –
others who like to “mark” their territory and “claim” it as
their own.   Usually couches, blankets, beds have our scent on it,
and it’s their way of marking over our scent or just joining in to say it’s
theirs too.    Their wild cousins mark like this too, they all
just reinforce their territory to all outsiders.   SO, she may be
thinking she’s doing a good thing and protecting her new place from any
intruders.

But you will have to lay down the law and be the “alpha” bunny, and
claim that it is a “Yours” object, not an “ours” object.  (even in the
bunny world their is a hierarchy)

So how do you become king of the couch?    Shoo her off the moment
she gets on there.   Say No, “Off” or clap your hands if
she doesn’t respond to your voice,  and walk towards her, and if she
doesn’t get off, you’ll need to nudge her off.   You may even need to get
a squirt bottle so you can do it from across the room, but be sure to say
“No” or “Off” with the squirt so she will associate it with
“your” dominance, otherwise she may not understand where it’s coming
from.  (and I think if you are wanting to claim that, then she needs to know
YOU are the one claiming it)

If she consistently gets right back on the couch over and over after you’ve claimed it,
then you need to put her back in her cage in her litterbox for a time
out.   So she can also understand she can poop in “her” place,
but not in the “our” and “your” space.

Regarding the cords.  If they become in the way,  she absolutely may
chew on them.  Also, I don’t know how old she is, but if she hasn’t
reached 4 months yet,  then the destructive age has yet to come, and she will
most likely chew.

The reason most bunnies chew on cords is to clear a path.    Their
instincts, as prey animals, are telling them to know  your
territory,  and clear it out for easy escape if need be.    A
trip or block over something can cost them their life if they are on the run
(at least that’s what their instincts are telling them)  SO, in my
opinion, it’s only a matter of time, and it’s easy enough to just grab some
cord covers.
 Check out how I covered my cords (including the wires to the video game controls)
BUNNYINFO/BunnyProofing/tabid/61/Default.aspx#wires

I also love to play video games, and I learned the hard way  – while in
the  middle of playing “Halo” against my husband,   Jack
chewed the cord to my controls!  I guess he was on my husband’s side!

[Sam Richards]

thanks for the quick response. she is about a month and a half old. i’ve heard they shouldn’t be spayed until at least 3 months so i plan to have her fixed then.

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