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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 How do you tell a rabbit no?

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    • BellaRabbit
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        Hello everyone,

        I am having trouble telling my little dude when he is doing something that isn’t ok!

        When he comes into my room, he loves to dig! And dig! – I don’t care that he digs because he does it everywhere that is ok, like In the garden and in his boxes which is fine. I just don’t want him to dig at my carpet. My female does the same sometimes but I can just touch her bum and she will stop or go to pick her up and she will run away, but it just doesn’t work with him.

        He isn’t scared of anything – – I can pick him up and move him, touch him anywhere on his body, make a loud noise he just doesn’t care. I dont want him to ingest any of the carpet or destroy it for my sake! Does anyone have any tips for a stubborn bunny that really has no fear of anything ?

        He is neutered and I would say about 1 years old.

        Thank you


      • Theodorusrex
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          The only thing I can suggest is distraction tactics/ time out? Is he free roam? When Theo is out free roaming and does something naughty I clap once and say ‘No’ firmly and lift him and put him back in his pen for 5 minutes before letting him out again. He has learned over time that chewing the sofa=loud nose, cross momma and end of my play time and it has improved his destructive behaviours.

          Don’t get me wrong – he still chews things he shouldn’t occasionally as that is a bunnys nature i suppose but it has definitely improved things. Placing something over the bit of carpet he tries to dig when you let him back out again should prevent him from just going back to the exact same spot again


        • Mikey
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            I have different tactics with my three boys when they misbehave:

            Blue, i just say “No, Blue” and if he doesnt listen after the second, more stern “NO”, then i clap to gain his and the other bunnies attention. The clap usually gets him to stop as he and the other bunnies watch me; I pet them so they know its ok and i tell them im happy they listened to me. If that doesnt work, i tell him im very disappointed in him and walk away/turn my back towards him. He usually fallows me and makes the saddest face he possibly can. Hes my certified emotional support animal, and is trained to help me feel better. If im sad, he knows it and tries to make it better. If im sad and he knows he caused the sadness, he pouts and fallows me around until i tell him “Thank you for making me feel better” and give him tons of pets, which i do every time he helps/tries to help my sadness in any situation

            Bombur, i have to physically move him or bribe him with food. He will do anything when it comes to a little extra food. So to stop him from doing something he shouldnt, i go “Bombur, no”. If he doesnt listen, i say it one more time a little more stern, “Bombur, NO”. If he then doesnt listen, i try to move him. He hates being touched, so this often fails, but theres the rare occasions where he really doesnt mind it and lets me move him. When he doesnt let him move him, i go to the food bag and grab a small handful of maybe 10 to 15 pieces of pellets, then scatter that in their cage. All of the bunnies go running for it and i keep them in their cage for a little group time out, so no one feels picked on

            Badger, well, hes the easiest. “I can see you, Badger”. He will stop in his tracks and watch me. If i look away for a second, he will continue doing whatever he wasnt supposed to be doing, then “Badger, i can still see you” and he will run away from whatever he wasnt supposed to be doing lol


          • BellaRabbit
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              Hi Theo – yes he is free roam but I have an indoor hutch that I can lock him in. I have tried the clap but he literally does not care one bit. I usually pick him up and put him in their room but he seems to think it is all a game and will binky on the spot. Also tried bribing with food but he’s really not bothered haha. I will try and give him a time out that sounds like it may work because he does love running around the house . Thanks

              Hi Mikey – sounds like you have a mix like me haha. My girl is easy to stop as she is quite alert and will run at pretty much and noise she doesn’t recongnise. she will also do anything for some extra pellets, but he just seems to know I am trying to bribe him , very smart bunny !


            • BellaRabbit
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                Also he doesn’t really have a specific spot he likes to go too, he does it pretty much anywhere he feels like. Sometimes I feel like he is offended by the carpet and he must
                Destroy it haha


              • Jessica
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                  with flopsy , i talk with her softly and tell her no, thats bad or no, youll hurt yourself and give he some toys to redirect her from it or i give her time out from free roaming. shes learned okay thats not my stuff, so illl chew my stuff after a few times. she dug my floor once but all i had to say was young lady is that necessary and she stopped. she now has her own digging area in her cage lol.


                • bigbunnies
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                    I have only had my rabbit a few days, but what I have found that gets her attention is when I gasp really loud and high pitched then after I gasp I tell her no. But if I just say Madeline NO… she doesn’t respond I have to make a loud gasp and say no. I dont know if that will work for you, but it works for me and Madeline.


                  • vivi
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                      gosh, I cant even try this! since I cant touch my rabbit at all! so I say no no no and still he will go hide and do it all over again…I cant get near him he will run!
                      im so sad about this…..cant touch my bunny at all! 3 months later! augh


                    • Rebelbun
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                        Whenever my babies (2 1/2 months) are doing something I don’t want them to I pick up the one that’s doing it and make them sit with me and cuddle for a little bit. Probably not good advice if your bunny doesn’t like to be picked up, but the babies don’t mind all that much. Usually it works for me unless they’re being extra stubborn but usually after making them sit with me twice they understand that they aren’t suppose to do that. So far I have succeeded in making the boys stop cashing each other and stopped some of them from trying to escape their play area.
                        I tried doing the clapping and NO with my adult bunnies but Missy and Dozer aren’t afraid of me and Luna will stop until I look away and just do it again! NO didn’t work with the babies since they aren’t afraid of me either lol. I usually just chase my adults back into their cages when they do something bad, I don’t close the door I just make them run in there and sometimes they get the hint.


                      • Love4Bunny
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                          A spray bottle with water works for me. My female runs at the sound of water moving inside the bottle. My male sometimes shakes his head in defiance when he hears me get up and walk toward him, but he’s been sprayed with water before, so he knows what’s coming and tries a “chew and run”. It’s sometimes like dealing with children, and when all the options are exhausted, you know that it’s time to redirect the Buns to a nice tasty piece of willow, or that they need some serious run time to work off that energy. There’s a point at which claps, clanging, yelling, etc don’t have any effect, and it might be because they are bored.


                        • Love4Bunny
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                            You can also make a “dig box”. Here is a tutorial:

                            https://youtu.be/aOijmzVRHUc


                          • LBJ10
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                              If Leopold is being really bad, he will get a “time out”. This is only after several redirection attempts fail. He’s deaf, so he doesn’t understand clapping or “no”. Redirection has always been the method with him. Wooly knows what “no” means and he usually scurried away if I scold him.


                            • Sr. Melangell
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                                When I got my Olly he did some silly things, I get on my hands and knees to tell him no and that we don’t do naughty things, he stopped.


                              • BellaRabbit
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                                  Hi guys thanks for all the advise!
                                  Love4bunny thanks for the video , he already has a couple of dig boxes that he plays in loads but that’s a good tutorial that I’ll use I think the best way is time out, usually I just pick him up and sit with him and he wil just sit there but when I put him down he will run around a bit and then try getting in mischief again! Just going to have to keep an eye on him, and accept he is a little naughty (I don’t mind to much because he’s to sweet to be angry at )


                                • Love4Bunny
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                                    No problems. She also has a tutorial for a woven cardboard mat somewhere on her channel (pretty sure it’s her). I know, sometimes they’re too cute to scold, and you just end up chuckling because it’s so comical.

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                                Forum BEHAVIOR How do you tell a rabbit no?