How to Disipline my bun?

[Rainbow-Moon]

I don't let my bun Bookworm run around on thefloor inside our apartment. It is carpeted and it isimpossible to completely bunnyproof it. Far too many placesto hide and bad things to chew on. (our apartment is one roomand has far too muchstuff in it) Furnature can bereplaced at the thrift store if he trashes and pees on it, the carpetbelongs to the landlord...

We let him run on our furniture and we put up barriers to keep him fromgetting on the floor. He can run from his cage, all the wayacross the room to our bed without getting on the floor.

Anyway, he started yesturday to jump over the barriers and down to the floor.

He did this once and immediately started doing it again and again. He even jumps off my lap onto the floor!

I pick him up and roll him in a ball and hold him on his back tellinghim he is bad in a firm voice, then put him in his cage and close thedoor for a few hours. It doesn't seem tohelp.

HELP!!??!!

How can I convince/keep him from going where we do not want himto? What is the best way to let him know we are upset withhim without traumatizing him?

Thank You!!!

Sheri & Bookworm

 

[ayglnu13]

Rainbow-Moon wrote:

I pick him up and roll him in a ball and hold him on his back tellinghim he is bad in a firm voice, then put him in his cage and close thedoor for a few hours.

Personally I dont see how rolling him in aball and putting him on his back is going to work. All that is doing isscaring him. Rabbits are prey animals so being held on his back makeshim think he is being attacked, being held also makes them feel thatway.

If your rabbit jumps on the floor say "NO"or clap your hands, and then put him in his cage. Scaring him will onlymake him afraid of you. With time and patience he will learn that heisnt allowed to go off, but you will need to do this OVER and OVER. Ihad a rabbit who would jump UP on the couch, and every time he did Iwould take him off and say NO, and after a couple weeks he didnt evenbother looking at the couch.

~Amy

 

[naturestee]

In addition to Amy's suggestions, I sparinglyuse a water mister to spray her. I use it if she ignoresseveral "No!"s. She hates it with a passion.

Oh, and I thump the floor instead of clap. I usually do it atthe same time I say no. Rabbits thump to warn others or bringtheir attention to something ("Why aren't you petting me, bunnyslave?"Thump!) so I thump to get their attention.

I have a problem with Mocha getting past my barriers too.It's mostly trial and error. In your case, would it be easierfor you to use an exercise pen? You can use a dog one or makeone out of NIC cubes.

 

[Rainbow-Moon]

naturestee wrote:

I have a problem with Mocha getting past my barrierstoo. It's mostly trial and error. In your case,would it be easier for you to use an exercise pen? You canuse a dog one or make one out of NIC cubes.

Our place is so small, the bed takes up more than 1/2 the space in theroom. It's only about the size of a large hotelroom... 15 feet by maybe 25 feet... that includes thebathroom and kitchen areas. We have walkways betweenfurnature and boxes... but no other floor space.

I let Bookworm run in the tiled hallways of our apartment building atnight. I sit out there with a book and a cushion while heruns up and down the flight of stairs. I take a litter boxout but he doesn't use it much... though he is getting better atit. He usually gets tired of it within an hour and will comelay beside me and I bring him back in. He won't eat or drinkoutside his cage though, so I can't have him out and away from his cagemore than an hour at a time.

I just got a dust buster from the thrift shop and it ischarging. Hopefully that will help with cleanup... I have awhisk broom and dustpan that is no biger than my outstreatched handthat I have been using. It helps that theapartment manager thinks he is adorable.

Sheri & Bookworm

 

[naturestee]

Bookworm- I love that name! Yourapartment reminds me of the first one I lived in aftercollege. Tiny, but affordable. I'm now on my secondapartment, which is cheap but HUGE! I have so much stuff,Goodwill will be flooded if/when I move out. There's no wayI'll have this much space again until I own my own house.

My landlord lives below me. I took Mocha to see his wifeafter she got out of the hospital. She had been reallysick. She adored Mocha, and it really cheered her up.

I don't know how big Bookworm is, but rabbits need pretty highbarriers. Mocha is a Nethie and she jumps up on to the arm ofa chair and back down again. She was startled by my hubbyonce while running her bunny500 and jumped as high as hiswaist. He's 6 feet tall!

 

[edwinf8936]

Try catching them when they are doing it and put your hand on their forehead and gently push down and say No!.



Ed

 

[Trina]

That is the same thing as my bunnytoo. For example, Emmy loves scratching the carpet in thefamily room. And my mom gets pretty upset if Emmy does that. So, I sayno to her at least 5 times. If she doesn't cooperate, I clap my hands,and firmly say 'no.' Now, she has learned to not scratch the carpet.:bunnydance:It takes many patience, but, they will soon tocooperate!