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2 naughty rabbits

willowholly

willowholly

Mama Doe
B has always been a digger but nothing like she is now.Ive never had 2 rabbits before & they are both always naughty now,B more so than Dill.Ive always had single housebuns that have been spoilt rotten & been part of the family,ok since we moved to this house its not very rabbit friendly & they can only be downstairs due to the fact the stairs are laminate & B has fallen down them twice but in other houses they would be up and down the stairs basically wherever we were, they would follow.This isn't the relationship I want with my buns.Believe me B was no angel before but what these 2 get upto ive never known with any other buns.My skirting boards have never been chewed to this extent before.B has always been mischievous but she was safe to leave out 24 hours a day,ive now got the rabbits from hell.Is it so wrong to have single buns that have human interaction?because if this is how things are going to be,I dont think I can have 2 again & if its frowned upon to have one nowadays[it never used to be when I 1st started having house buns 16years ago]then I think it will have to be no more buns.Was thinking of getting a conti to live with us upstairs[we have an upside down house]but have decided against it.I know im low after my op & probably just having a bad day but I thought getting another bun would help B not make her much worse.:(
 
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willowholly said:
B has always been a digger but nothing like she is now.Ive never had 2 rabbits before & they are both always naughty now,B more so than Dill.Ive always had single housebuns that have been spoilt rotten & been part of the family,ok since we moved to this house its not very rabbit friendly & they can only be downstairs due to the fact the stairs are laminate & B has fallen down them twice but in other houses they would be up and down the stairs basically wherever we were, they would follow.This isn't the relationship I want with my buns.Believe me B was no angel before but what these 2 get upto ive never known with any other buns.My skirting boards have never been chewed to this extent before.B has always been mischievous but she was safe to leave out 24 hours a day,ive now got the rabbits from hell.Is it so wrong to have single buns that have human interaction?because if this is how things are going to be,I dont think I can have 2 again & if its frowned upon to have one nowadays[it never used to be when I 1st started having house buns 16years ago]then I think it will have to be no more buns.Was thinking of getting a conti to live with us upstairs[we have an upside down house]but have decided against it.I know im low after my op & probably just having a bad day but I thought getting another bun would help B not make her much worse.:(
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Bonded bunnies do have a habit of copying each other and egging each other on behaviour wise i'm afraid. Chewing is a natural behaviour though and one you don't really want to prevent, just redirect. I would suggest a diet with plenty of access to hay - it keeps them busy and occupied for much of the day if they are hungry and have for most of the day only hay to eat. I would also suggest perhaps some new toys or play things? cardboard boxes, brown paper, willow/hazel/apple sticks, willow/seagrass balls etc - change them often for variety. Perhaps even give your buns an enclosure within your home so they don't have permanent free run 24hrs a day? I would also suggest perhaps temporarily taping cardboard over your skirting boards until the habit is broken and you have redirected their chewing attention elsewhere? Good luck :)
 
yes they have lots of toys which they chew.They are on a hay/veggy diet so eat lots of hay.Cardboard is on all places I dont want them to chew well it was until they ripped it off & Dill eats it.They are not out 24 hours a day.Bought a bigger cage when they first started being bad & they are in it over night but wont shut them in there for long if ever in day cos its not fair on B who was free range when she was on her own.
 
Dill has just to tried to bite B-oh god things are getting worse.That I did not see coming:(
 
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willowholly said:
yes they have lots of toys which they chew.They are on a hay/veggy diet so eat lots of hay.Cardboard is on all places I dont want them to chew well it was until they ripped it off & Dill eats it.They are not out 24 hours a day.Bought a bigger cage when they first started being bad & they are in it over night but wont shut them in there for long if ever in day cos its not fair on B who was free range when she was on her own.
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It may be that they are playing up in a sort of protest when they are out of their cage. I would suggest in that case giving them quite a strict routine to rule out any routine related behaviour - buns like to know what to expect. When I say strict - I mean as in 'sticking to same times' not strict as in punishment!:lol: I don't believe putting a bunny back in its cage as punishment is ever a good idea and frankly doesn't work. I mean have set times of the day that they are penned up so they know when to expect to come out and it should in a couple of days/week rule out any protest related behaviour. That way you narrow down the causes. I would also ask how you respond to them when they chew the skirting boards? It depends on the reason - if it is purely done to get your attention then I would completely ignore it in every way and ignore them. If it is done as a natural behaviour then I would say 'no' firmly and use a spray of water to associate it with a negative result. I would pick one method and try it out consistently for a week. If it is attention seeking and has become a learned response from the way you respond or any response from you, then I would ignore it. I hope that makes sense. :)
 
Just ignore me,its me.Have been on the phone to hubby crying & I feel abit better.Having 2 bunnies is not what I expected though.I miss my cuddles with B whilst watching TV.Like I say,ignore me,am feeling sorry for myself!Thanks for your advice.
 
willowholly said:
Just ignore me,its me.Have been on the phone to hubby crying & I feel abit better.Having 2 bunnies is not what I expected though.I miss my cuddles with B whilst watching TV.Like I say,ignore me,am feeling sorry for myself!Thanks for your advice.
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It gets better with two eventually. I do understand. When we got Poppy everything changed, not only was she a behavioural nightmare!! Our close relationship with Nino who was a single house bun for a year changed a lot. He used to spend all his time in our company and hours grooming us both, especially the OH's bald head! :lol: But eventually as their bond settled down he went back to spending more time with us again. He sort of splits his time - shares it out - if Poppy is sleeping somewhere quiet and dark he will come and lie or sit with me in the other room instead. It isn't the same as it was, and I do miss being very close to him, but we just remind ourselves that it is more natural for them to be with their own species - and by giving your single bun a bunny friend you have made your bun very happy, just remember that and watch them snuggle and remind yourself you have done a good thing. It is the right thing to do, as hard as it is, and it does get better again - they will just be like 'newly weds!' at the moment that's all. :D
 
It gets better as they get older. I would never have young rabbits loose in the house, but my oldies are very well behaved in terms of chewing and stuff even if their litter training is rubbish! :D
 
Yes I know what you mean.There was a time when we 1st got dill that B wasn't ours anymore,she completely changed but then she came back to us again-so to speak.We had her over 2 years before we got Dill.I think the trouble is our last bun was perfect in everyway & I still miss her very much.We had her 7years.She never chewed,she only was incontinent when she was in her last year of life.She used to run upstairs to use her litter tray then come straight back down again when she had finished.Having 2 buns is a whole new ball game & I guess im still getting used to the rules:lol:Not used to having such a small bun either & he is finding things B or Will couldn't get to[TV wires].We'll get there eventually.There is one thing I will say about rescue buns-its far too easy to say we'll take him back.Our buns have come from breeders or pet shops in past & no matter what, they are yours & you put up with whatever they bring-as in B being naughty before Dill,we never once thought"must get rid of her shes naughty",I just rang RWA & asked for advice on her digging.But in Dills case its far too easy to say"THats it,he can go back to rescue"which i have said on numerous occasions.Luckily my hubby doesn't feel the same and as far as hes concerned Dill was ours the moment he got in our car & that was that.:)
 
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abbymarysmokey said:
It gets better as they get older. I would never have young rabbits loose in the house, but my oldies are very well behaved in terms of chewing and stuff even if their litter training is rubbish! :D
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B is 3.But yes I keep thinking that about Dill,maybe its an age thing.Bet he was well behaved for you!:)
 
willowholly said:
There is one thing I will say about rescue buns-its far too easy to say we'll take him back.Our buns have come from breeders or pet shops in past & no matter what, they are yours & you put up with whatever they bring-as in B being naughty before Dill,we never once thought"must get rid of her shes naughty",I just rang RWA & asked for advice on her digging.But in Dills case its far too easy to say"THats it,he can go back to rescue"which i have said on numerous occasions.Luckily my hubby doesn't feel the same and as far as hes concerned Dill was ours the moment he got in our car & that was that.
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I can't tell you how many times we felt like taking Poppy back to the rescue over the last two years but there was NO WAY I could ever give up on an animal rescue or otherwise. I would never be able to live with myself, neither would my OH. Who else would want her? Try to understand her? The RSPCA couldn't get rid of her fast enough :(
Poppy nearly killed us both with exhaustion and stress - amazing how much work and stress a little rabbit can cause! But I think the biggest hurdle was actually us and it was us that needed to change, not her - change our expectations of her and understand that she couldn't help being the way she was. It is all to easy in my opinion to class a rabbit as 'naughty', (this is no reflection on you, or the title of your thread btw), when in fact they are merely expressing their fear/frustration/anxieties and it is us humans who anthropormorphise these instinctive behaviours and misinterpret what our bunnies are trying to tell us! Stoopid hoomans! :roll: Poppy has taught us SO much about rabbit behaviour, she has made us more tolerant and understanding, and in turn she is a much happier rabbit. :D
 
B's digging often meant she had cystitis again but there are no other signs & rang the vet for advice but she said I know B well enough to know the signs & not to worry,which to be honest im not cos she gets really poorly with that,in Feb she could hardly walk but there is nothing like that going on at mo.The row they are making at mo is unreal so have had to come upstairs out the way!:lol:If he was on own I would put him in cage,not as punishment for him but to give my head a rest-Im supposed to be resting after op,but I wont cos im not putting B i cage when shes actually behaving-thats not fair.
 
Alls quiet-they are having their afternoon nap.They will be asleep now til 6pm.So am off for a nap myself now.Thankyou again for your advice.:)
 
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