New rabbit owner, new rabbit. Accidentally taught bad habits? Advise please.

[Sammysdct]

Hello,

For two weeks now we've had our lovely rabbit Lolly Hop, and she is much loved by me & my 2 girls Mary 3, & Amie 6. Having a rabbit it a new experience for all of us, but she settled in really well, thriving being in the middle of all the noise & chaos, chasing my girls, and not battling an eyelid to their shouts and screams. I really feel we've been blessed by having her. We've had a few issues (Such as peeing on sofa & bed). For now we've decided simply to make the sofa & bed off limits, put a barrier around the bed and piled the girls bean bags on the sofa to keep her off it when we're not around. We figure we'll try to introduce her to them again in a couple of months after she's been spayed.

I've noticed that she has gotten alot more, well hyperactive, the last couple of days. I don't know if its related to the thunderstorms we've been having or if we have simply taught her bad habits. Can rabbit be scared by thunder?

We were rewarding her for using her litter tray instead of going for the sofa. I had a bowl of dried forage that she would be given a leaf each time she jumped in. The girls were occasionally being naughty and giving her the leaf because they felt like it. So now if her hyperactive begging around people doesn't work,she simply jumps in her litter tray. She always seems to be on the alert for food. She still washes & lies down with her legs spread out behind her, but just doesn't seem as relaxed in general.

I'm just as guilty as the girls, as I had been giving her treats for training in the evening during mine & her time after the girls have gone to bed. Such as getting her to let me brush her by giving her a treat such as a small piece of carrot. Also for coming when called and following a simple 'stand' command. I was also trying to get her (and me) used to picked up by picking her up, holding her tight when she struggled, calming her, and putting her back down after a moment or two of her being calm and giving her a treat. If she came back to me for another I would repeat process, up to 3 times. Last night she got so annoyed with me she snorted.

After these sessions I used to give her a few treats whilst lying quietly on the floor with her and petting her. A bit of 'quiet floor time' after the un-fun stuff. She used to be quiet calm for this, and I have even petted her to sleep with her teeth gently clicking during this time. For the last couple of days, she has simply jumped up, looking for treats every time I pet her. She has also started to scrabble & nip at my ankles during these times, then jump in her litter box for a treat.

I presume this is partially due to the work trying to pick her up, and so I have decided to completely drop that for now, starting from this evening's session. I also presume that I've taught her bad habits by giving her the treat after she has jumped in the litter box, having nipped me, as well as the random food during the day.

So this morning I have removed all food from the girls reach. The new make the rule is that she only gets set meal times, and a couple of leaves when I need to shut her in the bedroom. She has to be shut in the room either when I go out, or because she is getting too much in the way E.g. insisting on being in my lap or in daughters hair when i'm trying to brush it.

I'm hoping she will calm her down, when she realises that not every time she sees a person she is getting food.

The problem is she really does not like being groomed, and it is very necessary. She has a very soft coat, with a thick downy undercoat that had a couple of small knots/matts in it when I first came to brush her. Every time I do brush her I come away with a brush full of hair. I'm really not sure that I will be able to get her groomed properly without the treats.

I also need to be able to pick her up, such as when when girls leave the gate open to their bedroom and she gives me the run around getting her out. Or if she refuses to get off the sofa. I will need to trim her claws at some point & I don't want her only experience of being held to be purely negative.

Although she does occasionally enjoy it on the floor, sitting there for a bit being stroked before hopping off, she just seems to be too motivated by food to seem to realise that petting can be nice as well.

I really just want to have the best relationship with her I can & for her to be her happiest.

Sorry if my post is long or confusing, I'm really trying to understand our new addition & explain what I see, but its hard not being able to speak 'rabbit'. Any advise anyone?

 

[Babsie]

I think you are making wonderful efforts to give her a good life! Lots of rabbits dislike being picked up but, as you say, it needs to be done. Have you seen the pics demonstrating how to do it so she feels safe and has no bits left dangling. Can't help re grooming - I'm not very good at it and I have a cat who is a nightmare. I just thought your post was really inspiring!

ETA some things may change when she is spayed.

 

[Tamsin]

She sounds like a very smart bunny, as you've found they can learn 'tricks' quite easily so you do have to be careful what you teach them! They can also be stroppy if they don't get their way.

It's fine to give her treats, but you do have to set boundaries, never use a treat to distract a rabbit that's doing something you don't like e.g. grunting or nipping you are you are rewarding the behaviour you don't want. I think it's probably best not to continue to reward the tray, the trouble is you're then teaching her to poop on command rather than when it's natural to go.

There are good things to train for though, such as to run in the bedroom when called and receive a treat. That way you are rewarding her only when you've given the command and she does what you want. Don't reward her other times she goes in the room. You could do similar training with a pet carrier, put it on the floor with a treat in and have a command word e.g. 'in your box' and she gets the treat when she goes in. That can make catching easier! You might like to see if the library has a book on clicker training - they'll be aimed at dogs but the same applies to rabbits, I'd suggest using a pen with a click end as they are quieter.

Picking up rabbit's is a common issue, I've written an article here I think will help: http://www.therabbithouse.com/behaviour/problem-picking-rabbit-up.asp

As she's such a smart rabbit she'll need lots of toys and activities to keep her busy - they need to have things to do just like children or they make their own fun. You and your children could try making her some toys or a 'treasure hunt' with food hidden in/under things like empty cardboard boxes from food packing.

 

[Sammysdct]

Thanks for the advise.

We haven't been giving her the ad hoc treats today & no more for her litter box. She really is smart, it only took her about half an hour to realise that that wasn't working anymore. So today i've had a much calmer rabbit. She even hopped onto my lap when i was on the floor & stayed there for a bit a couple of minutes whilst i stroked her. It was lovely.

Thanks for the link re picking up. I have previously been able to lift both her front & bottom up when feeding/petting, so perhaps I'm just rushing things a bit. I'll go back right to the beginning steps of your advise.

I am struggling to keep her entertained though. We've got a ball for her to push around, a cardboard tube tree, a couple of corrugated cardboard cat scratchers. her breakfast is served in a mini wooden drawer unit (plain jewelry box style for craft store). This is glued down to a board so she can pull the drawers open. She figured this out after day 2 & it takes her the whole of a minute now.. She also has 2 store bought sisal scratcher/chew toy this with pull out wooden carrots to throw about/chew. I put a fabric raggy as a mobile in part of her cage. Her breakfast is also served in a cardboard tube, that has been wrapped around with beach matt & covered with wetted toilet paper left to dry. She bats this around easily to get the pellets out, and has ripped it apart slightly.

So naturally she does not chew nor dig at anything. I mean anything, include our carpets & all of our wooden furniture. For this i am grateful, but wish I knew how to enrich her life. The only exception to this is the fact that anything made of rubber can't last 2 seconds around her, ie silicone oven mitts, or barbie dolls. Her favourite past time simply seems to be simply lying and watching us, or simply getting in the mix of things chasing the children & me about.

That said she just wedged herself through the door of our wooden dolls house & removed all of the wooden furniture, including the small china tea set which she tried to eat as I was writing this. She tried to eat the china not the wooden furniture???

I see what you mean by she will try and make her own fun.

 

[daphnephoebe]

Wow. I love your ideas for dinner time etc (I'm stealing the loo roll idea)

You could maybe make her a forage box? Underbed storage boxes are good, filled with hay/straw and herb mix/treats mixed in.

It's lovely that you care so much about learning more about her etc

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

 

[Tamsin]

You're doing all the right things, with smart bunnies I find you have to make toys harder as they learn. So you might start with a piece of food scrunched up in paper. And then a whole box for of scrunched up paper some with food, some with, then once she's learnt that you close up the box so she has to gnaw in and then you hang the box up, and then you hang so she has to stand on something else to reach. So as she masters each stage you make it more difficult. For example you could now fill the draws with shredded paper, so once it's open she still has to rummage for the food.

When Scamp was young (he's a little calmer now) all suitable food packaging used to go through him before being recycled so every box would get a piece of food, so he could rip it open. It's surprising the amount of things you can turn into toys!

I'd recommend feeding all of her dry food ration in toys as the long it takes to find it all the busier she'll be. Just hiding food all around the room like a treasure hunts works too.

Something else to think about after she's spayed would be a second bunny - a neutered male would be the best match and a rescue would help you find the right bunny. It would give her a constant companion and the shared grooming/interactions will help keep her busy too.

 

[Sammysdct]

Thanks. Not my ideas, taken off the internet somewhere. I had to wait a month to get an answer off my landlord about having her & I did quite a bit of browsing.

That said all the reading in the world couldn't prepare me for her. It was such a site seeing a rabbit run off with a miniature teacup in its mouth. :lol:

Things have gone quite well this evening. I managed to reasonably groom her whilst she ate 1 bunny biscuit. Getting better at it, less 'catching' on the matts & covering a greater area faster. Finally managed to get a loose tuft out that had been bugging me a couple of days.

I dug through my storage cupboard & have built her a forage box now, with an open top & a side that flaps, just like the door on the dolls house. Couldn't bring myself to fill it with Hay though, as its in the front room & I didn't want it everywhere, so I have filled it with strips of brown parcel paper. No sign of her eating them, but she sure found the treats in them after a bit.

The carry box was a brilliant suggestion. Only took me 3 goes & she learned 'in' for her carry box. I had to stop after that as she went into what I think i'm going to dub 'feeding frenzy' mode after a few treats (pellets), loosing her head with excitement & getting really hyper looking for the next one.

And of course this evening, when I was trying to get her 'in' her cage, she ran back into the front room & went in her carrier. Doh!

I'm afraid I've not got the wits to keep up with this bunny.

 

[tabithakat64]

Other thinks you could do easily are a ball or digging pit. Stuffing toilet rolls with hay for her to through around. A title washing line with herbs pegged to it....

 

[Tamsin]

And of course this evening, when I was trying to get her 'in' her cage, she ran back into the front room & went in her carrier. Doh!

:lol: I think you might have a little genius!