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Looking for some advice on my adopted bun

podge54

New Kit
In February my boyfriend and I adopted a 10 month old female bun called Podge! We're first time bunny parents but have done lots of research to make sure we keep her happy and healthy. She is mostly free roam, I work at home so she's out all day and can go in the living room, kitchen and upstairs hall (and bedroom when we're in there). When we're out in our yard she likes joining us there too!

When we first adopted her behaviour was all over the place. Some days she'd be quiet as a mouse and keep to herself, other days she'd be digging everything, chewing everything and shredding stuff to pieces and wouldn't settle, and other days all she'd want to do is cuddle up to you for the whole day. She LOVES being stroked and played with, she'll let us touch her pretty much anywhere and will sit there lightly grinding her teeth letting you pet her for however long you want.

Over the past few weeks we noticed her really settle down and tended to just play with her toys, sleep next to you and want a lot of cuddles. A few days ago she started 'flopping' a LOT - 8 times in a day was her record and she seemed to be very happy! So of course, my boyfriend and I were so happy to see that she'd settled in well and loved spending time with us. She loves binkies too.

All of a sudden, over the last couple of days she won't stop digging and being an absolute menace. She won't stop digging at every edge of the room, trying to chew on everything and does this all day. She has a dig box to dig in, a large dog bed to dig and chew in and a lot of toys that she doesn't seem to use that often which is very frustrating. We use a spray bottle to mist her when she's doing something she shouldn't but that never seems to deter her for very long!

She's not spayed and I'm guessing from previous research this could solve a lot of the problem - we're saving up to get her spayed in July - but I just want to check that there isn't anything I could be doing in the meantime to keep her happy and not soaking wet from all the spraying - lol!

Hope someone can help and that you and your lovely buns are having a great week!
 
Hi there :wave: sounds like Podge has the life of Riley! And loving the name hehe :p having read a lot of posts on this forum spaying will usually help if not put a stop to these destructive/ hormonal behaviours - someone else will probs be along in a bit explaining it in more detail etc.

Only because you haven't mentioned but assuming she has lots of hay to keep her teeth busy? May also be worth looking into other enrichment ideas to hopefully distract her too, see if you can find something you don't currently do - hiding treats/ food, there's a lot that can be done with cardboard by all accounts :lol:
 
Spaying may help (should with the spraying), but... bunnies chew, dig and basically are little terrors - they can be so destructive [emoji38]

Not sure that's very helpful haha, but it's true.

Getting her a friend also - helps bunnies chill out, from what I've seen, and it's best for them :)

Love her name btw [emoji7]

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks so much for the replies and glad you like the name hehe!

Yeah that's what I'm thinking, she's an absolutely lovely little lady and I just want to make sure she's having fun and is happy!

She does yes, loads of cardboard, a chew mat, wooden chew sticks and many hanging toys that she seems to not be so bothered by! The only thing she seems to love is the cardboard! She's a complex little bean but I'm hoping when we get her spayed she'll chill out quite a bit.

I know buns naturally love digging and chewing etc, she'd just calmed down with it so much for the last couple of weeks I wondered if there could be any other reason for her randomly being such a menace again! We'll definitely look into getting another bun though too!

Thanks again for the replies! :mrgreen:
 
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One of my girls will dig at things out of annoyance, so you might find spraying her with water is exacerbating your problem (Plus, positive re inforcement is really much better for her).

I think spaying is your answer. And a friend
 
I am sure spaying will help to calm her down but meanwhile, does she have lots of hay to chew? Not only a boredom breaker, as I am sure you know, but an absolute necessity for her teeth and digestion.
 
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