Betsy's bunny feelings got hurt.

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Bunnyluvr

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Dec 31, 2018
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Reading Pa
I've read a lot about buns getting hurt feelings or getting angry with their mommy or daddy. I had never experienced this type of behavior...until today!
Last night during Betsy's playtime she started to chew and dig at the carpet. I firmly said "No Betsy!" And she stopped.....until I left the room. She stared again once I was out of sight. My husband clapped his hands and firmly told her no again. She didn't listen. So he clapped more, said no a little louder and moved the gate so she couldn't go there any more.
Fast forward to today. We had her out all day because we both had off from work. That little stinker ran into her cardboard bunny tunnel and stayed there ALL DAY!! Every time we would go to her, she would turn around. We would go to the other side and she would turn around again! She wouldn't let us pet her or even look at her! I actually put hay and water in her tunnel just to make sure she would eat in drink. Thankfully, she warmed back up to us by this evening. She is letting us pet her, eating hay from my hand and not showing us her rear end anymore!!!
 
Yeah, they can get upset sometimes, heh. I've always called it "giving us the butt." I'm glad she's warmed back up!

As for chewing and digging at the carpet, rabbits are like cats - you CAN train them not to do something, but only when you're watching. As soon as they think you're not looking, they're going to do whatever they want to because they lack that innate desire to please that dogs have. Once a rabbit gets a hard-on for destroying a certain object, the ONLY solution is to block access... but as you and your husband learned after moving the gate, sometimes they get butt-hurt about being thwarted! Like a human toddler who gets something taken away from them, rabbits can act out when you ruin their fun... but just like the child, they'll forget about it soon enough ;).
 
She is definitely a sneaky little stinker! We have to watch her like a toddler. She is the princess of our animals and she knows it. She will chase our cats away if she doesn't want then near her. She will even bop them on the head if they get too close to her! There is never a dull moment with our Betsy bunny! She keeps us on our toes!
 
I once tried to free-range our rabbits in the presence of our cats (one cat was 17 and lazy/no prey drive and the other was very skittish and timid). I had to bail on the idea because bullying became a serious issue! I would walk in on Gazzles eating dry cat food or Nala and Gaz sitting in the cat box or on the cat furniture like they owned it! The cats stayed in our bedroom 95% of the time because they didn't want to go out in the living room with rabbits. Also, Roo retaliated by eating hay and barfing up hairballs on all the rabbit furniture.

Last week, I was lounging in our king-size bed with one of the rabbits (I forget which one, either Alice or Harley Quinn) and Donnie (sweet, docile cat) was curled up in a corner of the bed minding his own business. Rabbit girl was casually hopping around, then suddenly marched up to Donnie and nipped him on the butt! I've also had Alice get loose and start CHASING cats through the house. She'll tear across the trailer with her little lop ears flapping in the breeze and 3-5 cats will frantically scatter out of her way.
 
Lol. That's too funny! When I had Nutters, I had to turn the covered litter box around when she was out because she would hop in it and use it like she owned it! She would constantly try to eat the catfood too. And look out if we gave our cats a little bit of milk. I swear, Nutters heard the bowl hit the floor and would come over & try to drink it! Betsy will chase the cats off the sofa and to the kitchen and stop (that's where the linoleum starts & she doesn't like going on it) My life must have been so boring before I got a rabbit lol.
 
My life must have been so boring before I got a rabbit lol.

HAHAHAHA! Too true! I know this is how my husband felt after we moved in together. We both agree that we can hardly even remember what life was like before rabbits and we definitely don't ever want to go back to that :p.
 

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