Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

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.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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 Sudden change in territorial behavior

Viewing 13 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Mindy
      Participant
      7 posts Send Private Message

        Hi, I need some help trying to figure out what is going on and how to solve this sudden issue with my rabbits…I’ve not been able to find any other case like this one on the forum…
        I have two bunnies at home. Bernard, a 2 year old neutered male and Belle, an 8 months old spayed female. Bernard was operated 8 months ago and Belle 3 months ago. She had complications in surgery resulting in having to keep one ovary but has had a great recovery.
        They have been bonded for two months now and have sinced then been living in the same room. UNTIL, last weekend we went away for 3 days…we left them home and had the in-laws come over to clean, feed and spend time with them. When we got back we noticed pee spots everywhere in the floor, even up the walls and Bernard covered in pee.
        We decided to put them in a neutral territory…Belle sprayed Bernard and spot peed. Cleaned it up, same thing happened. We returneed them to their room but kept them seperated by a pen. All returned to normal, no pee.
        But I want them to be together, they’re best buddies! Again tonight, I tried removing the pen but the same thing happened.
        What happened?!? How can I change it?!? Help please!


      • Sirius&Luna
        Participant
        2319 posts Send Private Message

          my only thought is that since she was left with one ovary, she’s still getting hormonal rushes from it and perhaps having new people around made them feel nervous and triggered the behaviour.

          Has there been any fighting, or just this territorial peeing?


        • Wick & Fable
          Moderator
          5770 posts Send Private Message

            Territorial instincts also may have been set back into place because unfamiliar parties were there for so long. Wick is neutered and litter box trained, but when people come over for long periods of time, he leaves poop everywhere

            The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


          • Mindy
            Participant
            7 posts Send Private Message

              Those are my thoughts also…I’ve made an attempt to put them back together today. There has been spot peeing, pooping, lunging, nipping and humping. They take breaks and then start back at it.. don’t know if I should let them settle it between the two of them or should I intervene?


            • Mindy
              Participant
              7 posts Send Private Message

                they are both litter trained as well….How do you get him to stop pooping everywhere and how long does it take to get him back to stability?


              • Wick & Fable
                Moderator
                5770 posts Send Private Message

                  If litter training habits are lost and it’s not linked to health, you just need to reinstate litter training methods. Move the poops and move the rabbit so they learn again.

                  When Wick pees outside his box in random areas, it’s typically a signal that something’s wrong with him. Just in case, do they seem fine behavior wise with eating pooping peeing and lounging?

                  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


                • Mikey
                  Participant
                  3186 posts Send Private Message

                    If hes lost his litter training habits since she started marking everywhere, its likely that hes marking now too. Hormonal buns (your girl) can cause fixed buns to act out hormonally if they can smell one another.

                    Is it possible to have her spay finished now that shes older?


                  • BinkyBunny
                    Moderator
                    8776 posts Send Private Message

                      When there is bonding/unbonding sessions, it is definitely common for them to mark via urine, poo and chinning. This normally gets better once they are bonded/rebonded.

                      It does sound like they reacted to a new scent in the house. (in-laws) and this can sometimes happen when a new routine and/or a new scent is introduced.

                      It could be the hormone related due to her ovary remaining which is making her more reactive to the changes.

                      Also, Urinary track infections can cause some off behavior too. I remember when were trying to figure out why in the world I could’t get my two bunnies to bond (they eventually did, but there was a medical issue to overcome for the male), the vet asked me if I thought my female bunny might have a urinary infection as that can actually cause some of this behavior in bonded mates.

                      But since it seems to correlate with the in-laws visiting then I’m thinking that might have been the trigger. What do the in-laws say about what their behavior was like when they were caring for them?


                    • Mindy
                      Participant
                      7 posts Send Private Message

                        Everything else is normal….they drink water, eat hay, poop and pee, lounge, binky.

                        They’re in the same room but seperated by a pen. They use their own litter box so it’s not about litter training… As for removing the last ovary, it was advised to let it be UNLESS she became aggressive.

                        Bonding/unbonding sessions happen?? The in-laws told us they were acting normal…and there was spots of pee the day we arrived back home.

                        Another failed attempt to put them back together…she’s not just spot peeing but she’s squirting… time for another round to wash the floor AND the walls….?


                      • Mikey
                        Participant
                        3186 posts Send Private Message

                          I would try to work on some prebonding sessions and some stress sessions before putting them back together again, personally. It sounds like the inlaws visiting caused a minor shift in their bond and theyre having trouble cementing that bond again. Minor mishaps like this happen often in some bonds, and not often at all in other bonds. I dont think its anything to worry about as long as youre patient


                        • Mindy
                          Participant
                          7 posts Send Private Message

                            Stress sessions? I’m gonna have to look into that, it’s the first time I hear it… You’re right though, and I might be pushing them too fast for them to be together again. It’s like they want to be together… they chill and flop but after a while they get annoyed… Thanks for the inputs, it is very appreciated and comforting.


                          • Mikey
                            Participant
                            3186 posts Send Private Message

                              Stress bonding session would be like mooshing them gently together in a tight space (like a box, with the top open), then setting the box onto a shaking washing machine, or shaking the box gently yourself. If you have a friend, you can keep the buns in the box in the back of the car, and have your friend watch them in case fighting happens or one tries to jump out. Just something short that can stress them out, so theyre forced to find comfort in one another If you do stress sessions, only do one or two per week to avoid stressing them out too bad.


                            • Mindy
                              Participant
                              7 posts Send Private Message

                                So this week I’ve tryed 2 stress sessions and I’ve also tryed re-bonding sessions in a neutral territory. She pees the second she’s in the same space as Bernard. They actually don’t do much in the neutral territory, they smell and look everywhere but don’t interact much, they basically just want out. As soon as I put them back in their pens, they cuddle through the pen.
                                I’ve also noticed twice that Belle pulls out chunks of hair from her belly. I’ve read this could be a false pregnancy. She’s spayed but as I’ve mentionned before, one ovary was left intact, it was too risky to remove it during surgery. I worry she might not be well


                              • Mikey
                                Participant
                                3186 posts Send Private Message

                                  I think at this point, if she cant be around him without acting out hormonally and/or going into a false pregnancy, it isnt going to work. It sounds like, for her health, she would be better off as a single bunny.

                              Viewing 13 reply threads
                              • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                              Forum BEHAVIOR Sudden change in territorial behavior