A few problems

[babydoshia]

Well, Murphy is turning out to be quite thedestructive little bunny. At night he tears his cage apartand turns everything upside-down (except the litter box, thankgod). I don't mind all that so much because he's probablyjust bored. But I do have a few problems.

How do I get him to stop peeing against the side of thewalls? I don't mind it so much now because the cage is solidhalf way down but Saturday I'm getting him a dog crate and then it willjust be wire and the pee will go onto the carpet outside thecage. Should I just buy urine guards for the cage till helearns to go in the box?

Also, I was just wondering, about how much pellets should I be givinghim. I feed him in the morning and usually by bedtime it'salmost gone, and in the morning its all gone and the bowl and rack arethrow about the cage. How much should I be feedinghim. Should their still be food left in the cage the nextmorning or is it ok that it's all gone. (I've noticed thatit's usually all gone by 1am)



Also, about the litter training. I've been putting all hislittle poos in the box after he does them. I know it takestime for him to learn, especialy since he's so young,buthowdo I teach him to go in the box.I've read lots of websites on it, but will he really descide to go inthe box just because I put his poops there? That doesn't makesence to me.

One last thing, I said at the begining that I think he'sboard.I want to get him some toys for inside hiscage. I've got a toilet paper tube in there now that he chewsand trows around but what else can I give him. Are baby toyssafe, like the ring with the plastic keys on it? What aboutcertain cat toys? I've got one thats a thick plastic ballwith a jingley bell inside.



Sorry this is so long

Thanks for all the help

-Madelon

 

[mygrl2k3]

I cant really help out with litter training. Minecame grown up and trained. She was 3 yrs old andfixed. I am getting a new bunny in a couple days and he isjust starting to use his little box now that he is fixed. So when yoursis older and fixed you might have better luck.

Baby toys like rattles and keys are good. Cat toys are oktoo. but i dont buy any with cat nip in them. There is a hugepost a long time ago about toys so maybe if you do a search you canfind it.

Cristy

 

[CuddlesMom]

I only feed my bun once in the am and make surehis hay rack is full w/ fresh water....I will at night give him somegreens even if his food is gone usally by the am his hay rack is emptytoo.

 

[AnnaS]

I feed my bunny twice a day, since whatever Igive him in the morning he finishes by the time I come back from work.So I give him food in the evening as well. And in the morning he isusually so hungry he starts jumping as soon as he sees me(just like adog)

 

[happybunny]

Litter training does take time. I wouldn't botherto much until hes been done, and hes older. Toy wise, paperrolltubes are good, our rabbits love playing with liningpaper scrunched up. Twigs of applewood andcardbord boxes arealso good. There should be some pellets left when you next go to feedhim, and there should always be fresh water and hay.

Hope I've helped!

Happybunny

 

[Stephanie]

Litter training takes time and A LOT of patience,but it'll happen, trust me. When I got Abby (she was only 8 weeks old),I thought it'd never happen. Then all of a sudden it did. Now theydon't even drop a poop pellet outside of their cage and keep theirpeeing/pooping pretty much in their litter boxes. Not all of it, butinside the cage is better than out, right?

What I did was as soon as she began pooping, she went right back intothe cage. I also kept her inside the cage most of the time, with verystrict and highly supervised outside cage time. Like I said, one poopand she was back inside. Eventually, she caught on. Rabbits are verysmart so yours will learn too. My other rabbit was litter trained whenI got him, although he did go through a stage of marking his territorywhen I first got him, but it was different as he was a rescue from abad situation.

As far as feeding, he may be thrashing his cage because he's hungry. Myrabbits havea constant supply of timothy hay, and I do keeptheir food bowl full. My rabbits dont overeat and I think it's becauseI have hay for them all the time. I don't want to sound like I haveaheaping bowl of pellets, I give them some in the morning andsome in the evening.

As far as toys are concerned, I'd go for bird toys. My rabbits don'tseem to like the chew toys made for rabbits, so I give them untreatedblocks of wood. Abby especially likes these.She also likescardboard, such as toilet paper rolls. Both of my rabbits LOVEuntreated wicker baskets. You can get those for dirt cheap at a craftstore, such as Michael's. They just love those baskets, tossing themaround and generally destroying them. For some reason my rabbits,especially Chompers, likes it when I put nail polish bottles in there.He likes pushing them around with his nose. I don't ask, it keeps himbusy and happy.

I hope this helps a bit. There are other people on this board with alot more experience under their belts than me. I've had Chompers for ayear next month, and Abby about two and a half months. This is whatworks for me with my rabbits. Keep in mind that all rabbits aredifferent, sort of like people. Just try different things with your bunand see what works.

Good luck!

 

[babydoshia]

How much pellets do you think I should givehim? Like how many cups? I think in the morningsI've been giving him roughly 1 1/2 cups of pellets. Should Ibe giving him more? He's a Flemish Giant so obviously itshould be more than a small bunny. He's got some mayjorgrowing to do.



Thanks alot. I'll make sure he has hay all thetime. It's usually mostly gone by nightime so I'll just fillit up then and maybe give him a few more pellets.



Thanks so much

-Madelon

 

[AnnaS]

But how can I keep his food bowl with food all the time if he is only supposed to eat 1/2 cup per day?

 

[Stephanie]

Like I said, every rabbit is different.

Btw, I really want a Flemish Giant. I think with two buns and two cats, that's going to wait a while though.

Anyway, my rabbits don't overeat, I give them about a cup a day (I usea 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop it out, two scoops in the am, two inthe evening.) I think because they have a constant hay supply, theydon't go to town on the pellets. Of course, about three times a weekthey get veggies, and every so often the creme de la creme: raisins.

 

[rabbitgirl]

hey,

I imagine we're going through much the same with preadolescent BIGbabies! Bub weighs between 3 and 5 lbs (no scale handy). He's only gotabout a week and a half on your baby, so they're probably pretty closein development.

Bubby NEVER pees outside the box. But he poops all over. I'll bet it'sa territory thing. Although sometimes he will leave only 1 or 2, andthe next time there will be about 20 little presents all over. (BTW,he's an outdoor bunny who uses the litter box when he comes inside.)For some reason, he always pees right by the edge of the box, rarely inthe middle. Good thing the box is tall enough!!

The way he learned was that every time he cocked his tail to go, Ipicked him up and put him in the box (making a fuss of course so heknew he was bad). For a day he was really really confused, and justheld it when he was inside. But the next day I happened to get him injust as he went and you could see the wheels turning in his head. Fromthen on he peed in the box. I did the same thing as you with puttingthe poops in the box, but he doesn't seem to get it yet.

I remember Pandemonium pooping all over when she was his age.I think they get over it when they grow up!

I feed Bub as much as he will eat during the growing stage. I think thegreat Pamnock also recommends unlimited food until 8 mo.His belly is round and full (from eating all the time)butoverall he's pretty skinny through the shoulders and hips. I mean, hedoesn't have accumulated fat yet so he's burning off thecalorieshe's eating.

He also likes TP rolls to chew and fling, but he's pretty destructivetoo. He really likes to rip paper (unfortunately he also eats too muchof it so that's a supervised game). The other night I was reading thenewspaper on the floor and he grabbedthe wholesheetand ran off with it. Frozen soda bottles filled withwater are also a big hit.

Good luck with him! They're monsters at thisage!!!!

Rose

 

[babydoshia]

Rabbitgirl. I didn't realize Bub wasthat young. Unless I'm thinking of a different person Ithough he was older. Is he the same one who's name isactually something else but you call him Bubba?



Well anyways. I dont mind to much about the poop.They're not too messy. I'd like it if he at least keep em inthe cage but It would be nice if he went in the box. He haspeed twice in the box but I dont think he goes there to peeIthink he just happened to be laying there and didnt feel like gettingup. What you said about putting him back right away if hestarts to go, thats bacsicly what I've been doing. He was outtoday and started to pee on my bed so I got him quick and said NO! andput him in the box. He really likes being out so I thinkhe'll get it eventually get it that if he wants to stay out he needs tohold it in or go to the box. He hasnt pooped outsidethecage yet.

Should I really keep his pellets full all the time too? Ineed to get a dish that I can attach to the cage because he keepstiping the bowl over on purpose so he can eat off the floor .



Thanks alot

-Madelon

 

[babydoshia]

Oh, I forgot to say.

Murphy was out today for a while and he loved it. He wasrunning around and hopping everywhere and climbing on top ofme. He would sit still for a minute and then all of a suddenjump into the air . He's really warmed up to me alot thesepast few days.

I can't wait to get him his new cage. Then I cantrain his soo much easier since the door is big enough and low enoughthat he can get in on his own when it's open.



Sorry, I'll stop writting now

-Madelon

 

[rabbitgirl]

Madelon, I think you're thinking of Bubba, a,8-mo. silver FG. My Bub is a 10-wk Palomino, another large breed butnot as large as FG's! At this point, our babies are actually about thesame size, but Bub will eventually peak out between 9 and 11 lbs.

He's half there already, so maybe he'll surprise us all and get huge!Here's my boy a few weeks ago:http://www.PictureTrail.com/rabbitgirl1


He's much bigger now!

I think Murphy will get the idea, it just takes time. The poops are soeasy to clean up, the pee is the bigger issue. They are smarter than wegive them credit for.

That's cool that he's friendly! Has he had those crazy mood swings yet?How's his ear? It must feel better by now, I think the worst I've hadwas 2 or 3 days for tattoo healing. Bub can be a realbratsometimes, and really sweet other times. I wish he could be inside allthe time but no such luck.

Izzy flung her food dish all the time until I drilled some holes and wired it to the cage floor!

Rose

 

[babydoshia]

Oh, sorry for the confusion.

Yes, he seems fine with his ear now. Really,henever had a problem with it he just didn't hold it completely uprightat first. He still does hold it a little lower but I think hejust is always like that .



He's a good boy though. Once I get him his new cage he'llhave room to pick where he wants his litter boxso it shouldbe easier then. I dont expect his to learn instanty, but Iknow he'll eventually get it. He's smart. Healready knows that I feed him and what time I do. He standson his hind legs and begs like a little puppy lol.

Once I get the new cage I'll be able to secure the hay rack and food dish down so he stops tipping it.



Thanks so much

-Madelon

 

[mhiszxpinay]

Baby toys are safe. The plastic with the keys,and the thick plasticball w/ the bellswould begreat!! I heard that rabbits love the sound of jingles? or shuld i saybells?Although check for some sharp plastic or sharp plasticsides, Sharp sides containing plastic and hurt your bunny's gumms ifthey chew at it or toss it around. It had happened to Emmy one time.Keep us posted ofthe type oftoys urbunny likes. Maybe Emmy might be interested with the same toys as yourbunny =]

You had also mentiond that:

I've read lots of websiteson it, but will he really descide to go in the box just because I puthis poops there? That doesn't make sence to me.

It simply means that when your rabbit or bunny poops outsidetheir litter box, just simply scoop it up from the floor or the groundof your cage and dump it in ur bunny's litter box. So then, the bunnywuld no where to put there droppings in, andthen know thatthat is the right place to do there buisness.Ihad also read that if your rabbit continues to pee outside of therelitterbox and you want to stop it from doing that, just simply get akleenex tissue and dip it in there urine alittle and put it in therelitterbox? Letting them know that they shuld also too do oth of therebuissness there? I'm not sure though. But I've had heard it before. Ifi am incorrect I'm sorry. Im new to the Bunny thing too and am stilllearning thourgh this wonderful board and plenty of research. Im sosorry for teh long reply.Good luck and take care!!

- katy

 

[2bunmom]

Madelon, For some toys you might trygoing to WalMart and buying something called baby links. Theyare c shaped multicolored hard plastic links that can be hung from thetop of the cage. They can be linked together to make achain. Both of my rabbits have them hanging in theircages. I hang the hard plastic baby keys on the end ofthem. You can buy the links for about $3.00 and the keys foraround $2.00. Fairly inexpensive toys and they can be washedquite easily. Both of my rabbits love them. Theywill sit in the litter box doing their business and playing with thelinks at the same time!lol There are enough linksin the package that you can link a few together and put them in thecage. They like to throw them around too.My malebun Trouble is a busy guy also. I used to worry about himbeing bored but now he has apple branches, toilet paper rolls,Keys,links and he loves his salt wheel. He has this littlegame where he licks the salt wheel then gets a drink. He willgo back and forth doing this quite a few times. It is funnyto watch him and it does keep him busy. Once when he was sickhe was not drinking much water and I was getting worrieduntilI saw him start licking the salt wheel---I knew the nextthinghe would do was take a drink. Hope some ofthis helps. Beckie