Sulky Bunny

[wendyzski]

As most of you know, Pepper is my little diva-bunny.  She has a very strong personality and likes things her own way.  So much so that she ended up beating up all the other bunny-boys we met at the shelter.  So we figured that for now at least she wanted to be an only child.

Well, part of the reason that I wanted to get her a friend is that I am in now in the midst of Ren-Faire season.  I work full-time during the week and leave town on the weekends (Michigan right now).  Pepper has plently of food and water while I am gone, but she’s been sulking since I got back last week and now I’m off again.

She’s never been much for toys except things she can chew.  I put a new basket in her condo for something to do.  She’s never showed any interest at all when I left a TV or radio on for her.  I’ve tried to make overtures on the days that I am here, and while she accepts the treats and the occasional quick pets she promptly hops off, feet a-flicking, to hide behind or under the nearest piece of furniture.  She will hop on me briefly when I lie on the floor, but not for very long.  And yesterday  while I was at work, she tossed the contents of her litterbox all over her condo and chewed the heck out of the plastic end of the (empty) foster enclosure that I still have up.

Obviously, she’s pissed off that I’ve been leaving her, and we’ve got 6 more weeks like this with a one-weekend break in mid-September.  (Mind you, if she’d been a little nicer she’d have a nice hisbun to boss around and snuggle by now)

Any suggestions as to how to make the best of my limited time with my little tantrum-bunny?

[luvmybuns]

How about getting a "bunny sitter"?  When I go on vacation, or leave for the weekend, I have someone come in, clean the cage, give them fresh greens and play with them for at least two hours each day.  That way, they seem to be much happier.  I leave mine out twice a day on a regular basis, before work and then as soon as I get hom from work.  So, when I leave, I try to get them out for at least a couple hours per day.

[wendyzski]

Well, Pepper is free-range 24-7, so getting run-around time isn’t the issue.  I have known since I got her that my schedule would do this, which is part of why I wanted to get her a friend. It’s also why she has 2 water sources (one of which is a filtered fountain) and a large hay-rack at all times.  If I am gone more than 2 days, I get someone in to take fresh greens out of the fridge and check water levels, but frankly my friends are NOT bunny people, and the people I would trust to help with this are with me on this gig.

When I *am* around, she is mostly doing her own thing, but she stops by for a nose-bonk or two just in case I have any treats.  She’s never been a cuddler or snuggly-bunny.

I wonder if I should try the radio thing again – in one room and kind of soft so if it gets annoying she can get away from it?

[dmh426]

Wendy, I work about 60-80 hours a week between the two jobs, and Sophie is the same way. Honestly, I let her out the second I walk in the door, sit on the floor, go through my mail, watch tv and just let her binky and run aroundlike a mad woman. She stays out and plays when I am getting ready for work the next day and then at bedtime, I cuddle up with her in bed and watch tv or the news. I like to read, but she gets jealous and likes to climb on me so I can’t see the book. Interaction is the best thing. Pepper doesn’t like toys, but have you tried one of those kabob things that hangs with treats on it in the cage? Soph loves her. I also have a washcloth in the cage for her to bunch up and rearrange. It keeps her entertained for hours.

The radio is a good idea, I have mine on a timer so it’s on for about two hours out of the day. I don’t want to totally annoy her by leaving it on all day!

[wendyzski]

She has a couple of beads-and-bells things hanging around – maybe I’ll smush some raisins in there

I’ve made sure to lie on the couch quietly and she’s hopped by and looked at me, but immediately foot-flicked away again.  She used me as a stepping-stool to get up to her favorite shelf, but didn’t even stop for a nose-bonk or sniff.  Woe, for I am spurned by bunny!

When I’m there she ignores me most of the time, but I guess she’s mad because she can’t ignore me when I’m not there.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I am so sorry to hear about the bunny-tiffing going on my word. you tried classical music? That seems to tame my two. I don’t have a whole lot of time with them but I do sit on the floor and watch TV with them and they help me open my mail too. *giggle* I like giving them the addys to shred.

[BinkyBunny]

You could try offering things that she has to realy work on. Like stick a raisin in a bunch of hay in stick in a toilet paper roll and then tie to something solid or leave it on the floor. You can also basically do the same thing with a paper bag. And something even more challenging. Get a small cardboard box, poke some holes in it and put pellets and hay in there. That way she really has to work for her food, plus she’ll be getting exercise and less bored. Bunnies’ digestive systems are meant to forage anyway, so this may help keep things interesting and keep her active.

Would she make friends with a toy bunny? I know Bailey hangs out with hers. She has two. One that stays in her pen, and one that’s out in the living room. She always seems to snugge right next to it or near it.

Keep us updated on what you end up trying and what works for you. And let us know how the Ren fair was when it’s over.

Have a great time!

[BinkyBunny]

dmh – it’s good to see here again.  We’ve missed you.  WOW, you are one busy gal!  How do you keep up that pace? That’s interesting you say that about the washcloth.  My very first bunny would spend hours, literally hours, rearranging a towel. He’d push it flat, then bunch it up, then tug at it with his teeth, then smooth it out with his front paws again, only to bunch it up again.  I never really understood it, even after all the research.  

I wish my rabbits now would do that, it would be easier to keep them busy and active!

[wendyzski]

Posted By BinkyBunny on 08/23/2007 11:43 PM
Would she make friends with a toy bunny? I know Bailey hangs out with hers. She has two. One that stays in her pen, and one that’s out in the living room. She always seems to snugge right next to it or near it.

 

 

I’ve tried a couple different kinds of stuffed animals, and she treats them like any other 3-dimensional item – shoves it aside if it’s in her way, but otherwise gnores them.

This time I put her greens in a basket hanging in her cage, and put the radio on low in the kitchen – so there is noise if she wants to listen but not in her usual lounging spot at the other end of the apartment behind the futon.

 

[osprey]

DJ and Curly Sue are both bunchers.  They are always rearranging the rugs in their pen, and when they come out for play they love to grab the sheet that put over the pen and push it into a ball, then try to smooth it out again.  OCD bunnies :-}

 

[wendyzski]

Some progress –  for the moment, at least, she has forgiven me.

The Radio turned itself off sometime over the weekend – maybe we lost power?

Maybe she got tired of stepping in the litter debris all weekend (poor dainty white paws!) or maybe the extra-good-cleaning the litterbox got on Monday changed the smell,but the litter is still in the box after 3 days.

I’ve been sleeping on the living room couch (folded out) for a couple of days, and I’m not sure if I get a fuzzy visitor in the night, but last evening she sat on her shelf and let me pet her for nearly 10 minutes.  Ear rubs, face smooshies, and even a little bit of loose fur plucking!  She also hops up on the couch I’ve been sleeping on and noses around a lot, so maybe getting my smell back helps? A lot of seemingly random thumping, so she may be still grumpy, but at least no more tantrums.

(She’s not allowed in my bedroom because it’s also my sewing room with pins and wires and things)

 

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