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My dd just had to have a rabbit, and of course that means the rabbit has become mine.
She is a California white rabbit and I have to admit that I am quite fond of her and would hate to give her away. OK, the truth is there is no way I can give her away -- how could I ever trust she would go to a good home? Especially with her little 'habits'...
I've never owned a rabbit before, and I would dearly appreciate it if anyone can give me some advice on how to properly train or tame a rabbit. Clearly, we haven't been doing it right!
Sylvia doesn't like to be held or picked up but she does enjoy being petted -- just on her terms. She poops everywhere (which I understand is because we also have dogs and a cat) but she pees somewhat randomly. Once we get what we think is her 'pee area' covered she finds a new place. And she bites hard enough to draw blood if anyone touches the inside of her cage i.e. to fill her food dish. She also enjoys charging my eldest dd whenever she enters the hallway.
So.....any advice out there? Any good websites, or books?
Oh - and I am getting her spayed later this month. Hopefully that will help with some of her aggression.
Getting her spayed should help with the aggression. Does she have a litter box?
Yes, she has seven of them. And yet she always finds a new place to go. Tonight for instance my dd called her name and she jumped onto the couch and snuggled a bit. Unfortunately she also peed. She tends to keep to her bedroom (yes, she has own ), the upstairs hallway is where she really likes to poop/pee and chase my eldest dd. Any bedroom she can get into - we do try to remember to keep all bedroom/bathroom doors closed else she will poop and pee with abandon. She likes to hang out in the living room with us and the dogs. Oddly enough she doesn't pee or poop in there unless it is on the furniture. And then there is the computer room where she keeps changing her pee area to avoid newspaper or a litter box.
I've actually never heard of housebreaking, training, or spaying a rabbitt. I'm interested to see what you turn up.
Some years ago the lady I did dog grooming with talked me into taking a rabbit that had been abandon. I knew nothing about them.
If you don't spay or nueter them they can become agressive. As far as litter training, all you need is a litter box and keep if full of straw and as they sit and chew the straw they will poop and pee. Although mine was in a cage for the most part, he was allowed out for periods of time. He still did poop some and once in awhile would pee outside the box, the good thing is they don't smell.
I fnially found him a home with a little girl that always wanted a rabbit.
I've actually never heard of housebreaking, training, or spaying a rabbitt. I'm interested to see what you turn up.
My dad rehabilitated wildlife and he often received orphaned days-old rabbits. One baby rabbit that he successfully bottle fed (most of them died, unfortunately) became our house rabbit. He used a litterbox (we had two, both in corners) walked on a leash and for most of the day had free run of several rabbit-proofed rooms in the house. Housebreaking a rabbit can be a lot of work, but they are really nice pets.
Spaying/neutering is very important. It is hard to train a rabbit when its hormones are raging.
Once your rabbit is spayed you can work on her aggression. Remember, rabbits are territorial, so make her cage a safe and nice place to be. Don't ever force her to do something. Rabbits respond best to positive training and rewards. Coax her and give her praise and treats when she acts appropriately. With some patience you'll have a well-behaved rabbit.
If you haven't already done so, check out the House Rabbit Society for tips on living with a rabbit.
We had to keep a large block of wood in our rabbit cage because they need to chomp and keep their front teeth filed (I guess its like beavers or something). They are famous for chomping through any type of cords (power, phone, etc) so watch for that. Peeing and pooping everywhere must be really frustrating. Maybe keep him in one room or in a cage until after the neutering? I dont know. The litter boxes are supposed to be the way to go so its hard to understand how you can have 7 and he still goes everywhere. I would try changing the litter box filling to see if he has a preference for something else.
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