macgilli
Member
So, my two mini rex are now five months, and they are starting to become a handful to take care of. Only a month or two until the Spay. Depending on availability of the vet, as well as their condition.
I still love them, a lot and still try to spend a lot of time with them. With the holidays, there was a lot of upheval, however we are back on a normal routine. They handled two trips out of town like champs, although they tend not to like the car. It was a lot of handling for them, a lot of movement. However, thankfully that is done.
Now then, what's been happening;
First off, the fighting. They are starting to fight a bit, I get that with does they will be territorial, however I am hoping that they would not fight as much due to the fact that they are sisters, however they do chase and mount each other. I get that it is to be expected, however most of the time they will do it in my office when they are let out.
Weird thing, they spend most of their run time, actually all of their run time in there, with litter boxes, toys, and water. Even the litter boxes are staggered for changes to ensure that they have some continuity. I've seen them chase for a short time around in the cage. However when in my office, this will turn into a 5 minute or 10 minute chase from one side to another. Normally it is Nimue (the brown mini rex) chasing Ava (the black mini rex). However sometimes Ava is the dominant one.
With that as well, I notice that Ava has much, much different behavior now in regards to my office. Most of the time now, she hides scared under, behind things and will not even let me approach her. Getting her back into the cage in the living room is a huge challenge. She exhibits all of the signs of a scared rabbit (hiding low to the ground, ears up), hunched posture and will run at the slightest provocation. Now, this normally happens later at night. She will barely come over for treats at this point, if she does, she grabs them and runs.....Nimue is of course, always Nimue and is as loving and affectionate as ever. Last night there was a huge, noisy chase from one end to another which could be heard loudly in the next room. There was no clawing or anything, however it is something that does seem to happen about 2-4 times in a 5 hour span.
In the cage though, Ava is completely different, she comes up for pets and treats and they get along great.....
I'm wondering if anyone has an idea on what to do?
Any idea on causes?
Any idea on solutions?
I will lay down on the floor and she will look at me, sometimes come over, however she is eating normally, using the washroom, etc okay. Will also move around, however feels totally afraid. Other times they will cuddle up together like nothing has happened...its weird anyways.
In their cage, none of that other than a brief chase. Ava is much more confident in there, unless she knows that it is time to go out and that means being lifted out of the cage, however once she is in your arms she loves it.
The next topic is litter box training. I'm tired of cleaning up after them. I really am. I know that its part of the game, and I'm fine with it, to a point. It is at the point that my office is needing to be swept and vacuumed out every 2-3 days due to the fact that they are well using the entire office as a giant litter box. They tend to go everywhere.
Right now let me discuss the office layout. First off, there is NIC cubes along the exposed walls (which there are few). Under the desks with cables, as well as everything else is blocked off. In one corner is a pair of litter boxes, one of which is in a box on its side to allow them for digging, the other near their water bowl.
Under another desk, in an area with two entrances, is another litter box. All litter boxes uses either carefresh, shredded paper, or paper pulp bedding. All three are lined with Hay.
So, what has been happening. First, they have been peeing on jackets a lot, as I had a pile of laundry and some jackets that have fallen off the hooks. That one is easy to fix as I cleaned it up and dread the dry cleaning bill for it. They don't really pee anywhere else, however they defecate.....everywhere. Mostly between the two boxes. They do tend to pee in the boxes most of the time (On my laundry being the exception). However now with the jackets gone I will be keeping a closer eye on things.
My office looks like looks like this;
-------------------------------------------
| DDDDDDDDDD BBBBBB 0
| DDDDDDDDDD BBBBBBBB 0
| DD *D BB 0
| DD c c DD BB ------|
| DD DD BB 0 |
| DD 0 |
| ** DD 0 |
| w DD BB 0 |
|HH DD BB 0 |
|HH **DDDDDDRRRR BBBBB 0 |
|HH **DDDDDDRRRR BBBBB 0 |
--------------------------------------------
Legend;
* - Litter box
0 - door
D - Desk
R - Dresser
B - Bookshelf
W - Water dish.
C - Chair
Note - I do know the formatting is a bit messed, I didn't use Unicode formatting, however the room itself is 15x 15. All the walls are straight by the way. Also, there is no space between the desks at the top, and the bookshelves.
Note 2 - The furthest to the right litter box is under the desk, and it is in a corner as there is a storage locker under the desk next to it.
Most of the defecation handles around the desks, and in the middle of the floor, in a sort of circle based around the left most chair. There is also a little bit around the bookshelves.
So my question is, should I add in another litter box? I was thinking another one under desk number one, or another one near the door?
Would it be in my best interest to pick up some cage sections and use them to box them into a smaller part of the room, until their poo habits improve? Or should I hold myself and work more at it after their are spayed?
In the cage as well, there seems to be defecation performed throughout the cage, only around 50% -75% are in the two boxes in the back corners of the cage.
One of the reasons I ask, is I am going through a lot of hay, and a lot of bedding, as well as vinegar. I'm thinking that hay racks may be a good option for the litter boxes, however they keep pulling them down, or ignoring them completely. So after a few times, I just stopped using the one I have.
Also in the cage, any idea for flooring? Right now I'm using mats, and well they are tending to be chewed up. So I'm looking to replace the flooring on it, once I do the next cage expansion from 3x3x2 cubes to 4x3x2 cubes.
Anyways, any help or comments is appreciated on this one.
I still love them, a lot and still try to spend a lot of time with them. With the holidays, there was a lot of upheval, however we are back on a normal routine. They handled two trips out of town like champs, although they tend not to like the car. It was a lot of handling for them, a lot of movement. However, thankfully that is done.
Now then, what's been happening;
First off, the fighting. They are starting to fight a bit, I get that with does they will be territorial, however I am hoping that they would not fight as much due to the fact that they are sisters, however they do chase and mount each other. I get that it is to be expected, however most of the time they will do it in my office when they are let out.
Weird thing, they spend most of their run time, actually all of their run time in there, with litter boxes, toys, and water. Even the litter boxes are staggered for changes to ensure that they have some continuity. I've seen them chase for a short time around in the cage. However when in my office, this will turn into a 5 minute or 10 minute chase from one side to another. Normally it is Nimue (the brown mini rex) chasing Ava (the black mini rex). However sometimes Ava is the dominant one.
With that as well, I notice that Ava has much, much different behavior now in regards to my office. Most of the time now, she hides scared under, behind things and will not even let me approach her. Getting her back into the cage in the living room is a huge challenge. She exhibits all of the signs of a scared rabbit (hiding low to the ground, ears up), hunched posture and will run at the slightest provocation. Now, this normally happens later at night. She will barely come over for treats at this point, if she does, she grabs them and runs.....Nimue is of course, always Nimue and is as loving and affectionate as ever. Last night there was a huge, noisy chase from one end to another which could be heard loudly in the next room. There was no clawing or anything, however it is something that does seem to happen about 2-4 times in a 5 hour span.
In the cage though, Ava is completely different, she comes up for pets and treats and they get along great.....
I'm wondering if anyone has an idea on what to do?
Any idea on causes?
Any idea on solutions?
I will lay down on the floor and she will look at me, sometimes come over, however she is eating normally, using the washroom, etc okay. Will also move around, however feels totally afraid. Other times they will cuddle up together like nothing has happened...its weird anyways.
In their cage, none of that other than a brief chase. Ava is much more confident in there, unless she knows that it is time to go out and that means being lifted out of the cage, however once she is in your arms she loves it.
The next topic is litter box training. I'm tired of cleaning up after them. I really am. I know that its part of the game, and I'm fine with it, to a point. It is at the point that my office is needing to be swept and vacuumed out every 2-3 days due to the fact that they are well using the entire office as a giant litter box. They tend to go everywhere.
Right now let me discuss the office layout. First off, there is NIC cubes along the exposed walls (which there are few). Under the desks with cables, as well as everything else is blocked off. In one corner is a pair of litter boxes, one of which is in a box on its side to allow them for digging, the other near their water bowl.
Under another desk, in an area with two entrances, is another litter box. All litter boxes uses either carefresh, shredded paper, or paper pulp bedding. All three are lined with Hay.
So, what has been happening. First, they have been peeing on jackets a lot, as I had a pile of laundry and some jackets that have fallen off the hooks. That one is easy to fix as I cleaned it up and dread the dry cleaning bill for it. They don't really pee anywhere else, however they defecate.....everywhere. Mostly between the two boxes. They do tend to pee in the boxes most of the time (On my laundry being the exception). However now with the jackets gone I will be keeping a closer eye on things.
My office looks like looks like this;
-------------------------------------------
| DDDDDDDDDD BBBBBB 0
| DDDDDDDDDD BBBBBBBB 0
| DD *D BB 0
| DD c c DD BB ------|
| DD DD BB 0 |
| DD 0 |
| ** DD 0 |
| w DD BB 0 |
|HH DD BB 0 |
|HH **DDDDDDRRRR BBBBB 0 |
|HH **DDDDDDRRRR BBBBB 0 |
--------------------------------------------
Legend;
* - Litter box
0 - door
D - Desk
R - Dresser
B - Bookshelf
W - Water dish.
C - Chair
Note - I do know the formatting is a bit messed, I didn't use Unicode formatting, however the room itself is 15x 15. All the walls are straight by the way. Also, there is no space between the desks at the top, and the bookshelves.
Note 2 - The furthest to the right litter box is under the desk, and it is in a corner as there is a storage locker under the desk next to it.
Most of the defecation handles around the desks, and in the middle of the floor, in a sort of circle based around the left most chair. There is also a little bit around the bookshelves.
So my question is, should I add in another litter box? I was thinking another one under desk number one, or another one near the door?
Would it be in my best interest to pick up some cage sections and use them to box them into a smaller part of the room, until their poo habits improve? Or should I hold myself and work more at it after their are spayed?
In the cage as well, there seems to be defecation performed throughout the cage, only around 50% -75% are in the two boxes in the back corners of the cage.
One of the reasons I ask, is I am going through a lot of hay, and a lot of bedding, as well as vinegar. I'm thinking that hay racks may be a good option for the litter boxes, however they keep pulling them down, or ignoring them completely. So after a few times, I just stopped using the one I have.
Also in the cage, any idea for flooring? Right now I'm using mats, and well they are tending to be chewed up. So I'm looking to replace the flooring on it, once I do the next cage expansion from 3x3x2 cubes to 4x3x2 cubes.
Anyways, any help or comments is appreciated on this one.