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I dont know what to do

Snowberry

Wise Old Thumper
Strawberry has been getting bossier and bossier in a morning, digging at my duvet and biting me. Well this morning he went for me. Not just a little nip like normal but actually went to hurt me and wouldnt stop doing it. As I got up to feed him (it was 4.30am!) he went for my legs.

I feel terrible, he really scared me this morning and so he can't be free range over night in our room anymore. I cant have him getting me up whenever he feels like it and being aggressive towards me. At 8am, when he had been fed and the bedroom door had been opened so he could go downstairs) he was still biting at me and wouldnt leave me alone so I had to go and sleep in the attic room. He never does it to my OH.

My main problem is that they both like to chew any doors that are closed so when they are in my room ovenight I put a box infront of the door to stop them chewing it. I obviously couldnt do this if I wasn't sleeping in the room. I cannot let them chew the doors or change them in any ways as its a rented house.

I could crate them overnight (its 6ft by 3ft of space) but they just rattle the bars all night so not only do I not get any sleep but as I live in a terrace they keep the neighbours awake too.

I wanted to move them downstairs into the open plan kitchen/dining area and crate them in there over night but my OH doesnt like it as the hay and mess travels throughout the house whereas in our room the mess is confined to one room.

I just dont know what to do for the best. My OH wants to put them outside on our little yard area (14ft by 4ft) outside our back door which is well sheltered and have them in a Orchard Manor hutch (6ft by 3ft) but although they go out every day now and live in an unheated room with the window open I would be worried about it being too cold for them overnight and they would only get to run on the yard when im home at 4.30 and it will start being dark soon.

I just cant decide what to do. The only rooms that are wooden flooring (they eat and wee on carpet) is the kitchen/diner and our room!

I am going to do some begging today for them to come free range in the kitchen/diner and we find a stair gate to block off the stairs (we have tried before but Strawbs always gets over them). If we dont block of the stairs they will eat our bedroom door trying to get in to me!

Sorry for such a long post but I am really upset about what happened and I cant think of a solution that would be for the best.
 
:( Poor you. I sensed from your post yesterday that despite the jokes things were starting to get really hard. I'm sorry they have got this bad.

They can't really go outside at this time of year because they don't have thick enough coats for the cold, so I think that rules that option out.

Could you somehow have them freerange in your room but block off the bed area? I've used a puppy pen in mine (to stop the head jumping, mainly, oh and pillow weeing from the elbow licking peering bunny) and its worked really well because they get a lot of run time and space, but can't get to me.

I think its a case of breaking the habit, and when the habit is broken don't give him positive rewards when he is doing things like that at 4.30am.

I don't think there is an easy solution, but there will be a solution there, it's just a case of finding it.

Maybe you need a double bunkbed.
 
:( Poor you. I sensed from your post yesterday that despite the jokes things were starting to get really hard. I'm sorry they have got this bad.

They can't really go outside at this time of year because they don't have thick enough coats for the cold, so I think that rules that option out.

Could you somehow have them freerange in your room but block off the bed area? I've used a puppy pen in mine (to stop the head jumping, mainly, oh and pillow weeing from the elbow licking peering bunny) and its worked really well because they get a lot of run time and space, but can't get to me.

I think its a case of breaking the habit, and when the habit is broken don't give him positive rewards when he is doing things like that at 4.30am.

I don't think there is an easy solution, but there will be a solution there, it's just a case of finding it.

Maybe you need a double bunkbed.

If I use a puppy pen at all then they will rattle it like crazy. I have their crate in their for during the day but I even have to close that over night and put they hay and litter tray outside the door otherwise they will rattle it even though its open! I know it sounds like im making excuses but he is sooooo persistant and won't stop untill he gets what he wants. I know I make it worse by feeding him whenever he does it but he really scared me this morning as he showed such aggression when I tried to ignore him.

I will talk to the OH later about trying them downstairs, at least there are no doors to chew as I can block the downstairs one off. I just need to find a way to block off the stairs that he cant get through. If I use anything like a pen he will either jump over it or just rattle it all night!

A bunk bed would be brilliant!!! No-way would the OH agree though!
 
It doesn't sound like you're making excuses, don't worry. It just sounds like things are really rough and he is a bit of a turd.

Trying them downstairs is a good idea. Could you maybe buy a run cheap from somewhere like ebay and set that up in your living room? With the best will in the world they couldn't rattle it and with a lid they couldn't jump it. Might be a good halfway house, especially if its one that can be easily put in place and moved/folded whenever the need arose.
 
Strawberry may be worse if he can smell Bungle
Especially if Bungle is still entire

Yes we thought of this but he has been getting progressively worse over the past few days. We have been as careful as we can be with changing our clothes and washing our hands if we have been near Bungle.

I am going away tomorrow for 4 days so I am hoping he might forget this behaviour when I am back.

I am going to try not having a feeding time with them and just giving them their pellets by hand at different times throughout the day to hopefully break up the routine of being fed at 6.30am that he has got into.

He will be staying in our room next week while im away as he doesnt ever go for my OH but after that if he continues he will be going downstairs, despite my OH's protests.
 
Does he act differently if you put a dab of vanilla just above his nose? (easier said than done at that time in the morning, but if it is Bungle, then the vanilla should ease it).
 
I will try that.

I went in the shower before bed, didnt see Bungle after that and so I doubt I smelt of him his morning when he decided to attack me.
 
I will try that.

I went in the shower before bed, didnt see Bungle after that and so I doubt I smelt of him his morning when he decided to attack me.

You dont have to smell of Bungle, Strawberry just needs to be able to smell Bungle.
If Bungle is in the house and he's entire then Strawberry will be able to smell him.
 
You dont have to smell of Bungle, Strawberry just needs to be able to smell Bungle.
If Bungle is in the house and he's entire then Strawberry will be able to smell him.

Maybe it is this then that made him worse this morning. He will have to get used to it and stop being so spoilt! lol

Hopefully once Bungle is neutered it will be better. He has been free ranging all day and hasnt approached me once to attack me, its just in a morning when im in bed.
 
Maybe it is this then that made him worse this morning. He will have to get used to it and stop being so spoilt! lol

Hopefully once Bungle is neutered it will be better. He has been free ranging all day and hasnt approached me once to attack me, its just in a morning when im in bed.

Hi Snowberry,

I was wondering what happened next, was the problem solved after your few days away? Has Bungle been neutered yet? If so, has that eased the situation?

Angela
 
Hi Snowberry,

I was wondering what happened next, was the problem solved after your few days away? Has Bungle been neutered yet? If so, has that eased the situation?

Angela

Hi, Bungle was neutered 2 weeks ago. The chasing between my other 2 has calmed down slightly but is still bad at feeding time. They have always chased though.

I went away for a few days and when I came back he had forgotten about coming on the bed and biting me. He chased Snow really bad on the wooden floor though to make lots of noise so we have bunny proofed our spare room and moved them into their on the carpet to make it quieter.

I am hoping to bond them all this weekend if my nerves are feeling up to it!!!
 
Hi, Bungle was neutered 2 weeks ago. The chasing between my other 2 has calmed down slightly but is still bad at feeding time. They have always chased though.

I went away for a few days and when I came back he had forgotten about coming on the bed and biting me. He chased Snow really bad on the wooden floor though to make lots of noise so we have bunny proofed our spare room and moved them into their on the carpet to make it quieter.

I am hoping to bond them all this weekend if my nerves are feeling up to it!!!

Eek! good luck with it, we are trying to bond our 2 rescue bunnies and its much harder and slower than I thought it was going to be, this is our first time too. Although I read up lots about it first and had an idea of what to expect, my o/h didnt read the stuff that I asked him too, therefore, he is really stressing over it.
 
Eek! good luck with it, we are trying to bond our 2 rescue bunnies and its much harder and slower than I thought it was going to be, this is our first time too. Although I read up lots about it first and had an idea of what to expect, my o/h didnt read the stuff that I asked him too, therefore, he is really stressing over it.

When I bonded Strawbs and Snow they chased alot but there was never any agression so I was able to leave them to it after a day, I think this bond will be much more difficult!!!
 
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