How to discourage her?

[Yield]

this morning one of my nightmares (i literally had nightmares about this) occured... solara got out of her pen.

good thing that i always keep my door closed because she would have been screwed because my dogs would have thought she was a wild bunny and went after her if they'd noticed her.

i wouldn't have woken up if i hadn't heard her thumping. i don't know why she was thumping (it seemed more like she was saying "haha you're asleep and you can't catch me." even though they usually thump out of fear.. anyways), but i'm so glad she did, because i don't think she had that much of a chance to get into anything (she had gone behind the television to the cords but ran out shortly after).

(i had to yell for my mom to get her from under the bed so i could steer her into the pen again)

i put her in her cage, locking it so she can't get in her pen (more like a timeout right now). i'm going to have to keep her in just the cage when i'm not around and when i'm sleeping. i had wanted to let her have full access to her pen and cage 24/7 but.. it's hard if she's doing something that is risky to herself. she obviously got out by throwing herself into the side of the pen, because she was running around this morning, and there was no other way for her to get out, and now she's being abnormally destructive. (probably mad at me. and it doesn't help she's going to be 6 months in 5 days. puberty much?)

she's yanking the blanket under the pen (maybe that nesting instinct?), chewing it (when she has so many other toys she can chew), digging (i know this is natural), pulling on the bars to the pen to try and get out... :grumpy:

she has more than enough room in the pen. i'd let her out more often if it was safe for her, but it's not, (not just because of the cords, there's way too many places she could get stuck in (she got stuck in a box cause it only had one hole :shock, and the risk of the door opening when my mom comes in or something) and that's why i want to discourage her from chewing the bars and attempting to get out...

should i get that bitter apple spray (i don't even know where to get it) or... are there any other remedies?

i'm shaking i'm so worried and scared :tears2:
in the nightmares i had where she got out, she ended up getting outside and never coming back... please help ):

 

[Baby Juliet]

I thought for a long time that my rabbits just jump right over the pen till I saw how they jump up grab the top with the front legs and climb over the pen. Cover the pen to keep them from jumping out.

 

[Yield]

but she didn't jump over (I'm 5"5 and i can hardly step over the pen.. and i have long legs. i know that she shoved the pen open, because it was disconnected from her cage. It had to have used some force. ):

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I thought two of ours were jumping out--they were the smallest ones. I watched from around the corner and saw them both jump up onto the side and climb out. Also, Ted, one of the bigger boys would do the same, so a pen or any large mesh wire wasn't an impediment.

 

[Yield]

@Larry: wow... :shock: solara has tried, but i don't think she could do it. she's much too small i think. there's nothing for her to jump up on and it'd be real difficult for her to grasp onto one bar and jump over without MANY difficulties.

her chewing on the bars and yanking them were a good hint that she shoved it open, plus with all the loud ruckus this morning and the open pen (i know i did not leave it open) i know she spazzed her way outta there. :I

what did you do to have them stop, or.. do they still do it... or?

 

[elrohwen]

Some bunnies can jump out of 3' pens. I'm 5'10" and can't even come close to stepping over my 3' pen. So if you can step over you pen at all, there's a chance she jumped out. I would clip a sheet or something over the top as a lid.

If she didn't jump, how else did she get out? Hopefully you can figure out a way to keep her from doing it again.

As for chewing on the bars - what do you do when she does it? The best way to handle this is to totally ignore her. The second she stops for a few seconds, go over, make a fuss over her, give her a treat, etc. Do not pay any attention to her while she's doing it - even saying now and chasing her away is probably perceived as positive attention by her. The less attention you give her for chewing on the bars and the more attention you give her for being quiet, the less she'll do it.

 

[Yield]

@elrohwen: she got out by slamming herself into the side of the pen. i hadn't thought she'd do something like that, so i don't tend to clip it fully shut (i loop it on the bars, and it's really secure, but she was being crazy that morning i guess :I). i know she had gotten out that way because the pen was open. (and she had been making a lot of ruckus earlier, cause i had woken up and fell back asleep) We have clips now so she can't force the pen open in any way, and I close her in her cage at night now, so she can't hurt herself messing with the bars. i let her out in the morning, and my mom checks on her during the day while i'm at school. she's been less destructive since then.

thank you for the tips, i'll be sure to do that when she did it, i said NO and tried to redirect her attention.
and the pen is 29 inches tall... i looked up how much that was in feet and it says 2.42.. but it seems much taller than that.

but anyways, i don't think solara can jump out of that. she's small and hasn't shown any interest in jumping, just messing with the bars and trying to push it open.

 

[kirbyultra]

Buns CAN and will jump over a 30" pen if given a reason. It has happened. They may not clear it in one jump. I've seen them jump once, grab on to the side of the pen like a ninja and then hop again to clear the top.

But yours didn't do that did it? Solara actually somehow disconnected the pen from where it was supposed to be attached to a wall? I am having trouble understanding how she got out...? What kind of clips are you using? What is the pen secured to?

If you are worried about her hopping out of the pen, you can get a big piece of light colored fabric and just throw it over the top of the fence, clip it on 4 sides and it will deter her from hopping upwards trying to get out. I think seeing a top will deter her. If she sees clear open space, she might go for it. You can leave it off when you are home or someone can supervise her.

 

[Yield]

@Helen: i know, i've heard lots of stories
yeah, Solara slammed into the pen and it came off. we hadn't had clips at first. they were these metal things that we pushed around the bars and it stayed. (sorry if you didnt understand that). the pen is attached to her cage. we're using metal keychain clips like:

that without the cloth. and without the curve. they're ones my dad was going to use for his landscaping business but didnt. so they're not cheap or painted store ones.
they keep it closed now.

 

[bigwigbunny]

I would purchase a baby gate and put it in your doorway, that way even if your door is open the dogs can't get in and your bunny can't get out. You can even get the gates that open and close so you don't have to step over one. Just leave the gate up all the time and then she's safe.

 

[juliew19673]

I totally believe you when you say she forced her way out; my bun has done this from his "pretty secure" pen; and the funny thing is everytime he does - he will immediately come running to me as if to say "TADAH!".. stupid bunny.

I think that might have been why yours thumped - she got out and then was "oh no, scared - help!"

At least now you know what you have to "fortify". Glad it all turned out ok and would also 2nd the advice of a childproof gate - I have one and it comes in very handy..