What to do when the the grass is always greener on the other side?

[anaqi]

I'm wondering what I can do for my rabbit, Edward. He is one of those rabbits who always wants more and now he's living on his own I want to do my best to keep him occupied.

Edward lives in a 6 x 2 x 2 ft Welfare Hutch Company hutch which is permanently attached with a pipe connector to an 8 x 5 x 2 ft run. The run has a gate which opens onto the lawn. We let him out to play every day into an area set out with 2 sets of 8 puppy panels.

The trouble is the grass is always greener on the other side. If Edward is in his run he bites the weld mesh to try and escape. He's actually snapped the wire in one place so I need to replace that panel. He has dug all around the edge of the run down to the 1" weld mesh we buried a couple of inches under the ground, this is despite having a digging box of fresh earth to play in.

When we let him out onto the lawn he bites and rattles the puppy panels because he wants to be the other side of them. He always wants more!

Our garden is not rabbit safe and it would be difficult to make it safe. I'm not sure what I can do to keep Edward happy.

In the hutch we have a litter tray, a bedding box (large litter tray full of straw and hay), a wicker tunnel, food bowl, cardboard box stuffed with hay, chew toy fastened to the mesh door, hay rack and water bottle.

In the run we have an under bed storage box filled with soil - supposed to be a digging box but he just likes to sit on it, a green plastic tunnel, a plastic chair, the lid off an old cat litter tray which he can hide in and sit on top of and various plastic jingle toys. I also hide hay and treats in cardboard tubes and boxes.

Is Edward just the most needy bunny on the planet or is there anything else I could do for him? I do intend on getting him a new partner but plans are on hold until after spring.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Clair

 

[parsnipbun]

There re a couple of things I would probably think of:

First of course is getting him another companion - I suspect he is very lonely - rabbits really ARE social animals - they live in social groups in the wild and that is what their brain is wired for - to have a friend with them. They really do suffer mentally and physically from being on their own unless they are full time indoor house rabbits with humans at home with them all the time.

Secondly I presume that as you say 'now he is alone' he used to have a companion and thus is neutered - if he is not neutered then he will be frustrated - and needs neutering for his health (and mental health) and to have a companion.

Space wise the set up seems fine - but i am concerned he could nibble the mesh - if he cam so can foxes and any stray dogs - and you may want to replace the mesh with a higher standard mesh - Mesh is quite complicated and comes not only in 'weights' of the mesh (ie thicker or thinner strands or gauges) but also in sizes of 'hole' so to speak. really you want something like a 16 gauge 1cm mesh. Never use chicken wire as the weakest mesh is known - that is just enough to stop hens from breaking out - but nothing else!

Hope that helps!

 

[WillowAndBiscuit]

I agree with parsnipbun's comment. Have you thought about maybe bringing him inside until he can have a companion so he is not so lonely? His mental state is probably suffering terribly and even though he has lots of toys is probably very bored as he is not having enough interaction from another rabbit or a person.

I apologize if that seems negative however I wasn't really sure how else to word it! Keep us updated on what you decide to do

 

[anaqi]

Thanks for the replies. In response to your questions.

Edward is neutered.

I tried to get Edward a new partner but they didn't get on. He pulled all of her whiskers out and ate them! They weren't compatible. I will try again but spring is not the ideal time to bond rabbits.

Edward used to chew the mesh in his run even when he was with his previous partner. It's not a new thing that has started since she died. He has always wanted more.

The mesh in the run is the standard mesh that is used in the majority of rabbit runs and hutches. He has bitten two horizontal wires together until one snapped. It is still holding and he's at no greater risk than any other rabbit. Here is a photograph of it.

It's not practical for me to bring him inside. We have two cats and we don't have a safe space that is big enough for him. He's never been that interested in people. He only ever comes to me when I have food and he will tolerate a quick nose rub before he hops off.

 

[tonibun]

I am wondering how Edward would behave if you kept him in his hutch for a few days with a tray full of hay? Don't let him out and monitor him - it may not work of course but I have noticed down the years that if you give a rabbit an area they quite often seem to want more, but if you keep them in a hutch for certain lengths of time they settle down very well. This might help Edward to feel more content for most of the time, then you can let him out for an hour or two but get him back in so he knows where he is supposed to be. I hope you can understand what I am saying but thinking back about him nipping off his friend's whiskers, perhaps he is a strange rabbit. Maybe someone chopped his whiskers off in the past and he thought it was "normal" behaviour. Who knows. Good luck with him.

 

[Amy104]

I am wondering how Edward would behave if you kept him in his hutch for a few days with a tray full of hay? Don't let him out and monitor him - it may not work of course but I have noticed down the years that if you give a rabbit an area they quite often seem to want more, but if you keep them in a hutch for certain lengths of time they settle down very well. This might help Edward to feel more content for most of the time, then you can let him out for an hour or two but get him back in so he knows where he is supposed to be. I hope you can understand what I am saying but thinking back about him nipping off his friend's whiskers, perhaps he is a strange rabbit. Maybe someone chopped his whiskers off in the past and he thought it was "normal" behaviour. Who knows. Good luck with him.

I'm really sorry but I don't agree with this. I had 13 rabbits who all had permanent access to large areas who never tried to escape, I didn't have to lock them in a hutch to do that, they were just happy and content.

Nibbling wiskers is a sign of barbering. This is often a trait in bored rabbits but as this was during bonding I suspect it was either a hierarchy issue or he was actually trying to get her affection - its usually the subordinate bun who does the grooming. Overgrooming could of just been a desperate attempt to make friends whether she liked him or not.

For whatever reason Edward seems to be bored or lonely. I'm really sorry I don't have a useful suggestion but I really don't feel locking him in a hutch is the answer.

I know spring isn't a great time for bonding but it is possible, I have often bonded at this time of year if I needed to.

 

[anaqi]

Thank you, Amy. The issues you've raised make a lot of sense.

When Edward was with his previous partner, Rosie, he went through a period of overgrooming her. They were bonded in January 2015, it was love at first sight and a very easy bond. Edward was neutered, Rosie was not.

He started humping her a lot in the spring, which wasn't that surprising, but she always put him straight. In the summer we noticed a patch of fur missing from the back of her neck. We assumed it was where he'd held on with his teeth when humping her. The vet saw it when Rosie had her vaccinations but he wasn't concerned as there was no sign of parasites or skin disease and the skin was not broken.

In the autumn Edward went through a period of overgrooming her. She had a bald patch on her nose and the same patch of missing fur at the back of her neck. After a few weeks it stopped but sadly we lost Rosie to uterine cancer on 2nd January 2016. We knew it was a risk not neutering her but she was a rescue rabbit of unknown age and she had lost her previous partner to E. cuniculi.

Edward has never been a people rabbit. He was a rescue and originally came from a house where he was free range with lots of other rabbits. He'd fathered three litters by the time he was 9 months old. Apparently the house was in a bad state so all the rabbits were rescued.

As I said it was love at first sight with Rosie, he groomed her, she groomed him, he tried to be dominant but she was the boss. He was completely different with the new partner I got for him. He was aggressive, pulling whiskers and eating them, nipping her when she tried to get close to him, thumping, grunting at her and lunging when she was laying down on the ground. He dug at the fur on her back too.

She was very nervous and timid, she wasn't used to other rabbits. She never stood up to him so he just kept on nipping at her. If she dared to move away from him it ended in a chase with fur flying. It didn't feel right, trying short bonding sessions was very stressful as he would ignore her then suddenly turn on her. We weren't getting anywhere so we rehomed her.

I want to do the very best for Edward but I think I'm going to need some expert help finding a suitable partner for him.

 

[Amy104]

Do you have any local rescues who could help you and where he could possibly choose his own friend?

Its possible his first partner harassed him a lot (due to her hormones) so the bond and hierarchy was always a bit on edge hence the repeated pattern of overgrooming.

It also sounds like the other bun wasn't a suitable match for him.

But it definitely seems to me that he would benefit from the right companion.

 

[anaqi]

BARC is about half an hour away from me. We got Edward from there. I could go back there but I don't think they have any single does at the moment.

 

[Zoobec]

BARC is about half an hour away from me. We got Edward from there. I could go back there but I don't think they have any single does at the moment.

I would get in touch with BARC, I know Angie is always really busy and perhaps doesn't always get chance to keep the website up to date, and if she knows you are looking for a single doe, she will be able to keep you in mind :thumb:

 

[Lisa F]

I tried to get Edward a new partner but they didn't get on.

I've always been of the opinion that it's far too risky to get a second rabbit and just hope they get on, they are such finicky little creatures! :roll: :lol: I would always, always recommend doing bunny speed dating instead, that way the experienced people at the rescue get the stressful job! Even RSPCA's (some of them, at least) will do that for you. And most rabbit/small animal rescues definitely will.

 

[tulsi]

I highly recommend barc. My two girls, Tessie and Daisy are from there. But then so is Edward so you know how great they are!

 

[hoppetylop]

BARC is about half an hour away from me. We got Edward from there. I could go back there but I don't think they have any single does at the moment.

They have a pretty white doe called Snowflake(I was having a nosey earlier)

 

[anaqi]

They have a pretty white doe called Snowflake(I was having a nosey earlier)

She looks lovely but my daughter is scared of white rabbits, plus I gather Snowflake is not great with other rabbits.