Rabbit thinks she’s in charge

[Auggie+Snowball+Belle]

So my rabbit, Belle, is getting out of control. Here’s some info about her: she’s some type of bigger lop, we think French but we’re not sure, she’s 1 year and 2 months old, she weighs around 7-10lbs. We’re getting her another bunny to bond with in a few weeks because Snowball can’t be spayed so they can’t be introduced.

What she does is we have this 4 foot tall gate that is heavy and she nudges as hard as she can and moves it to escape. We are trying to secure it better but for now we’re just letting her out when we can watch her. She also nips, nudges and digs you. The weird thing is is that she loves to be pet and brushed but still does these things. She digs the carpet (we put carpet protectors on and she is figuring out how to lift them up) and chews the gate we have set up. She has toys, multiple cardboard and wood toys and a tunnel that she can burrow through. When she’s in her cage, we have this bamboo and apple stick hanging toy thing that she loves to chew and a cardboard tube.

I really want to teach her manners but I’m not sure how. I’m trying to ignore her behavior but obviously I don’t want to be bit or digged at so I move out of the way. When I ignore her moving the gate, she escapes. I’m not sure if she’s bored or wants attention so I’m not sure what to do. Any help is appreciated.

 

[zuppa]

Hi, what you described I would say it's like normal for a rabbit, digging etc, and I think she is a very smart, strong and creative girl, and very active. I have a girl about same size and temperament and I think it's all normal for her. I didn't get if she is spayed or not? Because my Smokey is still intact. She is nearly 2 year old now.

 

[Mehidk]

Is she spayed?

With the biting and nipping, you can make a loud squeak sound when she does it and eventually she will get the hint that when she does that, it hurts you. Another thing that I've done is to place my fingers on the rabbit's nose and press down (not hard, but with enough pressure) and saying "no" for a few seconds. Not forcibly, but with some pressure to show the rabbit who is the "top" one there. I've also clapped loudly when my rabbit does something that she's not supposed to be doing.

For the gate, see if you're able to "hook" the gate to make it less escapable. Or have something heavy against it so it doesn't move. My rabbit learned how to grab the gate as well. The first time she escaped, we found her near the router and cords. After that, I managed to place the locking attachment of the door on her hutch in one of the holes of the x-pen and now when she pulls on it, it doesn't move. It's worked for the last 4 months so far.

 

[Auggie+Snowball+Belle]

She is spayed and has been for a few months and she honestly has seemed to get worse as she gets older and stronger. She wasn’t like this when she was younger but she’s always been strong and has only gotten stronger. We’re getting these hook things that go into the wall and hook or clip onto the gate to keep it in place, I’m not exactly sure but I’m not in charge of that type of thing.

When she was younger, we had a 2 foot tall baby gate that she can now jump over so we got a 4 foot tall one. The first time she escaped we were upstairs and she got into a fight with my other rabbit (both are ok just lost a bit of fur).

I’ll definitely give those suggestions a try @Mehidk , thanks.

 

[JBun]

The nipping, nudging, and digging at you is her trying to get your attention. She's getting the pets from you that she wants, so I would think that some of the attention seeking behavior is her wanting you to interact with her, do stuff with her because she's bored. So it's not that you have an especially bossy rabbit, just a very active one that needs more stimulation.

Digging at the carpet and chewing things, really the only way to stop this is block off access. In rare cases some people have managed to train their rabbits not to do these things, but for the most part it is natural ingrained behavior and that can't really be stopped except temporarily when you are there to supervise(and even then that can be a challenge).

The thing with natural rabbit behaviors(digging, chewing, etc) is that even though they can't usually be stopped, they can often be channeled to something else that's ok for them to destroy. You've tried doing that to some extent, but it sounds like you need to take it to the next level to better channel her energy. That will mean lots more things to dig and chew, and blocking off things that you don't want her digging and chewing, so a lot more bunny proofing.

If you don't already have a dig box for her, I would suggest making one up. It might help get out some of that extra energy she has. A fleece blanket that you are ok with her destroying, can also make a good digging and chewing distraction. Rabbits can spend hours digging and rearranging them. If you have access to rabbit safe tree branches, those are great for them to take their chewing needs out on.

Other things to keep in mind, once she has a bunny friend to distract her and spend time with, the behaviors could possibly settle down some(though no guarantee). An increase in natural behaviors can also be seasonal. Spring and Fall are especially active times for rabbits in nature.