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I'm seriously going to end up losing my temper.

Vegan_Bunny said:
I certainly can't live with it. It's unhygienic and just plain disgusting. :( I just don't get it. Why now? He's been in my bedroom for the best part of 7 years with no problems. :(
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I don't know about 'why now?' Change, as has been suggested above? Or the fact that he is getting older. Maybe he has begun to feel dominant over you in a way he didn't before. I think by 'live with it', I didn't mean that you'd permanently have a pee-stained bed! Some people are very tolerant of their animals' ways. I couldn't take that kind of behaviour or the destruction, so mine ended up with compounds.
 
Sounds like they might be annoyed you left them and they are punishing you for it. Let them get it out of their systems. I know its hard dont get cross they pick up on that. May just need patience, time and reassurance you still belong to them. Try putting some of their bedding on your bed. Give them an item of clothing you can spare but havent washed since you wore it.

rm36
 
daphnephoebe said:
Not sure what smell you mean? Ours smell of hay - I routinely ask visitors if they can smell anything nasty/off putting as I only clean their room/trays ever 3/4 days and I've never been told they smell :)

I love the idea of a custom shed etc, very lucky boarders you have.



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I have a massively sensitive nose! I can smell them even an hour after I've changed the litter tray - plus my trio sometime miss their trays!!

Love my new shed, no boarders yet as it's not quite finished!
 
I certainly do not have hundreds of pounds spare to buy a shed and run and all the bits needed for that. It's not my house and it was a battle with my Mam to have the size of run and hutch I have already in the garden. :( I wish I did have money for that but I really can't put them in the garden.
I've tolerated my walls being eaten (covered it up with laminate flooring..it's very effective) I've tolerated them chewing my bed and my curtains, ripping my carpet up, Fiver licking my pillow to wake me up or jumping on my bladder. I have tolerated a hell of a lot and they have always had the best of everything. I know what rabbits are like and I accept all their antics and destruction but some things I just don't get. I don't understand what Xena and Shadowfax want by chewing my bed on a morning. They don't do it at any other time of day. :/ It's not even actual chewing, they just scrape their teeth along the wood just under my head to wake me up. I refuse to give them hay or anything else when they do it because otherwise they see it as a reward. They KNOW not to do it. I just have to say "XENA!" or "SHADOWFAX!" and they stop but only for a few mins. As soon as they hear me move they'll run out from under the bed because they know I'll chase them out with one of their tubes. (I can't reach them under the bed lol) I wouldn't care, I've had the odd accident happen in my bed. Xena used to pee on my bed when I first got her. She stopped after a few weeks. But this has been going on for months and it just seems to be getting worse. I really don't know what they want from me. :( I'm going to look at puppy pens but tbh I know that Fiver will just chew the bars for hours on end...even if he's not actually shut inside it. I ripped out the cage I built them because he used to sit there and bar bite for hours and hours from the OUTSIDE of it. It's why they are free range. Fiver cannot be caged.

I was away for the weekend as you know and stayed at my friend's OH's house. She had two buns. They lived most of their life in a 3.5ft cage and were let out whenever they were in. She got them a puppy pen just before I went up. It was about 5ft x 3ft. It was fab for them. The boy spent most of his time in the cage because it's what he was used to. (We put it in for them as a base). Their owner didn't know much about bunnies. They only got hay now and again and they had P@H pellets. Don't get me wrong, they were loved and not neglected or anything but they had a far from perfect life. However, her rabbits were HAPPY. They did all their poo and wee in a tiny corner litter tray. Mine have EVERYTHING and are always getting ill or doing something really naughty. They're destructive and temperamental. They wouldn't think twice about biting or boxing me to tell me off. Her rabbits never bit. The girl bun loved being picked up and cuddled. She was so friendly, even to me and she didn't know me! They had never had health problems. No dental issues, no arthritis, no stasis, no e.c. :( It just doesn't seem fair. Why do I have so many problems with my bunnies when I do everything by the book? :(
 
Accept rabbits totally destroy anything and everything, will pee and poo anywhere and everywhere. I have had Mr Bennett for five years and totally accepted he has destroyed everything, my antique bed, antique dressing table, mattress, countless duvets, carpets, leather coat, shoes, designer shirts, jeans, sheets, throws, skirting boards, door frames, built in wardrobe, the list is nearly endless, including priceless books. I have accepted that because he is more important than any damage, wee or poo.
 
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I'm sorry you are feeling so upset. It sounds like there are lots of stressful things going on for you at the moment, and the bunny rabbit mischief that you describe must feel like the last straw. The peeing on the bed is infuriating of course, and its 's frustrating to clean and sort out each time.

I know you have very limited funds, but I wonder if the cheapest 'solution' to that for now would be to buy a waterproof mattress protector? You could leave it on the bed over your duvet and pillows etc, and you could get a fitted one so that it stayed on relatively securely. You can also buy ones with a towelling type feel on top, so it would mean you could sit on your bed comfortably, without it feeling all horrible and cold/slippery as it might with a shower curtain or similar. (Bunnies wouldn't be able to chew/dig through it as easily either)

I have a house rabbit that does the morning wake up call, relentlessly, until I get up - no matter that she knows she's 'not allowed', no matter that I have been known to growl at her to 'shut up', no matter even if she has plenty of tasty food in front of her, or unlimited space. She doesn't want food or space or anything special, she just wants me to 'be' with her. And over the years I've chosen (through gritted teeth sometimes!) to take it as a compliment: she wants to hang out with me, and can't understand why I would have anything more pressing to do. Some days, of course, I am in a rush and I don't have much time to really acknowledge her until the evening. I notice such a difference on those days - she will be withdrawn and she'll hide herself away in her house. On the days I am able to just be in the room with her - not necessarily stroking her or being 'in her face', just peacefully sharing her space - she is transformed: she'll come out from her hiding place, stretch out in the middle of my floor and snooze, sneak up and give me the occasional nudge on the leg and so forth. It's subtle, of course, but it's like the whole energy in the room changes, if that doesn't sound too bonkers!

So, along with the fitted mattress protector idea, my other suggestion would be to just spend some time in the room with them. Could you do something peaceful like reading or colouring? Perhaps you could make them some little toys out of toilet roll tubes and other household things. Hide some vegetables in their hay, or just sit on the floor and let them come and take snacks from your lap.

It sounds like your bunnies love you and I definitely don't think they understand how upset they are making you. I hope you are able to get some sleep, and that their cheeky little faces in the morning go some way towards you forgiving them their mischief!
 
It could be age. One of my rabbits started peeing in different places once he hit about 9 and a half, after a lifetime of only using the litter tray. I also think that once the smell of urine is on a bed or sofa, the smell is there forever to their sensitive nostrils and they will pee there again and again. They do seem to love the comfort of peeing on soft furnishings so if you covered your bed with a plastic sheet or something it might not be as attractive to them as they hate it when their pee doesn't soak into whatever they're peeing on, but instead collects around their feet and wets their tummy.

Could you also get some puppy panels which wouldn't have bars and block off the bed somehow?
 
Last night I spent some time with Fiver and we had cuddles. He quickly got sick and grunted at me and jumped off the bed and into his litter tray. I have to go downstairs for the dogs when my parents go to bed, which I did. When I came to bed Fiver had peed on my bed again. Despite me spraying it with vinegar. He's also started peeing in that corner of the room again. Perhaps I shoukd get his bloods done to rule out any kidney problems? I'm going to get a mattress protector when I have some money. He's obviously not going to stop and the only thing I can do is take my mattress out everyday so he can't get on my bed at all.
Never seen a puppy pen without bars. Do they exist?
I know rabbits are destructive. Believe me I learnt the hard way. But there's only so much I can put up with. I can't sacrifice everything I own just for them. I need my own space and I need my own life that doesn't involve them sometimes. They are making things very difficult for me whilst other people never seem to experience the same problems as I do. 2 out of 3 of them are dental buns, the third one is an e.c bunny and has a lot of problems. I just feel like the people who look after rabbits properly and are the ones who get ill rabbits. :(
 
I can't say I'm full of useful ideas about the situation. But I'm definitely not of the thinking that you should have to put up with it because it's what rabbits 'do'. I know it's not something I could put up with at all. Why should you have to live like this because you happen to like rabbits. I'm no expert, but as he hasn't always been like this then there could be something else going on medically.

I have seen pet playpens which are made of fabric but I'm not sure they are particularly large and would probably get chewed. However, if it gave you a break and say he could be popped in at specific times with some toys or something, I don't think it would be too bad.

We are fortunate that my daughter has a cabin bed (with a desk underneath) otherwise im pretty sure our 'demon' bun Dottie would be trashing it! x
 
I was having a think about your problem with rabbits peeing on your bed last night - whilst watching Prudhoe blatantly chew at a cord (I took it off him pretty quickly - it wasn't plugged in and is beyond repair already :lol:).

Waterproof Picnic Blankets !!! We used to use those on our carpets and they do keep the pee off. Keep them on your bed all the time - and let them pee on it - then gradually move the pee'd on blanket to the floor - whilst keeping fresh blankets on your bed.....hopefully the buns will continue to pee on the blanket on the floor and they can be washed. They are not too expensive - about £6 to £8 for a blanket.

Just a thought.

I think you're just having bad luck with your buns health - I know the feeling - my SIL rabbits are never sick and yet have no where near life my buns do with their expensive food/hay/vaccinations and they have all had stasis at some point or other, or EC, or bladder infections...makes me wonder why I bother sometimes :shock:
 
Maybe if the bunnies won't change, you could change the bed? You can purchase bunk beds or a platform bed online secondhand or from the classifieds and they're usually really cheap. That way your bed stays dry and clean and cosy and the rabbits still have free range of the room.
 
I can totally emphathise with you - Nena and Tapla used to wee on my bed a lot when I had them living in my room. They always did it at the worst possible times I felt, like when I was really tired or just about to get into bed. It made me so angry even though I knew they didn't know how it would affect me or anything.

I remember reading someone on here a while ago covered her bed with a tarp or blanket and then put normal cooking foil on top - turns out their bunny hated the noise of the foil and soon stopped jumping on top. Might not work but at least it's one which is fairly inexpensive and also easy to test if you have some foil around. When they jump up it makes a right racket which annoys them and also they're not the most dainty of animals so them hopping around on top is very noisy too!
 
I've resorted to cutting open black bin liners and taping them together (or any large plastic bag or sheet) to go inside a spare duvet cover on top of my normal bedding, to stop various animals weeing on the bed. It's less noisy than some options and easier to clean just a duvet cover than everything underneath. It may not stop them doing it, but makes things a bit easier to manage for minimal cost.

If you are certain there are no health issues, I would also see what distractions / enrichments you can provide somewhere else (ie away from your bed). Cardboard boxes stuffed with hay and pellets, or turned into tunnels?
 
I'd look into a puppy pen so you can limit them to a safe completely bunny-proof space and then perhaps gradually reintroduce further access under close supervision. Look at freecycle/ebay/facebook local for budget ones.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions. I've lifted my mattress up against my wall, however, that is not a permanent solution as I'm terrified it'll fall and kill one of the buns. They can't really get on my bed without the mattress but I wouldn't put it past Fiver to try. It's wooden slats and I bet he can balance on them.
They didn't wake me up this morning, which was nice. I've had a nice but very busy day, however. The animals have been so well behaved. I took Honey (horse) for a ride along the roads and she was very good. I took the dogs out and there were some deer asleep in the farmers field! Xena has had some acupuncture today and it seems to be working so I'm feeling much more positive.

I love all the ideas. The tin foil and the picnic blankets may be what I use until I get a puppy pen. That one from Amazon is very cheap!

I don't know whether to get Fiver's bloods done. It's a lot of money to fork out when he doesn't really have symptoms as such. He's eating, keeping on his weight, active and generally happy. He is at the vets every month so I'll monitor his weight and whatnot. I'll get his bloods done if there's any change.

Thank you everybody for being so supportive and helpful. I really thought people would think awful about me.
 
Ages and ages ago when I had a bun in my room, I tied string from the headboard to the footboard and then draped sheets of paper over - made a 12" ish high side to the bed so it looked too tall to jump. Depending on your bed you might be able to add some sort of side to it that you could climb over but made it too high to jump comfortably.
 
I've just had a really silly thought of a possible solution - would a bunk bed with you on the upper bunk and an empty lower bunk help (I don't think either of them could clamber up). Sorry if this is a mad idea, just a thought!
 
The bunk bed idea is good, however is expensive. Also I had bunkbeds when I was about 10 so I'd just feel a wee bit silly lol.
Tamsin that idea is actually pretty good. I could use towels or sheets to make a barrier of some sort. Hmm. I'll have to have an experiment.

I hate being so poor haha. My own fault. I knew I shouldn't have gone to Glasgow. Literally emptied my bank account on Placebo merch and Vegfest. DAMN MY WEAKNESSES. I feel really guilty about it tbh but I suppose it's about the only thing I've spent on myself bar the odd game. My car insurance is due as well this month. Haha...just going to go an die now.
 
Hi bunny peeps - I haven't posted on here for a while but this post resonated past experiences lol

I have had indoor rabbits for approx. 15 years plus and through lots of ups and downs of best solutions to problems which present themselves with bunnies - just in my experience I feel there has to be house rules for the benefit of all - give rabbits access to beds etc and the temptation is far too strong for them to just be bunnies.

Best outcome for me had been a mix and match of free range and their own area - for mind this is a converted garage space bunny condo - they get time with us in selected areas such as the conservatory and outside but then return to their territory area to relax.

Better for me, better for hubby and no chewed telephone wires as a danger to them.

Stands a chance of a longer term working solution for all - free ranging but safe and workable.
 
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