BAD bunny AGAIN!!!!!

What is wrong with Faith??? She is being a meanie!! She was chasing Thomas around the cage and growling at him yesterday and last night. We just got the new bunny floor (plywood with carpet stapled to it) last night. She was taking the hay out of the outside litter box in her mouth and held it in her mouth everywhere she went. She started to run with it if I came to get it from her and then went on to digging in the floor. She ended up chewing a 3 inch circle hole in the new floor!!! When we put her back in her cage, she still had the hay in her mouth and was digging in her cage! What is she doing??? She is driving us crazy!! :mad:

Okay, I'm not a bunny expert...but could she be in pain? or stressed out because of Thomas/something else? Has her daily routines been interrupted? Change of food?

The only change is Thomas, and they have been cuddling so much! They are already bonded, so I don't understand what her problems is! :confused:

I just read on the House Rabbit site about false pregnancies...I wonder...

That must be it - Faith is hormonal - either PMS or Menopause :D :D

One thing you can say about bunnies is that they are stubborn!!!! Did she put the new hole in the "false" carpet or did she go to a different place in the new carpet to dig? On one hand it sounds like she is trying to build a nest...has she pulled out some of her fur? Then it's definitely a nesting thing going on. Other than putting carpet scraps on top of the carpet about the only other thing you can do - since bunnies DO NOT respond to corrections/punishments is to keep her confined and don't feel guilty about it (easier said than done). I've used the stand alone pet fencing which allows them to be in a larger area than a cage provides but still limits where they can go and what they can get at (mine ate a hole in the front of a new sofa). Eventually she will stop this behavior, every bun is different and she just has to get this latest tantrum out of her system. Not what you wanted to hear I'm sure. Good luck!!!

Noah's Mommy,
Was just in your website looking at the pictures. They are soooo great! I noticed that the new condo picture has a plastic grid floor that sits on top of the litter and I love the idea!!!! May I ask where you found it? Our sanctuary received a one cage with that kind of plastic grid but I have no idea where it came from. Since I have 4 buns living together, one of which refuses to use her litter box, a cage with a solid floor (which they now have) has to be cleaned twice a day and Miss Emma ends up getting her butt bathed every 10 days. A two floor condo with that grid flooring would be perfect! Thanks in advance for sharing this info.

Daisylover,

The hole she chewed is in the new floor we made for them, not our carpet, thank goodness...last night she was attacking the new bunny again...I cant take much more of this...we had to let Thomas sleep in the bunny run (the stand alone pet fence with the new flooring under it) so he would be safe from her! :( We are calling the lady we got Thomas from today to see what we can do. Faith never acted this way before we got him...we totally love Thomas too! I almost want to trade bunnies and keep Thomas instead! :(

Daisylover,

We got the cage from our local Petsmart. We got it at least a year ago, but I just saw it there this weekend.

I am going again tonight, I will try to get the manufacturers name for you...

It sounds like territorial issues to me. If Faith thinks she's preggers, she could be trying to get some safe space to build a nest.

Is there any way you can give her a box or something that can be like her own "room" that she doesn't have to share with anyone?

My bun has a copy paper box with a hole cut in it so she can go inside and be alone. She likes to go in there and hide when we cook. I guess I shouldn't tease her so much about putting her in the stew pot if she's bad! :eek:

Sounds as if you have had some trouble. I really sounds as though she may have a false pregnancy. But I think that it will take her time to ajust to the new animal in the household. Be patirnt and give her lots of attention.

Maybe try seeking advice from the vets if you are really worried.

Hope that everything works out.

Love Hx

Daisylover,
I went to Petsmart last night, the manufacturer of the cage is "Super Pet". I am almost positive it is called a "pet (or rabbit) condo".

Thank you all for you advice, I asked the vet about Faith and he gave me no help. We are waiting for the rescue place to call us back...this morning, they were cuddling again...wierd! ;)

UPDATE....

Spoke with the bunny lady ( :) ), she said Faith had some hormonal things going on and we need to get her fixed to correct it....I guess she has really bad PMS! :rolleyes: (Just like mommy??)

Her appointment is next Friday...I am so glad we found a solution, poor thing! :(

Please say some prayers for her surgery, i am sure she will be fine...I'll have "Faith", ;) hee hee!

Hi Noahsmommy, I tried to look at your pictures and the pictures wouldn't come up. Didn't know if you were aware of this.

You know it is funny, I am getting my bunnies fixed at the end of the month. I wanted to just get him fixed but they tell me he can still get her pregnant up to 6 weeks after he gets fixed, so I am going to do them together. I was just a little unsure because she is so little. I am unsure of their age so I am waiting as long as possible but HIS hormones are driving me crazy. :) She is still so sweet and I feel so bad getting her operated on. I am estimating their birthdays to be Oct 6 and 13. They recommend them be about 4 months. So I will try to wait until the end of Jan or the beginning of Feb. He is starting to "sniff" her but nothing drastic yet. I hope Taz will still have a home and I still have carpet and sanity!! :)

Wow folks!! I've been out of town and a lot has happened!
How is Faith doing? From my experience spaying and neuturing goes a long way to calm animals down and make them less territorial and more affectionate to their human friends. Please don't give up on her too soon. There was a good suggestion that you keep Faith and Thomas separated and that is a good one even though it is inconvenient. Once they are BOTH neutered and recovered I'd try and put them back together and depending on each bunnies personality they may fall in love right away or it may take a few days. Buns are extremely territorial, you might re-read the House Rabbit Society's link on introducing bunnies.

With regards to neutering/spaying and health care - not that you asked, but I have to say it anyways, if you don't have a rabbit specialist vet please try to find one. I've heard horror stories about well-meaning but "unknowledgable-about-rabbits" vets that would make your hair curl. Buns have lousey immune systems and sooner or later most buns will require expert care.....I'll get off my soap box now.
Please let us know how Faith and Thomas are doing.

Noah's Mommie,
By the way, my belated thanks for the info about the bun cage with the plastic grid floor. Miss Emma is doing so much better now that she is out of the cage with the solid floor.

I"m just Chatty Cathy today!

I put a note in Pet General, but in case you don't go there, you might want to check out 2 websites: www.bunnyheaven.com www.jodijensen.com
They have terrific bunny stuff!

Great links Daisyluver!

Faith and Thomas are much better now! They cuddle and groom eachother all the time, it's so cute!! :)

This is great news. I've wondered how they were getting along. I so relieved to hear that all is well. When I stop to think about rabbits it always amazes me that they have adapted so well to being companion pets and that they are really terrific friends and have wonderful personalities and quirks. It's a wonderful feeling when I encounter a problem with a pet but through perservering and out-stubborning the stubborness all ends up happily ever after. Thanks for the update!

Yes, we are really glad that they are getting along...

Faith is in her "nesting" mood again, she ripped up some more carpet (her carpet, so it's OK) and put the strings and fluff in her litter box. She has hair in there too!! :rolleyes:

She was neutered wasn't she? In all my years of bunny keeping I haven't heard of spayed females going so far as to pull out their hair....hhmmm