Eating off My Plate

I have GOT to stop this behaviour, it's driving me and my OH bonkers.
Stephen used to be very shy about hopping onto the sofa but he's got much more bold in recent weeks/months and will sit with me on the sofa for noserubs, now that I do not mind and I love his little hop visits onto the sofa but what is driving us round the bend is that the minute we are trying to eat he will climb all over us to try and get it!

Yesterday he actually sat on my plate as I was holding my sandwich above my head because he just kept climbing on the sofa, eventually we had to put him away so I could eat without him pestering me. We did try putting some pellets or a treat out when we were eating to see if he'd leave us alone, but people food is much tastier than pellets apparently because he will now leave food in his bowl to try and eat mine.

It's getting really silly now, it doesn't matter what it is I'm eating he'll hop onto the sofa and start sniffing at it to see if there's anything he can pilfer, he'll even try and eat things like bread and heaven forbid I try and have any sort of dessert or a biscuit, he's turning into a bit of a food bully! I must add that unless he manages to steal anything before we can put him on the floor we don't actually give him any food as I don't want him eating things he shouldn't.

I keep putting him on the floor and telling him off but he'll just hop straight back up again until we end up putting him away and I hate locking him away, and he gets really cross about being locked in his cage. I wondered if anyone had any advice as to what we could do other than shutting him away because it's incredibly frustrating trying to eat your dinner with a rabbit trying to pilfer all the best bits.

He's a rabbit though

Rabbits are naturally curious, and we all know, mainly for food :lol:

Biscuit's stolen apples, bananas, sarnies, biscuits, pizza and Ginger's stolen bombay potato from the floor (yes, as in curry :roll.

I find it really cute, you just have to be careful with the food - if you find you need to put him away for a few minutes while you eat, he won't hate you for it, i'm sure Unfortunately, those of us that choose to have house rabbit(s) have to take all this into account

Thanks Graham,

I know, and his curiosity makes him so lovely and cute most of the time, but with food it's just getting silly!! :lol:
It doesn't matter what I am eating, he'll be all over me, he sits on the arm of the chair next to me staring at me, or climbs up my front to get to food, or, as yesterday, just sits on my plate looking at me... "Why is the food up there Mummy?!"

I'd just like to eat my dinner in peace!!

Cari said:

Thanks Graham,

I know, and his curiosity makes him so lovely and cute most of the time, but with food it's just getting silly!! :lol:
It doesn't matter what I am eating, he'll be all over me, he sits on the arm of the chair next to me staring at me, or climbs up my front to get to food, or, as yesterday, just sits on my plate looking at me... "Why is the food up there Mummy?!"

I'd just like to eat my dinner in peace!!

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Nope, the same happened here. Biscuit just wouldnt leave us alone. He'd mug us for EVERYTHING we had, all the time.

Strangely, most of that behaviour stopped when he was bonded with Ginger. Think he was mainly bored and the food thing was a way of him getting rid of that pent up boredom. Maybe an idea?

Thanks,

Yes we are working on the neutering and bonding, but we can't afford the neuter at the moment but it is something we are working towards.
We have a lot of things to keep him occupied though and I'm rearranging his 'warren' every few days to keep him more interested, but, food is the most interesting thing in the house! I think he's just being difficult because he can! :lol:

same here - Parsley used to mug us for anything going - including running off with my figgy yoghurt one day:shock: - now he has 4 other buns to keep in line he is too busy!!!

Trouble is, what starts off as rather cute, ends up being a real pain in the wotsit.

I've never fed my cats bits from my plate, so they don't bother me at all when I'm eating, but I have friends who did feed titbits to what were sweet little kittens - and now the cats sit and beg when they are eating and have been known to jump up and eat from their plates. Would drive me nuts!

(Mind you, that's about all they are not allowed to do in my house - they sleep on my bed, which would drive other people nuts, and walk all over my keyboard, sit in front of the screen etc etc.)

**nods in agreement**.....and parrots are just as bad...if not worse....

Babsie said:

Trouble is, what starts off as rather cute, ends up being a real pain in the wotsit.

I've never fed my cats bits from my plate, so they don't bother me at all when I'm eating, but I have friends who did feed titbits to what were sweet little kittens - and now the cats sit and beg when they are eating and have been known to jump up and eat from their plates. Would drive me nuts!

(Mind you, that's about all they are not allowed to do in my house - they sleep on my bed, which would drive other people nuts, and walk all over my keyboard, sit in front of the screen etc etc.)

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You're telling me! I didn't mind when it was occasional and I could just pop him back on the floor but it is persistant at the moment

yvette said:

**nods in agreement**.....and parrots are just as bad...if not worse....

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:lol: I can just imagine Ruby flying off with bits of your dinner

One of my rabbits is a bit like that, but not anywhere near as bad as Stephen!

My daughter was sat on the floor eating an apple once and Charlie snatched it out of her hand and ran off with it. Another time he was sat on my knee and I had a custard cream in my hand. I had no hands free so I put the biscuit in my mouth to hold while I used the remote and Charlie took the biscuit right out of my mouth and ran off with it. It didn't bother me in the slightest, we just though it was hilarious.

Mind you, he's more of an opportunist thief, he never sits and begs while we're eating. I'd have to give in and let him have some if he did :lol:

egg said:

One of my rabbits is a bit like that, but not anywhere near as bad as Stephen!

My daughter was sat on the floor eating an apple once and Charlie snatched it out of her hand and ran off with it. Another time he was sat on my knee and I had a custard cream in my hand. I had no hands free so I put the biscuit in my mouth to hold while I used the remote and Charlie took the biscuit right out of my mouth and ran off with it. It didn't bother me in the slightest, we just though it was hilarious.

Mind you, he's more of an opportunist thief, he never sits and begs while we're eating. I'd have to give in and let him have some if he did :lol:

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:lol:

He's so well behaved for the other 22 and a half hours of the day, but when I'm eating he's a right little pest! Stephen has taken stuff out of my mouth before and heaven forbid I leave anything in the living room now which is edible as it'll be gone by the time I get back to it!

The other day when he was sitting on my plate as I went to put my sandwich in my mouth he was actually trying to eat the other end of it, talk about a weird lady and the tramp moment :lol: just to prove me wrong, today he has completely ignored me when I've been eating, but that won't last for long when my dinner comes out the kitchen!

Cari said:

:lol:

He's so well behaved for the other 22 and a half hours of the day, but when I'm eating he's a right little pest! Stephen has taken stuff out of my mouth before and heaven forbid I leave anything in the living room now which is edible as it'll be gone by the time I get back to it!

The other day when he was sitting on my plate as I went to put my sandwich in my mouth he was actually trying to eat the other end of it, talk about a weird lady and the tramp moment :lol: just to prove me wrong, today he has completely ignored me when I've been eating, but that won't last for long when my dinner comes out the kitchen!

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:lol::lol: You should video it, he sounds absolutely adorable and so funny! Actually, he does sound a bit overpowering lol, I'm not sure I'd still be laughing if my rabbit was actually sat on my dinner plate! Awww bless :lol: