Behavioural Problems (Ginger Chicken)

Hi,
I just registered on the forum and ended up reading your article. Its probably easier to explain why I registered.
I have a Bristol Dwarf ( or so I am led to believe). I have been worried about his behaviour as he seems to have a very limited attention span and was wondering can bunnies suffer from ADHD.
We call him Burrows and he is meant to be a pet but the behaviour problems concern me and I am not sure if we should keep him any longer.
I wonder if you have any info on the subject or would possibly consider placing it in part of your list of subjects.

Manyy Thanks

Ginger

don't worry midnight was like that when we first got her.
It means bunny is nervous. When bunny gets calmer bunny will concentrate on things bunny likes doing (midnight likes to sit with her head on my knee while i flop her ears for some reason!)

Bunny: Confused Sexuality?

Thanks for the support Steffany2277. I am still concerned though. As well as the anntention span problem he also seems very interested in a buck that we have. Its getting to the point that its embaressing to try to explain it to the youngsters that we have.:?
Any thoughts

Ginger

Hi GC,

Do you have two bucks housed separately? You may find that the reason Burrows is insterested in him is because he can smell another male rabbit and is frustrated. Are they neutered? Entire buns can be territorial so he might be cross that he can smell another bun near his territory. Also rabbits are naturally social animals so he may be cross that he is living on his own when he can smell another bunny - having said this though you wouldn't be able to put the two bucks together unneutered as they will fight.

Also - regards to the ADD - can you describe exactly what the problem is? To be honest it sounds like he may just be behaving like a rabbit. Two of my lops are absolutely hyperactive - never sit still, never want cuddles, always sticking their nose into something or other - it's perfectly normal bunny behaviour. Of course every bun has a different character so you may find one very calm one and one very nutty one.

Another option is that he may be bored. Where does he live? How much exercise does he get and does he have plenty of things to do? That can all have a bearing on the type of animal that he will be.

Ultimately though, rabbits behaviour and natural instincts (i.e. if they are picked up they think they are going to be eaten) means that they are not typical 'pets' which you can pick up and cuddle - they are far better being neutered, given lots of space, things to do and a companion, and allowed to enjoy themselves while you watch on.

If you give us a bit more information on how you keep Burrows and the other bun, that might help us to suggest something.

Bunnies Home

Burrows lives with two others (all males). One Buck is neutered but Burrows and the other called Jules are not. They live in a very large hutch, its so large that people keep saying its almost if they have their own caravan.
It is split so that the toilet area is seperate from the bedding area. All three have made seperate bedding areas although Burrows will sometimes share the bed of the neutered Buck. In general they seem to get on ok, but Burrows even though he is the smallest of the three he seems to think he is the 'Big Chief' of the group and tries to be the most dominant. Would this explain his advances to the neutered Buck?

Ginger:wave:

Aaah ok. To be honest I'd advise that the 2 unneutered males are neutered ASAP. You are risking horrific injuries if this behaviour continues - if Burrows tries to 'hump' one of the other buns (a sign of dominance) and the other bun takes offence, it can cause huge fights. It's particularly important with males because sometimes they...umm...get on the wrong end and if he humps another bun's head he could get his 'bits' bitten very badly - it does happen unfortunately!

I think that the keeping of neutered and unneutered males together explains the behaviour problems you are having and would strongly urge you to get the remaining buns neutered ASAP. As a bond can break very easily, especially among same sex buns, I would suggest that they all go to the vets together.

How old are Burrows and Jules and how long have they all been together?

Just bumping this up for other opinions as it was split from one of the FAQ threads so people may not have seen it!

(Thanks mod!)

I totally agree with you Alison

how old are all 3 buns and when was the neutered one neutered? how long have they been living together?

How long, How old?

Burrows and the neutered buck( he is actually called Buck) I have had for eight months. Buck was neutered when I got him. I am not sure of the age ofeither of them as they were obtained from another owner who said he was n't sure what age they were.
I had Jules and Burrows together in the same home and had no problems but I had to move Buck in with them as I have had to house 2 females. I will hopefully move Buck into another hutch when I rehome another male ( called 'Fat Boy' )who is in a different hutch. :roll:

so is Jules and Burrows brothers?

I don't think Burrows has behavioural problems - he's just acting like a normal, dominant, unneutered rabbit. What's odd is that he's living with another unneutered male and a neutered male, and if I read it right he was originally living with the neutered one when you got them, then got split, and put with another unneutered male (didn't that result in fights?) and now has had his original buddy put back in with him, not on neutral territory or anything but just put in with the 2 unneutered boys? I'm suprised they haven't all killed each other to be honest :shock:

Un-neutered Males

No, bunny Burrows behavior was calm and content with the other un-neutered male. It was when the neutered male was introduced to their home that Burrows started the behavior problems.
Burrows and Jules as far as I have seen have been quiet amicable with each other.:?

IMO I would so definitely have them neutered. As Elve said, I'm very surprised there's not been any fights before. It seems like a time bomb just ready to go off! And if they were to have a falling out they can inflict serious damage on each other.

Play ground for Bunny

Having read all of the helpful advice I have now ensured all 3; Burrows, Buck and Jules have their own separted living areas.
It still leaves me wondering about Burrows as he has always seemed discontent. The others are easy to handle and get on with each other. Could this be due to boredom. He has a large area to run around which is quite secure. Some of the natutal wildlife has tried to get in but the area has been reinforced with concrete blocks and wire. Can anyone suggest if toys or a play area would help and what type?:wave:

my two love toys, cardboard of any variety being the favourite but also tubes, treat balls, grass balls, wooden carrot toys, stuff to hang their food in or on. Try www.bunnybasics.co.uk they have a great range of toys, the fruity pinata has kept Minstrel entertained for ages, he still hasn't worked out how to get into it he just keeps throwing it about and pushing it! He's had it in the evenings for a couple of days now :lol:

You also mentioned that you also have female rabbits.. maybe he can smell those and therefore acting like an adult male around adult females Id really suggest you consider getting him neutered so he can go back to having housemates again.. rabbits are social animals.. maybe he is now a bit peed off that his friends have all gone :?

Bunny Balls ?

The balls suggested for bunny Burrows, how many, what size and what are they made out of ?:roll:

Do they have a lot of hay? A bundle of fresh, greenish, farm hay twice a day is really a great 'toy' as they like to dig around for their favourite leaves of grass, and at the same time it's very good for their health - I put mine in a big box for them to sit in, and they don't seem bored. He may just be a more than average intelligent bunny though, in which case the toys in the bunnybasics link are very good - although quickly destroyed My girls enjoy heavy cardboard boxes, but make sure there's no staples or tape they could hurt themselves on or swallow

Sand?

No they do not have alot of hay but they do have a lot of sand to run around in . Is this bad?:?