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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR I made a mistake allowing my bun to be free 24/7

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    • HippityHopMom
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        Hello Binky Bunny friends .. I have not been on here in a very long time.  I thought I would get on here to mention a mistake I have made with my Holland Dwarf, Bonnie Lee.   She has been such a great house rabbit for many years.   Because she was such a good little bunny and the fact, I do work from home ….and my husband is retired and here too …. we have allowed Bonnie Lee to roam our home 24 hours.  For the past 2 years, we have found no reason to have to lock her in her cage.   We keep a cage in a corner for her .and her litter box is in the cage with a hay rack hanging beside the litter box.   So … she still jumps in her cage daily to eat and use her litter box.    She sleeps in a cat bed under our bed a good part of each night & some during the day.   She never chews on anything … and she meets me in the kitchen at 7am wanting her breakfast.    I have had Bonnie 4 years now.    Well, lately, little Miss Bonnie has been leaving “droppings” around the house    (whereas she used to have excellent litter box skills).    She also began peeing in my dog’s bed or anything I set on the floor that is soft.   I put a little cat bed recently on my kitchen floor for her to sit in because now that winter is here … the hardwoods are cold.   Well, Bonnie wets on this soft bed too.    She is not wetting her own sleeping bed (thank goodness).    Well…. here the problem …. we were having company ….. so, I did not want her leaving droppings all over for my company to come in and see, nor, step in ….. so I put Bonnie Lee in her cage and shut the door.   OMG ….. she got so upset and stressed !    The poor thing was standing up and biting her cage wire and then she fell backwards and into her bowl.    I saw her fall twice on her back …. so I had to open her door and let her out as I could tell this was stressing her way to  much.    ….. So, I have learned I made a big mistake by allowing her to roam free full time and never shutting her in her cage any longer.    She gets so much exercise running around the house and I knew this was better for her.   I am going to have to re-train her now slowly …. that she has to go in a cage and stay at times.  

         


      • Stickerbunny
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          My rabbit Powder has similar stress attacks when caged and I tried the training him to be OK with it, but no way would he accept it – and he’d lived 6 months in a cage non-stop up until when I got him and had them from the first day he was home. What I do with him is I have a room I can shut the door to that is bunny proofed and he doesn’t mind being locked into a ROOM, just not a CAGE. Do you have a spare bedroom, or a bathroom or something you could shut the door on her in there while company is over? Also, have you had her checked for UTI, since her litter habits started being bad all of a sudden?


        • Sam and Lady's Human
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            You should take her to the vet, sounds like something is really wrong with her


          • LizzieKnittyBun
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              Yeah, I was going to make a similar to comment to Sam and Lady’s Human. It sounds like she may have a health issue if she’s suddenly peeing all over the place and falling back into her bowl. Rabbits don’t usually drop out of litterbox habits for no reason… she may have a bladder problem (or UTI, as Stickerbunny mentioned), arthritis or back leg issues (causing the falling and making her feel not up for the trip to the litterbox), another type of pain somewhere that is causing her urinate out of discomfort, or she may just be getting older. You said you’ve had her for four years. How old was she when you got her?

              At any rate, I would get her a check up to see if anything is amiss. I hope you don’t regret letting her be a free-roaming bunny, because I know she was so much happier and healthier that way. Ours are free about the house too, and even if they have accidents, their happiness keeps me from ever thinking of it as a mistake to let them be cage-free.


            • LBJ10
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                I agree with the others. I wanted to add that maybe you could try a baby gate if she doesn’t like having the door to the room shut. That way she can still see what’s going on out there.


              • HippityHopMom
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                  She only fell over because she was so upset about being in the cage ….. she was running around fast and crazy (stress liked) …and then standing and biting on the top of the cage … she was just so upset.    She is fine at keeping her balance all other times … she follows me around often  and stands on her back two feet begging for food…. so I know her balance is well.     She is not peeing all over the house …she is just peeing in my pet beds.  But, she occassional dropping  #2 around the house, which is unusual for her.    I have a large home and have always had just one litter pan for her …. it may be a time in her life where I may need to put out another litter pan in another part of my home for her. 

                  I think the peeing in the pet beds …. is because the beds feel like her litter pan.  

                  Regarding pet gates …. yes, I  have pet gates I can bring up from my basement and use …. but she is so small … I am sure she will squeeze thru them.    I will not cage her due to new habit of leaving droppings around the house …. I will just move her to my downstairs if I have to …. it has not come to that yet.    But, our downstairs is a nice area too …. I have another house rabbit in the downstairs …. along with a cat and dog.   Our pet rooms are downstairs.    Bonnie Lee is “special” and my husband’s favorite … so she has been allowed to live upstairs where we have hardwood floors and nice furniture.   Our Cocker Spaniel is a good boy too and he too stays upstairs with us.   He and Bonnie Lee are best friends … as you can see

                  Regarding her age ….   I do not know her age … her previous owner did not have her long and had no info on her.  She prob. is getting older and we may just have some problems …. but I  would never cage her on a full time basis.  

                   


                • Tipsy Bunny
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                    When was her last check-up? It’s never a bad idea just to get a check-up to see how things are doing.


                  • LBJ10
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                      Sometimes rabbits (and cats do this too) will start peeing in “soft” places because they are associating their litter box with pain. It could be arthritis and it hurts to get in and out of the box. It could be a UTI and it just plain hurts to pee. It could be a number of things. Letting a poo out here and there isn’t a big concern, especially if it isn’t unusual. Mine will still leave a poo here or there, but it has gotten much better since I’ve taken away their marking spot. You said you have another bun? Do they know each other? Maybe she feels the need to mark her territory.


                    • LoveChaCha
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                        You didn’t make the mistake in letting her free roam, it sounds like she is telling you something, like she isn’t well.

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                    Forum BEHAVIOR I made a mistake allowing my bun to be free 24/7