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Training a rabbit

R

RT

Young Bun
We have a 9 month old rabbit which lives in the house. We have had him a few weeks now but would appreciate some advice as he is a lot more lively than our previous rabbit...

1. He spends a lot of time attempting to dig holes in his plastic hutch. We made sure we thoroughily cleaned it before he went in it but could he be reacting to the smell of our previous rabbit? He doesnt dig holes when he comes out around the house.

2. He has decided he is frightened of the laminate flooring which his hutch sits on so we have to carry him through to the other rooms until we can sort out some mats or something. The trouble is we then have to carry him back when its time to go back in but he is becoming increasingly resistant to going back in his hutch. I used to be able to pick him up by trying to tempt him with veg but he has figured this out and now runs off. Last night it took an hour to get him back in but once he is in he seems perfectly happy.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a house bunny to go back into his hutch without any bother? Our previous rabbit would put herself back in or would be carried back but because he doesnt like the flooring in the room he is in, this isnt an option at the moment.

Many thanks
 
My rabbits don't like the hardwood floor or tiles we have either, they can't get a proper grip. Once you get mats it shouldnt be a problem. Could you use some old towels in the meantime?

Digging is a natural behaviour for rabbits and sometimes hard to stop. You could try and provide him with trays or pots with earth for him to dig in instead but that can be messy. They also dig because they are bored and need some stimulation/more activities to do (or a friend to play with).

Good luck with him!:wave:
 
:wave:Yes I agree, our bunny HATES our laminated flooring too, so when twitch was living inside and i still wanted him to be able to run around a bit
I went to Homebase and bought some pieces of carpet (they're litterally about 50cm square) and put them near his cage.
As for putting him back in his cage at night, I have to say I totally sympathise. We have now decided to leave our bun out of the cage, and just if it's too cold, we have to run after him for a while to put him back in. If I try ot get him in he'll just run around and try to get away, but my fiance explained it's because my voice stays as nice as usual so the bunny probably doesn;t take me seriously and enjoys watching me trying to get him. But when my fiance is the one putting the bun in the cage, I'm telling you there's no messing around! He uses a strong tone of voice and the bunny just runs to his cage!!
 
Hi :wave:

Our Hugo did not like the floor either but now (6 months later) is more comfortable with the "no grip" feeling. I think he now learnt that he cannot run on them as he would on ciment or in the garden.

However we also have a small fleece blanket on the floor to help him grip when he jumps on/off the sofa. There were few incidents when he slipped on his back but with the fleece he is fine. The fleece is still slippy on the floor so when he jumps on it it is a bit like a "surfs up!!" :lol: He is not bothered though :lol:

But he is perfectly happy with it now :)

He is also a digger but he has his favourite digging spot(s) and we put newspapers, small rug there so he can dig as much as he likes.

I think it is a matter of observing to what he actually likes/dislikes and make him as comfortable as possible. :D
 
We use a yoga mat in the large bathroom where the cage is. They love to run on this and it wipes up very easily! We also have one in the top floor of the cage! Mine go back in their cage when they are done playing. Sometimes this is 15 minutes or sometimes 2 hours, but we gate the room and they go in for a rest or food. We also do not leave food out during playtime so they know to go in when it is time for breakfast or dinner.........Hope this helps....
 
christelle said:
If I try ot get him in he'll just run around and try to get away, but my fiance explained it's because my voice stays as nice as usual so the bunny probably doesn;t take me seriously and enjoys watching me trying to get him. But when my fiance is the one putting the bun in the cage, I'm telling you there's no messing around! He uses a strong tone of voice and the bunny just runs to his cage!!
Click to expand...

:lol::lol::lol: same here! Ryan is "The Enforcer"! I'm just not stern enough but Ryan's got it down to a tee! I find that putting something tasty in the cage entices them home if they are being stubborn, sometimes bun is pushing past me to get in!!

my bun hated laminate and has a biiiig rug in the lounge that he throws himself about on. it took him about 2 months to be confident on the laminate floor, i suppose they need to learn how to hold themselves on it. he bounds about the place with a problem now.
 
My bunny hates the laminate too, i've layed down a mat outside his cage (a 99p doormat from morissons) which he likes and lay out sheets and such on occasion for him to play on. I also repeatedly remind him that the only reason he has to walk around on laminate is because he peed on all my rugs!

Oh and if you are using little trays i always put a towel under mine as sometimes they slip as the rabbit gets in which he doesn't like and occcasionly leads to him peeing on the floor.
 
For question one does he have plenty to keep him occupied whilst in his hutch? He may be bored and digging to amuse himself.
 
Hello :wave:

Thanks for all of the replies.

We had a big break through tonight....

I put him on a towel outside of the hutch and normally he will stay totally still on the towel and refuse to move but today he was obviously feeling brave as he charged down it and into the front room.

Anyway, a little while later I removed the towel and he started running around on the laminate flooring! By now he was obviously feeling very confident as he started jumping in and out of his hutch without prompting.

As for the digging, he does have some toys in his hutch (ball, wooden chews and the occassional loo roll stuffed with hay) but doesnt seem overly interested. Can anyone recommend some bunny toys that he might enjoy?

I definately think boredom could be a factor with him. Now that he has worked out how to get in and out of his hutch he has been trying to open the flap himself to get back out. Any suggestions to stop boredom would be much appreciated!

Thank you :D
 
RT said:
We have a 9 month old rabbit which lives in the house. We have had him a few weeks now but would appreciate some advice as he is a lot more lively than our previous rabbit...

1. He spends a lot of time attempting to dig holes in his plastic hutch. We made sure we thoroughily cleaned it before he went in it but could he be reacting to the smell of our previous rabbit? He doesnt dig holes when he comes out around the house.

2. He has decided he is frightened of the laminate flooring which his hutch sits on so we have to carry him through to the other rooms until we can sort out some mats or something. The trouble is we then have to carry him back when its time to go back in but he is becoming increasingly resistant to going back in his hutch. I used to be able to pick him up by trying to tempt him with veg but he has figured this out and now runs off. Last night it took an hour to get him back in but once he is in he seems perfectly happy.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a house bunny to go back into his hutch without any bother? Our previous rabbit would put herself back in or would be carried back but because he doesnt like the flooring in the room he is in, this isnt an option at the moment.

Many thanks
Click to expand...

Aww.
Have you tried like getting a bunny carpet or something?
If he doesn't like the flooring might aswell try a carpet or something.
Why? it's warm, he won't be scared anymore.
;)
 
RT said:
Hello :wave:

Thanks for all of the replies.

We had a big break through tonight....

I put him on a towel outside of the hutch and normally he will stay totally still on the towel and refuse to move but today he was obviously feeling brave as he charged down it and into the front room.

Anyway, a little while later I removed the towel and he started running around on the laminate flooring! By now he was obviously feeling very confident as he started jumping in and out of his hutch without prompting.

As for the digging, he does have some toys in his hutch (ball, wooden chews and the occassional loo roll stuffed with hay) but doesnt seem overly interested. Can anyone recommend some bunny toys that he might enjoy?

I definately think boredom could be a factor with him. Now that he has worked out how to get in and out of his hutch he has been trying to open the flap himself to get back out. Any suggestions to stop boredom would be much appreciated!

Thank you :D
Click to expand...

I've never known a rabbit who doesn't like a magazine or yellow pages to destroy. Diggers especially love this. How big is the hutch and how long is he shut in it?
:)
 
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