help with behaviour correction please

[avarocks]

I have a gate across one part of my livingroom to block Milo's access. Of course, being a bunny, that's exactly where he wants to go. I live in an apartment building, with someone else living below me. Milo excessively bangs that gate against the floor, and the guy below me can hear it. If he complains, my landlord can legally make me give Milo away, so this behaviour must be controlled. Milo is not allowed to roam freely when I am asleep or not home. He's litter trained, so when I am home and awake, he gets to roam around, with the bedroom and bathroom door shut, and that gate across the livingroom. I have tried several things and I cannot stop him. He winds up back in his cage, and that's just not fair. I let him out for another chance and he's right back at it again! I regularly yell 'Milo, no!' but of course, this goes ignored. I get into the floor to offer play time, he ignores that. I thought of placing something under the gate, but it's actually a playpen stretched out so it kind of folds and moves (it's secured at the ends though, so he can't actually get it out of the way) so he would quickly move it off anything I put there. Can't put any form of carpet down, because he will turn it into shreds, and I've seen him do it. I've tried putting things in front but I can't put too much there because I'm in a wheelchair and it would block me from the couch/computer. I have a couple full boxes there but he shifts the gate away and goes back to banging it again. I have tried pushing his head to the floor and saying 'NO' every time, then putting my hand on his backside to shift him away and that's not working either! I'm at a total loss. If it wasn't for the risk of a complaint I would just let him bang the stupid thing, but they can make me give him away and it would be legal, because his noise is interfering with another tenant. ANY ideas would be wonderful! He's not neutered, I do not, not even close, have the money to do that. Milo isn't around any other rabbits anyway so there's no risk of him making babies. Help!

Just an added note, that Milo is not blocked from the whole livingroom, so it's not him trying to get to me. It's only part, that I don't go over to often either. He can jump on the couch, jump on the computer chair, he jumps into my lap, he can very easily interact with me. He regularly does. When he wants to be picked up he goes under the computer desk, or puts his paws on my legs, or just jumps on up. He has toys, water, food, everything he could need, and I make sure that when he wants my attention, he gets it, no matter what. I very often throughout the day get onto the floor, sometimes he interacts with me, sometimes not, but that darn gate!

Sarah

 

[luna21]

Hi Sarah, I understand your frustration my boy is mister destructo at the best of times and he is neutered. What I would suggest to you is to get him neutered, it will really help calm him down some, I know you mentioned you cannot afford it but it doesn't cost much, I live in your area, St Catharines ON, and got my little buddy done for 130 bucks, that's everything inclusive (pre-op and post-op). Money is also very tight for myself because I am on a disability pension, its very well worth it and will curb many destructive behaviors, until you can get the money together you should keep him in his cage, i know it doesn't seem fair but i can't think of anything else that you could do. Maybe others on the board may have better suggestions

 

[avarocks]

I'm in St. Catharines also, and in your pic - that's the kind of gating I have up. I'm working on some ways of securing it better, but otherwise I don't know. I can't keep him in his cage...it would be cruel. He is used to free-reign. I get disability pension also. I am not planning to get him neutered unless I absolutely have to. Looking to manage the behaviour somehow instead, because other than this gate-banging, he's mischievious, but he isn't a problem. I have never run into someone on these boards anywhere from my city so this is cool!

 

[Hazel-Mom]

Could you shorten the gate so that it stretches straight across the area, and does not fold and move as much? If it is what I think it is, you could maybe double up one or 2 pannels? If you can stretch it tight, he may not be able to bang it as much.
I'm assuming it's not on carpeted floor? If it were, you could try putting velcro on the underside of the gate. If it's not on carpet, that won't work.
Maybe double-sided tape on the bottom? Or the "sticky putty" that is used to hang pictures on the wall? Just trying to throw out some ideas, I don't know if any of those will work.
At the very least though I would try to shorten the gate, so it can't slide and move as much.

 

[Hazel-Mom]

Just another thought... If he's banging the gate because he sees the area on the other side and wants to get to it, maybe you can try hanging a sheet or something over the gate, so it's a solid barrier to him. That may stop him, because he can't see there is something else there.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

So basically he can slide the pannels indivudally up and down a bit? I"m pretty syre i know what you're talking about as we have these same kind of gates for our bunnies but ours we use outside so it isn't a problem. One idea I have it to try using a Zip Tie to hold the pannels really tight like right where 2 pannels of the gate come together. Its kinda hard to explain but I know what I"m trying to say. =PP silly me.. Basically Zip ties are cheap and you can pull them as tight as you want, and I doub your little bunny will get them undone. I doubt he'll chew them.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I'll see if I can put a tie on my bunny pen today at some point and take a pic..

 

[Paddy Ohara]

I am not sure if this will help, but when my girl was chewing on my hall tree every chance she had...i sprayed water from a water bottle and just yelled NO...it took a few times but she doesn't do it anymore. The gate may just make the perfect fun bunny noise or maybe he thinks it is a game.

 

[avarocks]

It's not separate panels, no. No carpeting but some sticky tape might work. I did that today, straightened it out, and used storage bins on one end to make sure he couldn't loosen it. It goes straight across, tightly now. Someone once told me that bunnies find the smell of vinegar offensive, is there any truth to that? If there is, I could try spraying some vinegar onto the gate to make him want to shy away from it. I've hidden away anything he might see that he wants over there (timothy hay lives over there so he doesn't chew the bag to shreds, now he can't see it at all). I will try the sheet idea too. Thank you for the ideas!