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Lost Patience with bunny - what to do?

J

james2008

New Kit
Hi,

We have a house rabbit of 4 years old (male). He is veryw ell lookd after, stroked every night and let out to run twice a day (1/2 in the morning and about 4 hours every evening).

He is cleaned twice a day and fed ample food and always has a nice supplky of hay.

Now the bad bit - the rabbit doesn't like being picked up by anyone and will struggle, fight and grunt if you attempt it. (when we brought him he was fine and we picked him up in th shop no problems - I guess he must have been scared).

Having a pet that you can't pick up or cuddle is obviously very unlucky and rather unfortunate but we have accepted this is the way some rabbits are and have just got on with it. However, since day one the rabbit has chewed his way through every single appliance, tv, telephone, carpet, rug, chair, cushion he can get his hands on.

This morning he broke another lamp by chewing through the wires and I have basically had as much as I can take.

WE have the room set-up so he can't get to these items, but he finds a way to run past and chew all within 5 seconds by which time you have got to him and the damage is done.

I am sure he thinks it's game but to us it's becoming very stressful - our house is a state where he has chewed the ends of chairs and settees and the sideboards etc. We really can't take much more so have come here for advice on our next step.

As I see it our options are.

1) Move him outside and don't let him play in the house (we worry though this will really be a shock for him)
2) Put him down (the worst possible option in my opinion)
3) Give him to someone else (no one wants a nightmare rabbit)
4) Give him to a rabbit shelter

I am sure most of youw ill think we are the cruelest people in the world, and the likely hood is that we will just put up with it, but his behavior is starting to make us resent him which is no good for him in the long-run.
 
Hi

Sorry you are having such problems! As you say, he is just behaving like a rabbit and some tend to be more destructive than others.

Is he neutered? If not then that is part of the problem

A vet would not put a rabbit down for these kind of problems...and quite rightly too!

I think the best thing to do would be to is to move him outside (when the weather is warmer again) and get him a bunny friend. You will probabky find that he is far happier being out there with another rabbit to run around with. Also, being out of a cage for 4 1/2 hours is just not long enough (IMO) Being shut in a cage for 20 hours a day/night is not very nice and will only increase the level of destruction when you do let him out. What kind of toys have you provided him with? Bringing a rabbit into your home means you have to accommodate their needs and sometimes it helps if you have a specific place in a room that he can have things like cardboard boxes to play withb and things to climb on. If you don't provide things to enable him to exhibit natural behaviours you can end up with your house destroyed.

If you have a garden I would perhaps get him somewhere large to loive i.e a hutch with an under run, or a shed to live in.

james2008 said:
Hi,

We have a house rabbit of 4 years old (male). He is veryw ell lookd after, stroked every night and let out to run twice a day (1/2 in the morning and about 4 hours every evening).

He is cleaned twice a day and fed ample food and always has a nice supplky of hay.

Now the bad bit - the rabbit doesn't like being picked up by anyone and will struggle, fight and grunt if you attempt it. (when we brought him he was fine and we picked him up in th shop no problems - I guess he must have been scared).

Having a pet that you can't pick up or cuddle is obviously very unlucky and rather unfortunate but we have accepted this is the way some rabbits are and have just got on with it. However, since day one the rabbit has chewed his way through every single appliance, tv, telephone, carpet, rug, chair, cushion he can get his hands on.

This morning he broke another lamp by chewing through the wires and I have basically had as much as I can take.

WE have the room set-up so he can't get to these items, but he finds a way to run past and chew all within 5 seconds by which time you have got to him and the damage is done.

I am sure he thinks it's game but to us it's becoming very stressful - our house is a state where he has chewed the ends of chairs and settees and the sideboards etc. We really can't take much more so have come here for advice on our next step.

As I see it our options are.

1) Move him outside and don't let him play in the house (we worry though this will really be a shock for him)
2) Put him down (the worst possible option in my opinion)
3) Give him to someone else (no one wants a nightmare rabbit)
4) Give him to a rabbit shelter

I am sure most of youw ill think we are the cruelest people in the world, and the likely hood is that we will just put up with it, but his behavior is starting to make us resent him which is no good for him in the long-run.
Click to expand...
 
Sadly if you want a house rabbit you have to accept that they chew!!!

Rabbits are prey animals so 90% don't like being picked up or cuddled, I spend time on the floor with mine and they climb all over me and come over for nose rubs.

PTS is NOT an opition, if you don't want to keep him give him to someone who can care for him.

You can put him outside I would advise you get him a neutered female friend as company, he would need a hutch and run. :)
 
Hi and welcome :D

Firstly, a lot of rabbits hate being picked up. Both of mine are ok with it but prefer to have all feet firmly on the ground! Is he neutered? If not, try to get this done as it will help with the grunting etc.

Secondly, have you tried keeping him in the kitchen rather than your main living area? There are generally far fewer items there which can be damaged!

Does he have a large enough cage with plenty of things to keep him entertained?

Moving him outside to a large hutch and an attached run maybe your best option though it would be preferable if you got a companion for him if you decide to go down this route. Your own rabbit and companion should both of course be neutered.

Hope some of this info has been of use to you :D
 
All the behaviour you've described is perfectly normal bunny behaviour...he's a normal bunny, not a nightmare one.

If you're in Britain, he will cope perfectly well outdoors in suitable accommodation.

Alternatively you could keep him indoors, but put him in a puppy pen, or bunny-proof a room for him

Amy :D
 
Is he neutered? A lot of the behaviour you describe is typical bun behaviour, & in my experience - the longer you leave them to it without neutering, the harder it is to break the habit.

If I were you, I would get him neutered, move him outside over the summer while the weather is mild & get him a spayed girlie to be a friend. He may calm down after neuter, or after getting company.

You can't really do 2 - he is just being a bunny. And to be honest I have "nightmare" buns here, (which requires full body armour to protect from aggression) & your bun doesn't even come close.
 
yes I think not liking cuddles and wanting to chew wires is normal and natural for bunnies - the wire chewing is an instinct used for burrowing underground when they have to chew through tree roots - it's just automatic for them.

I had 3 of my bunnies in the house and they all looked quite bored really - Benny soon was nicknamed 'the destroyer' :roll: I moved them outside into hutches after about a year (single bunnies living alone) - and set up the hutches so they were just near the house, for security, and bought hutch over run types with the bottom door opening from the run onto the patio, which I fenced off so they have a run out twice or 3 times a day, for a few hours, on this 5x18' patio.

well you have never seen such a change in a bunny :shock: they were all soooo much happier outside - really just love the feeling of the breeze in their face and the sunshine - I would never have indoor bunnies again but that's because mine were very destructive and not particularly happy indoors. I've made them an adventure playground on the patio and they love it out there - so don't feel you are being cruel putting him outside.

Do be aware though that he will be a bit shocked at the noise and the light for about 2 weeks - it might make him go off his food and he will want you to go out there and sit on a chair to keep him company till he's used to it - good chance to read and relax in the sun :)
 
Hi,

Have you tried protecting all your wires with cut up pieces of hosepipe around them? If you take the plug off the end you can thread the cable through a hosepipe. He would still be able to bite through eventually but at least he wouldn't be able to do it in 5 seconds!
 
charlie82 said:
Hi

Sorry you are having such problems! As you say, he is just behaving like a rabbit and some tend to be more destructive than others.

Is he neutered? If not then that is part of the problem

A vet would not put a rabbit down for these kind of problems...and quite rightly too!

I think the best thing to do would be to is to move him outside (when the weather is warmer again) and get him a bunny friend. You will probabky find that he is far happier being out there with another rabbit to run around with. Also, being out of a cage for 4 1/2 hours is just not long enough (IMO) Being shut in a cage for 20 hours a day/night is not very nice and will only increase the level of destruction when you do let him out. What kind of toys have you provided him with? Bringing a rabbit into your home means you have to accommodate their needs and sometimes it helps if you have a specific place in a room that he can have things like cardboard boxes to play withb and things to climb on. If you don't provide things to enable him to exhibit natural behaviours you can end up with your house destroyed.

If you have a garden I would perhaps get him somewhere large to loive i.e a hutch with an under run, or a shed to live in.
Click to expand...

We have brought him endless toys and logs, tubes etc to chew but he plays with none of it and chews none of it (or he does and still chews our stuff).

Having him uncaged whilst we are not there to watch him would with all respect be stupid if you saw what he does in 5 seconds that would be obvious.

Getting another rabbit when you have had enough of one is also not really sensible.
 
*lily* said:
Hi and welcome :D

Firstly, a lot of rabbits hate being picked up. Both of mine are ok with it but prefer to have all feet firmly on the ground! Is he neutered? If not, try to get this done as it will help with the grunting etc.

Secondly, have you tried keeping him in the kitchen rather than your main living area? There are generally far fewer items there which can be damaged!

Does he have a large enough cage with plenty of things to keep him entertained?

Moving him outside to a large hutch and an attached run maybe your best option though it would be preferable if you got a companion for him if you decide to go down this route. Your own rabbit and companion should both of course be neutered.

Hope some of this info has been of use to you :D
Click to expand...

Thanks - keeping him in the kitchen would see him chew the doors of our cupboards and the skirting boards so again it's not possible. :(

Getting a female companion is tempting but we are struggling with one let alone two bunnies!
 
james2008 said:
Getting another rabbit when you have had enough of one is also not really sensible.
Click to expand...

If you put him outside he would ideally need a friend as he is used to company so may get lonely.

I have brought loads of toys for my rabbit's but they prefer to play with my stuff! Last night they jumped on my bookshelf and started flinging things off.

If you can't deal with chewing etc in the house, you would be best to move him outside.
 
james2008 said:
We have brought him endless toys and logs, tubes etc to chew but he plays with none of it and chews none of it (or he does and still chews our stuff).

Having him uncaged whilst we are not there to watch him would with all respect be stupid if you saw what he does in 5 seconds that would be obvious.

Getting another rabbit when you have had enough of one is also not really sensible.
Click to expand...

I did not say that he had to be uncaged whilst you were not there. But increasing his cage size by putting him in the likes of a pen is a more sensible idea.

Also, getting another rabbit to make your existing rabbit happy is actually a very sensible idea if you were putting him outside like I suggested and is not meant to benefit you but to benefit him.

If you have 'had enough' of him then maybe he is better off going to someone else who understands rabbits and can give him what he needs.
 
timb0h said:
Hi,

Have you tried protecting all your wires with cut up pieces of hosepipe around them? If you take the plug off the end you can thread the cable through a hosepipe. He would still be able to bite through eventually but at least he wouldn't be able to do it in 5 seconds!
Click to expand...

That would work for the wires, but not for the chairs, settees, rugs, skirting boards, doors....

:)
 
Has he always been a destroyer for the whole 4 years? Some rabbits are just not cut out to be house rabbits unfortunately!

So many rabbits end up in rescue every year due to people not being able to cope with the rabbits natural behaviour. But, with a bit of thought, the situation can usually be resolved by finding alternative ways to keeping the rabbit.

Moving yours outdoors would seem to be the best option in your situation.
 
If I were you I would look to get him a spayed bunny wife and consider moving them outside into a nice large secure hutch/run or shed. I don't feel 2 are harder work as they will spend a lot of time snuggling and amusing each other, and if you were to move them outside I'm sure your bun wouldn't mind if he had a nice girly for company. You'll enjoy watching them together and won't need to worry about your house being destroyed.

I agree with you - he is likely to eat the cupboards in your kitchen, speaking from experience!! :D
 
Thanks for the advice so far - I think the most positive option is to try him outside and to get a run so they can come out.

I like the really idea of him having a companion, but is it not too late for this being that he is 4? And how can I know weather he will take to him / her?

Sorry few more questions!

1) If we put him outside, I fear his 'run-time' and 'human-contact-time' will be reduced. Whilst I will happily sit with him when it's nice I can't possibly sit there with him in lashing rain and snow for 4 hours a night. So isn't this a crueler option?

2) If we get him a friend, this reduced the problems in question 1, so is it better to get him a rabbit male/female, young/same age, guinea pigs?

3) How best would we introduce him?

We really want to do the best thing for the rabbit - some of the replies are a little defensive "that's what rabbits do" but in my experience of visiting friends and relatives and farm parks etc over the years is most (if not all )pet bunnies I have come across have been very placid - happy to be picked up and the 2 people we know with house rabbits let them run free all day without any issues what-so-ever.
 
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