Umbra AKA Prince Zagor

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StickyBird

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Well it has been a couple weeks since Umbra's neuter.

But it doesn't seem like it! :shock:

In fact, since the warmer weatherhas started around N. California, he's been increasingly...restless. Yeah, I think that's the word. I've neverseen him so obsessed with digging, chewing, and digging, and did Imention digging? And this is nothing like a little bit ofburrowing or an occasional chew here and there. This is onefull hour of running from place to place in my room with clear intentof digging and chewing, and doing so with vigor. He's becomeso pushy lately that my brother (he's 16) has given him the nickname'Prince Zagor' and said that he is 'just trying to dig a way out of myroom to go back to his secret Rabbit Kingdom where he reignssupreme'. Don't ask where he got 'Zagor' from... I think hejust made it up! ;)

Some days he is worse than others,but those good days seem to get fewer and fewer... At first Ijust thought it was a mood he was in for a few days, but then Irealized it was something more, so whenever he became obsessed with onespot to dig in, I would gently push him away with my hand.Bad mistake. Because after two days of that, he beganskirting away from my hand even when I went not to push him but just topet him! That wasn't working... So now I havebrought out the "Anti-Prince Zagor Spraybottle"!! After abouttwo to five squirts of water, the little 'Prince' is reduced to merepeasant status, and has to obey his mommy. But I'm a bitconcerned about something. Sometimes after he's been out,I've had to squirt him so much that his backside is extremelywet! I always dry him off with a towel before putting himback in his cage, but I just want to know if it's okay for him to bewet while he's out. I don't want him to get sick, but thisspraybottle is my only weapon against Umbra'salter-ego.

And another thing I amwondering. Where did this sudden change in temprament comefrom????! I know it's too early for the neuter to really bemaking much difference, but I thought a nice steady decline of hormonalbehavior was what would happen... not an increase init!

He's been much more manageablesince the "Anti-Prince Zagor Spraybottle" made its appearance, but Iwould really just like to have the laid-back, non-digging Umbra that Iknow and love back... Oh well, he's still my Cutie, and Ilove him to death!

Thanks to anyone who has a thoughton it! Sorry my stories are always so long andinvolved. I think I just like telling peoplesotries... ;)

--Melissa and Umbra (AKA Prince Zagor)
 
I don't think you mentioned how old he is inthere, or maybe I just missed it! Anyway, it may be what I call "Theteenage times" lol, they start being brats and do everything you hate!Mocha and Spice have been doing that from about 7 months to a year,they dug like nuts! Now they tend to have stopped the digging, theyused to dig in the snow when I let them out in the winter, but nevergot the ground as it was frozen, but last summer they dug enough tomake it to China and back! Now there is no snow and the ground isthawed but still no digging, just give the rabbit lots of toys and hopeit's just a phase. I'm sort of new to this too so others may advise youbetter!

Laura
 

Hi Stickybird!

Well, The Little Prince is acting up, ey? So is Tucker lately! I wonderif it's the change of season, time...I have no clue, but he's notlistening to a word I say lately. He's usually so good, but for about aweek, I might as well be talkin to the wall! I feel your pain.

Tucker went through a week or two's period of that digging. Iboobietrapped the area that I didn't want him digging in (closed itup), and got out his travel cage and put tissue paper and a towel inthere. Best thing you can do is create a place for it to be okay forhim to dig. Even just putting a towel on the floor will probably catchhis attention.

Sounds like he's just having a ball! One of a rabbit's favoritepasttime is digging. Even if you open a paper bag, he might go in itand start digging out a corner. Tucker did that once. Tucks also digsat me when he's looking for attention/love.

Umbra will chill out eventually. He's just loving life. Distract himwith a box or a tube that he can play around with too. Distraction, Ialways found, is more than half the battle.

Congratulations on getting the waterbottle. Some days, you just have togo wabbit huntin. Don't worry about him being a little damp. Wipe himoff with a towel when he goes back in his cage, and as long as hedoesn't get a chill, he'll be fine.

-Carolyn
 
Laura:Oh I'm sorry; Umbra is going to be 1 year old on the 19th of nextmonth. So he's almost 11 months right now. I hadhim neutered a little later than I wanted originally due to financialdifficulties...so his horomones had a long time to kick infully. Hopefully, I will start to see a decline in all ofthis sometime! ;)

Carolyn: I waswondering if the springtime had any effect on behavior...It's just a little odd for Umbra, I've never seen him sobusy! It's like he's on a secret mission, and the corners ofmy room are his enemies! :D Poor guy, he probably doesn'tunderstand it either. Well, I haven't had to use thesquirtbottle since yesterday afternoon (we'll see how long that lasts),and I think he's actually starting to learn that when the tone of myvoice gets lower and more serious, he should move from wherever heis. That would be great if he would actually listen tome! Anyway, thanks for the support; Prince Zagor is a littletough for just me to handle...

--Melissa and Umbra
 
lol, yup, Mocha started being a brat around 10 months to a year! They get over this.
 


YES, Stickybird,

Tucker seems to have spring fever in the worst way. For about a weekand 1/2 the little stinker's given me a hard time about almosteverything. He's mellowed a bit the past couple of days, but Boy, didhe think he was King Tut. He's snapping out of it, but I completelyunderstand what you're going through. There were times when little manwas put to bed early because he just wouldn't listen to me.

Umbra's a smart little guy. He'll soon be able to identify your voiceand the spraybottle and know that it's Get Out of the Way, Fast! Tuckerwill shake his ears if I just pick up the watergun. It's as if he knowswhat's coming, so he'll give a shake of his head and then hop away.

Umbra knows your butta in his hands and he's using it to his advantage.They sure push you to the edge though when they force you to use thewaterbottle or get up from where you're sitting. The problem with menow is that even when I walk over to Tucker and stand over him, hecould care less. He knows I won't do anything to him. That watergun isthe best $1.29 I ever spent!

My family and friends get quite a charge out of how he doesn't listen,and how quickly he hops to if he thinks he's going to get a shot ofwater.

-Carolyn
 
You're not kidding! Tucker was anabsolute GEM yesterday when the guys came back to finish painting myapt. I never can tell how he's going to react.

:)

-Carolyn
 
I don't recall seeing Mocha or Spice's head pop uphere...are ya sure they made it all the way to China? hehehehe,just teasing....reason for my comments here is I just wanted tore-assure you about thesquirt bottle, I had to usethat method as well in order to stop my girls from hoppin on the couch(they thought it was the world's largest litterbox sent directly tothem from heaven!) and at first felt very bad about doing so especiallywhen I had to do it repetatively.

BUT

In the end,and some very soggy bunny bottoms (but toweldried) later they don't hop up anymore unless nosey nelley (akaJezebel) realizes I am in the kitchen and actually doing somethingwithout her supervision *grin grin*



 
Oh yes, Idefinitely agree about feeling bad when squirting multipletimes. Especially since rabbits seem so adept at pulling onyour heartstrings! For some odd reason Umbra was very goodyesterday and this morning... should I be scared?;)

But he also did something that hadme totally laughing! I was cleaning his cage yesterday, andhe always likes to inspect my handiwork on his home, so he camebounding up to see what I was doing, and I pet him on theback. However, when I got to his neck as I was petting him,he'd start binki-ing around a little and then come back to getpetted. And he was this way over and over for like fiveminutes. I was rolling! He's never done thatbefore. It was sooo adorable! Even if it wassomething completely new, it was more like the old Umbra than he hasbeen lately. Here's to hopin' his good moodlasts!

--Melissa and Umbra
 


When I first went to get a watergun at the toy store, it was winter. Iexplained to the clerk what I wanted it for and they almost weren'tgoing to sell it to me by reason of cruelty to animals. I couldn'tbelieve it!

-Carolyn

HB104 and Stickybird: I really enjoyed your stories. They were precious. :D :D
 
I would love to try the water gun thing for Mocha,but living outdoors makes it REALLY hard in the winter to punish himthat way, lol. And lately (amazingly enough!) Mocha has been an angel!:shock:Not biting me, and coming up to me when I call, heloves to give kisses if I sit on the ground and he can hop into my lapand reach up to my face. He's even gone as far as to start licking myhand. I think the "ignore Mocha" tactic worked, lmao though it was moreof a pay more attention to Spice so Mocha will get jealous and learnnot to bite technique.

Spice on the other hand never needs scolding! He's pretty much an angelexcept for the fighting and the digging, lol. Watch, now I jinxed itright?
 
*laughs*

Hi M&SMom,

No kidding! It does seem that once One feels safe, NOT!!!

I would only really recommend using the watergun inside. I supposeoutside in the summertime, it'd be fine, but even these nights here arestill chilly in the Northeastern part of America. To you, I'm aSoutherner.

Hmmm...will have to think about how you could do it. The watergun wassomething I thought of years ago because I didn't want to have to keepgetting up and Tucker would make me stand up and walk over to himwhenever he was bad. I had to be able to chill out and still have himstop what he was doing Immediately. As everyone knows, the minute theythink you're too relaxed to bother or they think they can get away withit, they start their Trouble. Tucker got to the point where he'd shaveone of my wooden rocking chairs that he sits under --veeery quietly soI could barely hear him. (Sneak!)

Nope, Ladies! I don't feel guilty at all when I have to pick up thegun. I rarely have to shoot it, but I look at it like saving my domain.Call it my way of territorializing my plants and my furniture. I givehim Three Warnings, by that time, he knows better and he deserves it. Ilook at it like I'm helping his water intake. *laughs* (kidding) Hehates that that water is faster than him. That's more degrading thangetting shot because he thinks he's So Cool and So Fast, and he is, buthe needs to remember the rules!

Something that you could get their attention on with little effort onyour part when they're outside. Anybody? Any suggestions??

-Carolyn
 

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