House bunny training...

[fuzz16]

the boys are getting bigger and almost old enough to be nuetered. well after they are they will be house bunnys once trusted. Ess has been running around at night and really good about it and Dalton(rip) had been wonderful about it, but whenever the boys are out they chew on the trim or walls, pull up carpet, and dig at the carpet. i gie them toys and treats and let them have a choice of in or outside leaving the door open to the patio. but they still insist of destroying my home...heh.



any ideas how i may be able to stop it? i live in an apartment and dont want them tearing up eerything in sight

 

[Flashy]

It sounds like you need to bunny proof your home a bit more, like use barriers (such as NIC cubes) to block off your walls and the corners of the floor.

After their neuter it should calm down, although there is still the possibility that some of these behaviours will remain, or the traces of them, but hopefully it should ease.

 

[fuzz16]

ok until i can get those things does pushing thier head away and telling them no work? giving them a toy to distract them? i didnt know if that worked with rabbits too.

 

[Flashy]

Try saying no in a low, deep voice and turning them so they face the other way. Some people squirt water, I tried ringing a bell, which worked ok for a while until they got desensitised to it, a gentle blow on the whistle.

I would suggest keeping them very stimulated as much as possible but try not to reward the behaviour with attention/food/toys/anything positive, etc.

 

[fuzz16]

so as in when thier playing with a toy or laying down next to me or the wall being good give them a peice of something they like or treat?

 

[Flashy]

Yeh, treat them for desirable behaviour and do harmless unlikeable things for undesirable behaviour.

 

[fuzz16]

what about putting them in the cage for doing something bad. i know not to do it with dogs, but didnt know if rabbtis were the same.

 

[Flashy]

I personally tend not to but that might just be me (unless its like really early in the morning and they are making a racket, I feel justified putting them away then )

When they do these things they are doing it for a reason so if you can work out the reason, then you can figure out a way to stop it. Of course, sometimes the reason is that they know they shouldn't, which can be hard to beat, but normally you can work out what's going on if you look hard enough.