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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.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Plops questions about a couch pooper and possible cord chewing in future.

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    • BinkyBunny
      Moderator
      8776 posts Send Private Message

        I brought this out of a longer thread because other people
        can benefit from this and I didn’t want it to get lost in the long
        “Welcome” thread.


        Plops questions:

        “she is good about using the litter box while in her cage, but when she is
        out of her cage i cannot keep her from going on the couch. if i catch her in
        the act and put her in the litter box, she usually will finish in the litter
        box, but she still prefers the couch. any suggestions?

        i’m an avid videogamer and so i have cords all over, but she has never
        chewed a single one. she is still very young and i would assume if she dosn’t
        chew them now, she won’t later. is this a wrong assumption?”

        How old is she?  Is she spayed yet?   (if she’s not
        then marking should get better when/if she is)

        Some bunnies do fine up on couches, beds etc.  Then there are others –
        others who like to “mark” their territory and “claim” it as
        their own.   Usually couches, blankets, beds have our scent on it,
        and it’s their way of marking over our scent or just joining in to say it’s
        theirs too.    Their wild cousins mark like this too, they all
        just reinforce their territory to all outsiders.   SO, she may be
        thinking she’s doing a good thing and protecting her new place from any
        intruders.

        But you will have to lay down the law and be the “alpha” bunny, and
        claim that it is a “Yours” object, not an “ours” object.  (even in the
        bunny world their is a hierarchy)

        So how do you become king of the couch?    Shoo her off the moment
        she gets on there.   Say No, “Off” or clap your hands if
        she doesn’t respond to your voice,  and walk towards her, and if she
        doesn’t get off, you’ll need to nudge her off.   You may even need to get
        a squirt bottle so you can do it from across the room, but be sure to say
        “No” or “Off” with the squirt so she will associate it with
        “your” dominance, otherwise she may not understand where it’s coming
        from.  (and I think if you are wanting to claim that, then she needs to know
        YOU are the one claiming it)

        If she consistently gets right back on the couch over and over after you’ve claimed it,
        then you need to put her back in her cage in her litterbox for a time
        out.   So she can also understand she can poop in “her” place,
        but not in the “our” and “your” space.

        Regarding the cords.  If they become in the way,  she absolutely may
        chew on them.  Also, I don’t know how old she is, but if she hasn’t
        reached 4 months yet,  then the destructive age has yet to come, and she will
        most likely chew.

        The reason most bunnies chew on cords is to clear a path.    Their
        instincts, as prey animals, are telling them to know  your
        territory,  and clear it out for easy escape if need be.    A
        trip or block over something can cost them their life if they are on the run
        (at least that’s what their instincts are telling them)  SO, in my
        opinion, it’s only a matter of time, and it’s easy enough to just grab some
        cord covers.
         Check out how I covered my cords (including the wires to the video game controls)
        BUNNYINFO/BunnyProofing/tabid/61/Default.aspx#wires

        I also love to play video games, and I learned the hard way  – while in
        the  middle of playing “Halo” against my husband,   Jack
        chewed the cord to my controls!  I guess he was on my husband’s side!


      • Sam Richards
        Participant
        3 posts Send Private Message

          thanks for the quick response. she is about a month and a half old. i’ve heard they shouldn’t be spayed until at least 3 months so i plan to have her fixed then.

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      Forum BEHAVIOR Plops questions about a couch pooper and possible cord chewing in future.