Two 4 legged furry male teenagers! Arggg.

[jjlops]

First of all…Thank you so much for this site!! I have spent all day browsing through here and have learned so much. I feel bad because I’m sure that everything I am about to post is covered in the thousands of previous posts….but due to the site search engine not working I’m having a hard time finding all the things I’m looking for, so please bear with me!

My boys were born May 2010. I purchased them from a breeder that was getting out of the business in October. They are Holland Lop brothers. I did quite a bit of research before deciding to make the bunny commitement, so I know it’s not all easy! My husband is not very fond of the species but he has also become compliant with my “funny farm”! I specifically designed their housing to please both him, I, and bunnies. They have a large enclosure (6ft long x 5ft wide, 2 story, insulated and weatherized) that is attached to the outside of the childrens window (window acting as their door). I have access points outside that allows me to clean from there. Essentially the mess of the cage is outside while the living quarters and bunnies are still a part of the home and inside pets. They can come out their door onto the window sill which has a ramp attached to go into the kids bedroom / bunny playroom.

When they first came home I gave them a few days to adjust before bringing them in to get exercise/play (but their door was open so they were still able to see/hear us). I put litterboxes both in their cage and in the playroom. Bringing them out to play the first time was both exciting and frustrating. They get along/put up with each other fine, but picking them up, trying to pet or even be close to them….ha…they want nothing to do with me, still! For the first month I tried to make sure they came out everyday and that I would spend at least an hour or two with them during that time. During December we had some health issues in the family so I did not get to have as much bunny time as I wished. I am now making a resolution to spend sufficient time and energy to bond and train properly.

So, here are my main issues/questions:

In the cage they use their litter box most of the time but there is still a tremendous amount of poo on the ground beneath. In the playroom they were really good about peeing in their litterbox. Today they decided to pee on my daughters bed (low to the ground and easy for them to get onto) multiple times. As for their droppings….everywhere, constantly, almost continuously…usually about everyother hop. Within 10 minutes there are about 30-50 droppings already. Is this something that will most likely get better when neutered? Also, how in the world do I clean her bed???!!! Will the vinegar mixture work on it? Should I shampoo the carpets to eliminate any other past pet odors?

Bonding: Not them together but with me! From reading today I’m going to play the ignore game a little longer. I would also like to know if there is any specific post or book on the clicker trainging from start to finish? I read a post here and there that was talking about it but no real steps 1, 2, & 3! I’m also going to try and find a few more inventive toys and look at the store on this site and mix it up a bit for them. They are cute and get along fine but they really dont do anything other than try to mate. They dont really play other than that with each other or me. I’m so desperately looking forward to our first binky….after 3 months I thought it would be different….am I doing something wrong??

I’m hoping most of our issues will be resolved by neutering but I would love any input from anyone! Thank you so much in advance. And I’m sorry for the length.

 

[Doe of Chai]

I purchased the book “Getting Started: Clicking with your rabbit” and had FABULOUS results. For reward (to be used after clicking first) I gave multigrain Cheerios. Chai responds so well that we allow her to run free on our deck during the summer, and she will come back when called. The first important training is to reward your rabbit with an edible treat when they come to the “door” of the cage (I keep rabbits initially in a cage for about four months until their litter habbits are trust worthy – then they become loose in the house).
Regular laundry washing will remove rabbit urine and smell from bed linen. If the urine is in to the mattress, I would use a baking soda wash.

[LizzyBunny]

When I first got my female bunny, she constantly jumped on my bed and peed/pooed all over it. I would shake my blankets out the window to get the poo off and then wash the sheets. I read somewhere that they like to pee/poo on places that are comfortable (who wouldn’t?!). So i started putting itchy blankets and towels on my bed, spray bottles and the word NO! She now jumps on the bed to say hi and thats it.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome jjlops!

Firstly, don’t feel bad about asking questions. It gives us members here a chance to meet new rabbit “slaves” abnd find out more about their rabbits. : )

The habitat sounds great! When you can, I’d love to see pictures of it. There is actually a HABITAT forum here too for posting pics and sharing ideas/ problem solving etc.

A couple quick questions:
1)What is the flooring of the cage made of? You mention “the ground beneath” Does it have wire flooring? I can guarentee they will just poop everywhere if their is drop-thru flooring.

2)Do you put hay on the flooring or only in the litterboxes? Containing hay to just the boxes helps them poop in one place.

A lot of this is to do with their act and being intact. They are at the ideal age to be neutered. It takes about a month after neuter for the hormones to level out. Hopefully then you see some improvements.

Beds and sofas are a favourite marking spot for rabbits – even fixed rabbits! Again, having them fixed should help some. Mostly you have to prevent them from going on the beds or put something waterproof over the beds while they are out.
You can use a vinegar solution to clean the spots and many people are fans of Nature’s Miracle for this sort of thing.

Re: clicker training, check out http://www.clickerbunny.com. There is a clicker book in the Binky Bunny store also if you want to check that out.

For searching the site I use a search engine (Google is my friend). You just type site:binkybunny.com then add some key words.

Looking forward to hearing more about your bunny boys.

 

[Monkeybun]

You should be prepared for the fact that they may never “warm up” all that much to you, I have a bun that really dislikes being touched, prefers to be admired from a distance.

Neutering should definitely help the litter situation, and the humping! Humping is not only a sign they are definitely ready to be neutered, but also a show of domination, they could be working out who the Boss Bunny is. You may also want to make double sure they are both boys, even breeders are often wrong.

Doe, Cheerios are not good for bunnies, you should change what kind of treat they get.

[jjlops]

Thank you all so much. Yes, their flooring is wire…when I designed the cage I had a solid floor and the lady I bought them from told me it would be best to use a wire floor . Which I didn’t understand since I was litter training them, I wish I would have gone with my gut! I should be able to change it out pretty easy. A solid floor will save some money on the hay too! Any advice on type of flooring? I will post the plans that I designed sometime this week and when I get the outside painted and pretty I’ll post them!!

I sure hope the breeder was right about them being boys, cuz they’ve been together since they were born and I definately do not want to have surprise baby buns!! I don’t know if I could tell myself, but even then I’m not sure I’d be able to hold them well enough to look, I’m always afraid of hurting them cuz they wiggle to get away if held. I have begun to realize that it is a possibility that they will not want to snuggle with me much, what’s most important to me right now is that they are at least showing that they are happy here wity us. I’m thinking once they stop humping they might figure out how to play

We are going to build new beds for the kids this week, so that will help eliminate the peeing on the bed problem. I will definately use our not so comfy comforter on it until then!

I have a couple towels spread out in a section of their cage which is where their water bowl, food dish and also where I lay a pile of hay for them everyday. When in their cage they seem to use the litterbox most and most of the poo that isn’t in the litterbox is very close to it. I think that once I put a solid floor in there I will add a 2nd litterbox and also put one of those hay bins up.

One thing I’ve noticed from doing some looking around is I dont think I have a very good diet for them. I was led to believe that their pellets (Purina Rabbit Chow Complete, green bag) and the timothy hay with an occasional treat was what was best for them. From looking around it sounds like a lot of vegetables are necessary for a healthy diet??? Is two cups per day, per bunny, of veggies a realistic neccesity?

One other question I forgot to ask in the beginning, I know they shouldn’t get hot, but what about lower temperatures? Should their cage be kept around 60 degrees at night? How low is comfortable / safe for them?

Well, I’m off to devour clicker training info! I’m going to really get to working with them this week so I will keep you posted on progress! I also need to find a good rabbit vet close by, we live in a pretty small community so I’m going to do some thourough research before deciding on the right vet. (If anyone here lives in southern oregon and knows of one please let me know!!!)

Thanks again.

[Beka27]

I’d also like to see a pic of your set-up. For flooring, you could try to place large tiles down or a scrap of linoleum cut to size. Both are easy to clean and won’t get soiled like wood.

[bunnytowne]

Being born in may it is 7 months later     If they were opposite sex you would definitely have had a litter by now.

At 3 months in males the testicles drop and you can see them clearly.    They may be female.

Usually with 2 bunnies together they hang out together and not as much with us people.  Usually.

As far as the bed is concerned.   I remember people on BB saying they put a shower curtain and it would usually stop them from urinating on the bed.

They love to urinate on soft things like beds n couch.

IF they are female  this is the ideal time to spay them. Six months being the preference for spay   If male 3 months is good.

[jerseygirl]

The flooring should be an easy fix, just pop something over the top, lino like Beka suggested. It might actually work in your favour as you can remove any overlay flooring if it gets ruined down the track. Solid flooring is much better for their feet also. Many breeders use and suggest wire flooring, they have large numbers of rabbits.

The diet recommendations on this site are based on House Rabbit Society guideline. Veggies bring in a bit of variety for them. Essentially hay is the core diet, pellets as supplement. If you are wanting to bring some veg into their diet, just start with one in limited amounts. It’s nice to see them get excited for a veggie treat. Do check out HRS site if you haven’t. It’s a great resource. http://www.rabbit.org

From memory, rabbits are most comfortable in temp from 45F to 80F? (7-26C). The boys have probably adapted to the cooler temps. The solid flooring will help it this too. It is important the is ventilation so if the temps are getting cold, their diet and some hay to burrow in will help them stay warm.

Oregon rabbit vets: http://www.adoptarabbit.com/vets.html  Monkeybun might have further suggestions, I’m sure she has a lot of Oregon based contacts. Definately get them checked out soon. Even if they are the same sex, at this age and awash with hormones, they can begin to fight.

 

I will post the plans that I designed sometime this week and when I get the outside painted and pretty I’ll post them!!

Look forward to seeing it. fyi, we can handle unpretty by the way. ; ) omgoodness, my house…..

[Elrohwen]

clickerbunny.com is your friend! It has wonderful information (it goes along with the book sold in the BB store, so it has a lot of the same info).

Everyone else gave you such great info that I don’t have much else to add. I’d love to see a picture of the habitat you built for them – it sound unlike anything I’ve ever seen!

Bunnies warm up to people very gradually. It also sounds like it’s hard for them to warm up to you if they’re so concerned with humping and mating all of the time. Hopefully you can get them neutered very soon and then you’ll be able to enjoy them much more (without so much poop all over the room! my spayed and neutered pair never ever leave poop out in the living room – the only stray poop is stuff they’ve kicked out of their litter boxes)

[Monkeybun]

Where in Southern Oregon abouts are ya? I can help look for a vet

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