Bed Time Issues

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Bunny_Cane

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Aug 16, 2015
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Hello again!

My little girl, thank god, is getting spayed on Monday, so I'm hoping that'll help with this issue a bit... hopefully *fingers crossed*

Getting her to go back in her cage is IMPOSSIBLE! I can bribe her with treats and all her favorites, but she'll just sit and stare at me because she knows whats going to happen. I usually end up just having to shut the door on her when she hops back in for a drink or some hay

Before I left for work today I had to pick her up (which she HATES and fights a lot), and she didnt' quite let out a full squeal, but she made a noise :/ I quickly put her back down, and made shushing noises and pet her, and she calmed a bit, so i just quickly picked her up (which she still fights as always) and put her in her cage.

Someone had recommended trying to train her to go back in, but it hasn't worked at all for her :/

Any tips?

Also, her freak-outs seem to be getting worse, and I now wear the kevlar glove i use for wood carving on the hand closest to her mouth :[

(She's sweet and generally loving in a "when I want to be pet I'll inform you" sort of way, she just hates being in her cage :/ )

THANKS!
 
I personally don't have the same problems as you in regards to the cage problem but it seems she hasn't really bonded with you quite as much as she could, that and she may not see you as the alpha rabbit. Both my girls can be hormonal and the oldest used to be a stray, so you can just imagine how feral she used to be haha. She has gone from lunging any time you put your hand near her coming up to me for pats, lots of kisses, following me around the room and lowers her head for pats. I found that she started to come around when i decided to try laying down on the floor with her and at the same time, correct her when she went to bite. That is not the same as with dogs tho and can be a bit harder to do right, i started off with tapping her nose or doing something that gets her attention and gives her something better to do, perhaps a toy. Now i use the same technique that dominant rabbits do which is resting my chin on her head, sounds weird but it has worked for me :)

When it comes to getting her back in her cage that might be something that another member can answer as my girl is no longer in a cage, she has the run of the bathroom and hallway XP
 
I used to have that problem too, especially because like you, I couldn't pick my bunny up. Then I decided to only feed her at bedtime, and close her hutch door behind her. Now she sits in her hutch around bedtime every night, waiting for her dinner. Easy! I obviously top up her hay in the morning too, but she knows the only time she gets pellets and greens as well as hay is at bedtime.
 
Train your bunny, don't let it train you! In addition to getting all of ours used to handling, we have a couple of apple boxes(the ones with a top and bottom) with a pan full of shredded paper inside and a hole cut at both ends. Ours know to get in the box so I can put it by their hutch door when it's time to go up and some just let me pick them up as they are all used to being handled--I haven't learned to levitate them while cutting nails so holding will have to suffice. Consistency is the key and seems to work well for Sarah W A above. We have six rescues, so their time out and schedule is on a rotation basis so they do get held, and some even have grown to like it.
 
Thank you for the answers!!

I'm going to start giving her greens/pellets only at night, and that chin thing has helped a bit. She was trying to eat my chemistry textbook, and between doing that and nosing her out of the way (literally lol), she eventually understood that I didn't want her chewing it.

I heard from my vet post-spaying, and she's being very very stubborn about eating. My vet even offered Jaina some of the lettuce she had as part of her lunch, and Jaina wouldn't eat it. She told me that my little bun has the biggest attitude she's seen on a bunny yet. I'm not surprised!!!
 
Harvey was putting up a fuss about bedtime, but she's been better lately. I've been trying to stick to a schedule and also an hour before hand I shut off some of the lights, so she knows it's almost bedtime. Maybe these things will help you too?
 
Nice to hear it's helping, guess I'm not just a crazy bun owner after all! XD
As for the picky eating I am not surprised, females sound like they take a bit more time than the males to get back to normal, as long as you've got some critical care on hand if she's being stubborn about eating then you should be alright (plus you can always ring the vet if you are worried ^-^)
Me and my buns send good wishes to you and your girl, hoping for her speedy recovery :D
 
Is the cage big enough? If it's on the smaller side, you could switch to a playpen. For my rabbits, I eliminated the cage and instead bunny proofed one of my bedrooms. Having more space and getting rid of the cages have definitely eliminated cage anxiety. When someone is bunny sitting for me, I use one of the playpens, and they are so spacious that the rabbits don't get stressed.
 
I had gotten her a larger cage about a week before I first created this thread. I was dog sitting for 2 weeks after her spaying (and she came with of course, and didn't care about the dog, who just wanted to play with her.) I got her a pen I could put around the cage because I couldn't let her roam like normal, and she tolerated it at most, and at worst, tried to jump on top of her cage to get around the pen. She tried to dig/chew up the carpet she was on so much I had to put down a blanket and towels so she wouldn't damage it :/

We're home now and she's somewhat better post spaying, but its all still there.

My best friend likes that she's just a bit of a wild girl lol
 

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