Naughty Bunny!

[bemmerich]

Nugget is one if the cutest bunnies ever, but he’s also very difficult!

 

1. Litter Box: He used to be litter box trained but now he seems to be going backward…He uses his litter box to pee but he poops everywhere! He leaves large piles right in front of his cage on the carpet and I’m constantly cleaning up after him. I’m not sure what I should do….

2. Hay: He won’t eat it…I’ve tried 2 different varieties and he shows no interest…I know that it is an important part of their diet so I need some suggestions.

3. Toys: I have bought him many toys, none of which he shows much interest to. He’d rather chew and dig in moms stuff! What do your bunnies like to play with?

4. Bedtime: Nugget doesn’t like being locked in his pen at night, he’ll bang against the sides or chew and try to get out which is noisy. I don’t mind leaving him out except he’ll hop on my head and all over my bed and sometimes leave little “nuggets” in it which I don’t like.

 

He’s a very sweet bunny but I’m a little new at this and I’m at a loss for what to do.

[Tate]

1.) Is he neutered?
2.) What kinds of hays have you tried? Variety and brand name are important.. Rabbits can be super picky… Even different brands of timothy hay (ie Oxbow vs APD) can entice them!
3.) My rabbits like to dig and chew. That’s what they are wired to do. Get a cardboard box and fill it with shredded phonebook paper and see what happens.
4.) Rabbit’s just don’t like to be locked up! lol. How big is the pen? He will probably learn to get over it at some point. My boys were the same and now they actually love their “rooms”. They get fed all the good stuff in there, plus it’s kinda their own area. I wouldn’t be too concerned about it at this point.

[bemmerich]

I’m getting him neutered on tuesday…I hope that will help!
I bought him Oxbox hay…supposedly some botanical kind?

[bunnyfriend]

Hi, welcome (: okay first, how old is your bunny? and is he neutered? If he’s young and/or not neutered then litter box habits and behavior may be more “problematic”.

Litter box: Did the problems start when you gave him more room to run? Sometimes bunnies can forget to use the litter box when they suddenly have more freedom. If so, (if you haven’t already) putting a litter box outside of the cage for him would help him figure it out.

Toys: Lot of bunnies don’t like store bought toys haha they can be strange ;P. Here’s a link for some ideas for stuff you can make: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.html
Also not shredded phonebooks can be good, my rabbit will dig and bite at the pages and just tear the book apart plus it’s safe. But also like Tate said, rabbits love diggy boxes too. My bun also loves timothy hay balls, willow balls, cardboard tunnels and boxes (I put a couple together and make doorways), and apple twigs.

Bedtime: My bun Wilbur is young so I have a kennel I put her in at night and she’ll make noise, bite at the bars, and toss toys around. She hates it and it used to wake me up since she stays in my room. I already had bunny proofed the room so I bought a tall baby gate so now she can around it freely. I don’t know if that’s something that would work for you, or would help with Nugget getting onto your bed, but I thought I’d just mention what worked for me. (:

[bunnyfriend]

Oh okay, so the neutering will really help with the litter box (just saw your 2nd post, sorry) ! You will likely have to retrain him like most rabbits have to be after they are neutered. Hormones can really make a bunny act up

[bemmerich]

Thank you that’s very good to know!

[Tate]

Oh yes, neutering will go a LONG way! It’s amazing how much of a difference it will make! You will have to retrain him… if he pees on the floor (after the neuter), soak it up with a paper towel and stick it in the litter box… same goes with poops! Try to put all of them back in the litter box. It will take about a month or so for those hormones to die down, so don’t get discouraged! Just keep with it and he will get it!
Oxbow is a really good, high quality hay BUT that doesn’t mean all rabbits like it! I have a fairly picky hay eater as well (as well as a “vacuum cleaner”… literally will eat anything in front of him ) and here’s the ones that I use: Oxbow Organic Meadow hay, Oxbow Oat hay (a FAVORITE of almost all bunnies), American Pet Diner High Fiber Hay, and American Pet Diner Timothy Gold Hay. For the APD hays, you have to order them online. I don’t know of any pet store that carries them. The Timothy Gold hay is a really good way to go.. it’s very soft and most buns find it palatable. The BinkyBunny store carries that, as well as the oat hay and meadow hay. If you buy all three, the cost of shipping is pretty cheap, especially if you select the “SmartPost” option.
What kind of pellets are you feeding him and about how much? For younger bunnies, it’s recommended to feed an unlimited supply of pellets, however if you are noticing that he’s eager for pellets and not hay, you can cut back a bit. You can even add in some alfalfa hay to make up the calories if you wish.

[LoveChaCha]

Even picky rabbits like mine really enjoy the APD stuff

[Joyfull_music]

With Momo’s hay, she will get either Zupreem or Kaytee timothy. Both of which she eats, I just buy what I can find. However, when I switch from one brand to the other, she will spend the first day or two pulling all the hay from her bin and throwing it all over her pen. Just to teach me a lesson before she finally gets over herself and eats it instead.

Momo is also VERY picky about her toys. She loves to dig, so I made her a diggy box. Yeah that was a disaster. Now I put a phone book in a box just big enough for her to sit in. On some days she will have at the phone book, but she seems to enjoy just tearing up the box instead. She has some of those wooden toys that hang from the side of the cage. And she will sometimes chew a little on them. She likes when I stuff a toilet paper tube full of orchard grass and treats for her. So far her favorite toys are these balls made of dried, woven hay that I find in the small critter department of petco. She goes nuts on the thing. Sad part is those balls are nearly $6 a pop, and by the end of the week it is toast. I have tried the grass mats, which just became an overpriced treat. The balls with the jingly bells inside became a poop covered mess. A towel for scooting is just meh. Even when I hide grass and treats in it. Paper bags, just another thing to obliterate. She likes my dogs agility practice tunnels, but that can’t fit in her cage. Her cage is so barren in the toy department, but I just can’t find a hit with her, at least one I can afford to keep her stocked up on.

[TriBun]

when I switch from one brand to the other, she will spend the first day or two pulling all the hay from her bin and throwing it all over her pen. Just to teach me a lesson before she finally gets over herself and eats it instead.

Ha ha, Joyfull_music, that made me laugh so hard.

[Author]

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