Hi Everybody!
Hope you're all well.
I came here a few months ago for advice regarding bonding my two rabbits and had such great suggestions that worked that ever since I have been lurking for any further help... I thought I would be able to fund the answer to my current issue but after taking on board the advice given to other posters, nothing has worked, and to be totally honest, it's getting me quite down! I'm really hoping someone has had a similar experience and can give me a light at the end of the tunnel!
I have two rabbits, one male 29 weeks old (neutered for approx 12 weeks) and one female, 11 months (spayed for 7 months).
She is an absolute DREAM! I won't dwell on her in this post but she has perfect litter habits, is affectionate, chilled out, she's just easy to own! She's like the previous rabbits I've had throughout my life so is may be why I have had a shock.
The rabbits are house rabbits, they had s little struggle getting bonded and are now seemingly fine. They've never fought since their bonding period, and the only thing I see sometimes is if the female thinks I have food, and thinks the male will get it first, she humps him. Otherwise, no dominance issues that I have witnessed.
Anyway, onto the issue.
Rusty, the male, is a nightmare. I mean he's hilarious and I love him but he is like a split personality. I'm now 8 months pregnant and I can't keep up with it. My boyfriend, who has never owned rabbit is just getting agitated but the whole thing.
I have tried EVERY method suggested in this forum and he just sprays urine everywhere. Non stop. Poos everywhere. Poos as he runs. Poos on us. Poo on the sofa. Poo outside his litter box. He sees off the sofa so it hits the floor, he has weed on me a couple of times (never a male), and he just spot wees all over the carpet.
It is making me so upset. I'm not usually so emotional so bear with me (!!) but I can hardly bend let alone keep up and the house just looks trashed every time he is let out. Here is what I've tried:
1. Their cage is two storey (he can follow litter guidelines within his cage by the way). It is in the middle of our living room, amd they are not free range at the moment due to his issues. :lol: I read advice to confine them to the cage for 2 days, then to slowly increase the space. I was only to increase the space if he could keep the co fined space clean.
I added a small puppy pen onto the edge and made it relatively small. After two days I let the, have space into the puppy pen and placed a litter tray in there. He used it and also pooed all around it, and weed. I kept cleaning it and picking the poos up and putting it into the box. He didn't get any better after 10 days and in fact managed to jump over the top of the pen so that he was out in the living room (I have to say, he's very intelligent - he's managed to climb up my body like a cat while I was standing up!)
2.ive tried giving them the space and putting loads of litter boxes out everywhere with hay. He goes in it some of the time, and then just marks everywhere when he feels like it. It doesn't matter if there is 1 or 6 boxes, he marks the carpet, me and furniture in the same way.
I put the poos in his litter box and the wet tissue with his urine into his box. Doesn't help. I tell him NO and try and move him when he wee's. He doesn't care, just looks at me and does it slightly further away. They just drop out of his butt when he runs around!
He doesn't seem to have any health problems at all, he is active, very interactive, eats and drinks well. I really feel he is doing it on purpose to be honest
if anyone could maybe suggest why he is getting no better after neutering and different methods, and possibly suggest something that would be great.
By the way, I know he isn't perfect. The odd poo and the odd wee are not an issue to me, but the state he is creating, I just can't bring a baby into and keep up this upkeep along with monitoring him. But I am ok with him doing a few random poos! I even had a midwife appointments at the house and she made a comment.
I know this is long, but I wanted to show that I've tried different approaches and done my research so that fit helps anyone if they can think of a next step.
Hope you're all well.
I came here a few months ago for advice regarding bonding my two rabbits and had such great suggestions that worked that ever since I have been lurking for any further help... I thought I would be able to fund the answer to my current issue but after taking on board the advice given to other posters, nothing has worked, and to be totally honest, it's getting me quite down! I'm really hoping someone has had a similar experience and can give me a light at the end of the tunnel!
I have two rabbits, one male 29 weeks old (neutered for approx 12 weeks) and one female, 11 months (spayed for 7 months).
She is an absolute DREAM! I won't dwell on her in this post but she has perfect litter habits, is affectionate, chilled out, she's just easy to own! She's like the previous rabbits I've had throughout my life so is may be why I have had a shock.
The rabbits are house rabbits, they had s little struggle getting bonded and are now seemingly fine. They've never fought since their bonding period, and the only thing I see sometimes is if the female thinks I have food, and thinks the male will get it first, she humps him. Otherwise, no dominance issues that I have witnessed.
Anyway, onto the issue.
Rusty, the male, is a nightmare. I mean he's hilarious and I love him but he is like a split personality. I'm now 8 months pregnant and I can't keep up with it. My boyfriend, who has never owned rabbit is just getting agitated but the whole thing.
I have tried EVERY method suggested in this forum and he just sprays urine everywhere. Non stop. Poos everywhere. Poos as he runs. Poos on us. Poo on the sofa. Poo outside his litter box. He sees off the sofa so it hits the floor, he has weed on me a couple of times (never a male), and he just spot wees all over the carpet.
It is making me so upset. I'm not usually so emotional so bear with me (!!) but I can hardly bend let alone keep up and the house just looks trashed every time he is let out. Here is what I've tried:
1. Their cage is two storey (he can follow litter guidelines within his cage by the way). It is in the middle of our living room, amd they are not free range at the moment due to his issues. :lol: I read advice to confine them to the cage for 2 days, then to slowly increase the space. I was only to increase the space if he could keep the co fined space clean.
I added a small puppy pen onto the edge and made it relatively small. After two days I let the, have space into the puppy pen and placed a litter tray in there. He used it and also pooed all around it, and weed. I kept cleaning it and picking the poos up and putting it into the box. He didn't get any better after 10 days and in fact managed to jump over the top of the pen so that he was out in the living room (I have to say, he's very intelligent - he's managed to climb up my body like a cat while I was standing up!)
2.ive tried giving them the space and putting loads of litter boxes out everywhere with hay. He goes in it some of the time, and then just marks everywhere when he feels like it. It doesn't matter if there is 1 or 6 boxes, he marks the carpet, me and furniture in the same way.
I put the poos in his litter box and the wet tissue with his urine into his box. Doesn't help. I tell him NO and try and move him when he wee's. He doesn't care, just looks at me and does it slightly further away. They just drop out of his butt when he runs around!
He doesn't seem to have any health problems at all, he is active, very interactive, eats and drinks well. I really feel he is doing it on purpose to be honest
if anyone could maybe suggest why he is getting no better after neutering and different methods, and possibly suggest something that would be great.
By the way, I know he isn't perfect. The odd poo and the odd wee are not an issue to me, but the state he is creating, I just can't bring a baby into and keep up this upkeep along with monitoring him. But I am ok with him doing a few random poos! I even had a midwife appointments at the house and she made a comment.
I know this is long, but I wanted to show that I've tried different approaches and done my research so that fit helps anyone if they can think of a next step.