Frustrated Bunny owner ready to give up!

[Sunshine's Fine]

Rabbits are barely domesticated, just a few hundred years compared to the 15000 years dogs are, and keeping them as pets is a very recent fad. They still have most of their natural, wild behaviour. To keep them as pets compromises need to be made. All rabbits are different, so some will not require much adaption, others need a lot of bunny proofing, and then there are those with a strong opinion about what being a rabbit is all about.

Your girl sounds like my Fury, was my house bunny for 8 months, Myxo quarantine, she reduced all plinth to flakes - wood and PVC alike, destroyed USB cables and airbrush hoses like they were her deadly enemies, almost succeded in killing me twice by removing insulation from power cords, started a tunnel straight into the wall, after 2" the bricks stopped her. And, after I got another "doe", she had her first litter in my kitchen.
She's 8 years now, and a very happy outdoor bunny with lots of energy, retired her from breeding this year, wasn't happy about that.

So, hormones trigger a lot of behaviour, set her on track to act out what would be necessary to fight for survival in the wild, get a warren built and organized, and to reproduce like, well, rabbits. A lot of drive and energy gets pent up not being able to act that out, let that steam off. Some of it goes into behaviour we would call "destructive".

Spaying relieves that pressure somewhat, that urge to prepare a warren and the yearning for being bred. Intact does can have very strong ideas about hierachy, and their mood and drive changes with their hormone level.

Spaying is one of those compromises, she's a house pet, not one of those few bunnies that populated Australia single-handedly. Having a doe with such strong instincts intact as pet is somewhat like revving up a car on idle, lots of wear and annoyance for those around, but not getting anyone anywhere. That cancer thing is basicly true, but it got completly blown out of proportion as a deadbeat argument, my guess is more like 20% in their lifetime - which is still a valid argument.

My current house bunnies are an intact buck, and his spayed cuddlebun. Not entirely trouble free, at least for me, but since he got athrosis Dotty can always get away from him when he's too much a PITA. My other 4 does are intact outside bunnies.

Wow! tunnelling into a wall??? All my bunnies annoying behaviours pale in comparison to this. Thank goodness your place was made of brick! And removing the insulation from power cords? sounds like a death threat to me. It's amazing how destructive they can be if they want to, especially when you look at their sweet little, seemingly un-destructive little paws. I'm not sure if the pic is of Dotty or your buck, but whoever it is very pretty.

 

[dgos17]

I adopted a boy who was quite a destructive chewer. His original owners didn't have him neutered and while he would let me pet him, he was hard to get close to. He also would hump me! My arm, my leg, my back - whatever was nearest to him. I got him a stuffed animal and he humped that poor thing continually. I decided to have him neutered, and what a different bunny he was after! He was so sweet, I would take him out in the yard with his harness and leash, he was litter trained super easily, I moved a long distance and he travelled with me. He was super sweet and would jump up into my lap at night to snuggle with me, and would even get into bed with me in the mornings for a cuddle. I lost him quite suddenly one night when he was 6 and I still miss him. I don't regret doing the surgery at all. The only reason I would be nervous at all is that sometimes bunnies don't make it through the anaesthesia (that can happen with people too, but is one of the risks). There is a very high degree of reproductive cancers in rabbits and that scared me, too. Only you know what's best for your bunny, but it's worth doing your own research so you can make an informed decision. Good luck.

wow, what a great story! So happy it worked out for you. thank you for sharing

 

[dgos17]

One of my girls is a chewer. She chews every soft, rubbery, plastic-y thing she can find. She has chewed wooden furniture legs and just about everything she can get her teeth on. I got her some apple sticks and now she rarely chews things I don't want her to. If I catch her about to chew something, I tell her "No!" and give her a new apple stick. It seems to be working. It might be worth trying with your bun. Oh, I tried willow sticks and neither of them were interested in them at all. Oxbow makes nice, long ones, but I have a hard time finding them. Hope this helps.

that is a great idea! thank you!

 

[dgos17]

I own 2 girls for almost a year now, and **** is one of my girls destructive, she ate my bose speaker cables and the TV cable, 1 laptop and 3 phone chargers, totally anihilated every single veggie on my garden no matter how much fence/obstacle I put, tried to bit every family member at least 11/10 time we try to catch her. She dugged out entire bushes , I would find the trunk and branches on one side and big hole here and there. Oh and one time she fought with her sister (they had a period were they unbonded ?¿ we are back to bonded now) which ended up in an emrgency trip to the vet and abdominal surgery for my other bunny. So yeah if you can get her neutered do so your life would be easier, i havent found a vet that does neutering near me as a matter of fact theres only 1 vet where i live that treats/handles bunnies.. talk about vet money $$$. She only really lets me pet her when SHE wants and grunts if you dont let her do her will. On a brigther side her sister although she has been destructive in the past too, is not aggresive and actually obeys when called out on bad behavior and generally displays love towards almost everyone in the family.

Oh my! She sounds like a character!

 

[Zoe The Continental Giant]

help! I don't want to give this sweet bunny away, but wow! I've tried everything...no matter how big of a space I give her, she wants more...she bit through our gates, she bites on metal gates too. I can't let her roam, she's too destructive. eats base boards, doors, furniture, anything. she has TONS of toys and chew toys, she is not spayed and I'm not planning on it. she is 10 months old...she will flop and let us pet her sometimes, but not always, she does tricks with food as treats....but, I don't feel bonded with her really and I try, I really do. She does circle us sometimes like she loves us...but, it seems like she's angry or annoyed. she was in the play area we have in our family room last night...and there is a container with her hay, she dumped it out, when I cleaned it up and put it back, she dumped it again. HELP!!!!!

so what I’ve learned with my bun Zoe is that you have to let her come to you and then pet her. I keep her hay in a cardboard box so that she can chew on the box as well as the hay as she pleases. Then, I clean her play area around 4 times a week. Zoe is only like 5 months old, but we are spaying her soon. She’s very moody, but that mood had subsided with spaying and neutering in my past bunnies. So I HIGHLY recommend spaying her. The fact that she does tricks means that she is bonding! Don’t give up hope yet!! Bunnies can be difficult to bond with, but once you do bond with them, it’s worth it!

 

[dgos17]

so what I’ve learned with my bun Zoe is that you have to let her come to you and then pet her. I keep her hay in a cardboard box so that she can chew on the box as well as the hay as she pleases. Then, I clean her play area around 4 times a week. Zoe is only like 5 months old, but we are spaying her soon. She’s very moody, but that mood had subsided with spaying and neutering in my past bunnies. So I HIGHLY recommend spaying her. The fact that she does tricks means that she is bonding! Don’t give up hope yet!! Bunnies can be difficult to bond with, but once you do bond with them, it’s worth it!

thank you. this is encouraging. I really appreciate it.

 

[Animalover]

I've had my girl for a year now and she's spayed. Once in a while she will try and chew on the carpet or a base board. Places she frequented most I just add empty toilet tissue rolls to or chew sticks by, as a distraction and it seems to work most times. Sometimes I just yell no and go stand there over her, she doesn't like that and she may stomp her foot at me but I stand my ground and she's the one who leaves first.

Another good deterrent I found which some may not agree with is using regular air spray and it works. For example, I have a lamp with cord I am unable to hide so before I let her out to roam I'll spray some air freshener all over it. She stays completely away from it. Where the carpet ends and my tile floor begins seems to be a favorite spot for her, I'll spray it down along the line and she leaves it alone. I'm pretty sure she hasn't tasted it, I believe the smell alone is enough for her.

 

[Alice the Mini Lop]

My girl Alice was similar to this. She was never destructive, but she was VERY aggressive when she wasn’t spayed. She regularly drew blood from me, and would attack randomly. She would also attack my hair, and would attack me if I smelled like any other small animal, not just like a rabbit. After spaying her, she is the sweetest bunny ever. She comes when called, follows me around, and loves to be cuddled. She even free roams now that we don’t need to worry about her attacking.

While I can’t really speak on destructive behaviors, because my girl refuses to chew anything besides food, I hear spaying greatly helps. Bunny proofing properly also helps. Your bunny can’t destroy anything if it can’t reach anything to destroy! Honestly, I’d prefer a more destructive bunny. Due to my rabbit’s lack of willingness to chew, she developed a dental abscess that we needed to go out of state and spend ungodly amounts of money to treat. We think it died down, but she still has multiple more expensive appointments at this out of state specialty vet to make sure. The grass is always greener on the other side!

And about the whole “taking organs that were meant to be there” thing, I totally get your opinion! I prefer to think of it as taking out something that is hurting their quality of life. Rabbits can’t really be ‘aggressive’ in the human sense (though I did use the word), as rabbits aren’t really capable of human thinking. Rabbits can only be ‘defensive’, which can put stress on them. If spaying reduces the defensiveness, that creates a happier, and therefore healthier, companion. Spaying also greatly reduces the chance of mammary cancer in rabbits, and completely eliminates the chance of all other reproductive cancers, which are very common in female rabbits. This alone is an amazing reason to spay.

Humans also commonly take out organs that hurt their quality of life, so what we are doing isn’t really uncommon. Our pet bunnies are fundamentally different from wild rabbits, so there isn’t anything wrong with treating them a bit differently.

I hope this helped! Good luck on you and your buns journey and good luck with your decision!

 

[Zoe The Continental Giant]

thank you. this is encouraging. I really appreciate it.

You’re welcome!!

 

[poopandpee]

I got a 2 year old boy few months ago who was freshly neutered. When I took him home it took so long for ME to bond with him, I even contemplated returning him, mine wasn't as destructive as yours however he was CraZY!!!! he flew across the living room bouncing off the couches to the other, every time I knelt down to clean up after him, he will spray me I still remember the sharp warm feeling across my back, legs, arms - he sprayed the walls, he nibbled too hard, dug on me really roughly, I was scared to be near him since he was too rough.

Not sure exactly when his hormones died down (probably week 6-8), but his litter habits are absolutely perfect now, his picked up licking habits from the girl bun - she is a licker. Everytime I come into their room, they're both at my feet constantly licking me that it's so difficult to walk.. slipper extensions. He stopped flying across the house - there's still the occasional naughty things he does, but he's calmed down a whole lot - a completely diff bun.

Now, it's my girl that's driving me insane zz - I got her when she was recently spayed also, but she's always been calm/good, just her litter habits are doing my head in.

I understand your stance on removing organs but am so happy you have changed your mind . For me, getting my pets desexed was for their health, bonding and happiness. If they ever got accidentally pregnant, the birth is harmful and there are so many abandoned pets already, I don't want to add to that.

Keep us updated if you do spay her and let us know her changes!

 

[dgos17]

I've had my girl for a year now and she's spayed. Once in a while she will try and chew on the carpet or a base board. Places she frequented most I just add empty toilet tissue rolls to or chew sticks by, as a distraction and it seems to work most times. Sometimes I just yell no and go stand there over her, she doesn't like that and she may stomp her foot at me but I stand my ground and she's the one who leaves first.

Another good deterrent I found which some may not agree with is using regular air spray and it works. For example, I have a lamp with cord I am unable to hide so before I let her out to roam I'll spray some air freshener all over it. She stays completely away from it. Where the carpet ends and my tile floor begins seems to be a favorite spot for her, I'll spray it down along the line and she leaves it alone. I'm pretty sure she hasn't tasted it, I believe the smell alone is enough for her.

I just ordered some bitter apple hoping that works too. thanks for the tip

 

[Blue eyes]

I just ordered some bitter apple hoping that works too. thanks for the tip

Bitter apple spray is something that some rabbits detest and other rabbits don't mind at all. So know that it works only with some rabbits. But either way, it does fade. Once it fades away, it won't work as a deterrent. So just keep that in mind. It is, at best, a temporary deterrent.

For protecting cords, tubing can be wrapped around to protect them.

 

[dgos17]

Bitter apple spray is something that some rabbits detest and other rabbits don't mind at all. So know that it works only with some rabbits. But either way, it does fade. Once it fades away, it won't work as a deterrent. So just keep that in mind. It is, at best, a temporary deterrent.

For protecting cords, tubing can be wrapped around to protect them.

I kinda figured it was a risk. Not worried about wires, those are up, it's the doors and baseboards.

 

[Auggie+Snowball+Belle]

help! I don't want to give this sweet bunny away, but wow! I've tried everything...no matter how big of a space I give her, she wants more...she bit through our gates, she bites on metal gates too. I can't let her roam, she's too destructive. eats base boards, doors, furniture, anything. she has TONS of toys and chew toys, she is not spayed and I'm not planning on it. she is 10 months old...she will flop and let us pet her sometimes, but not always, she does tricks with food as treats....but, I don't feel bonded with her really and I try, I really do. She does circle us sometimes like she loves us...but, it seems like she's angry or annoyed. she was in the play area we have in our family room last night...and there is a container with her hay, she dumped it out, when I cleaned it up and put it back, she dumped it again. HELP!!!!!

My one rabbit Belle Is just like this besides the furniture thing. Wr got her spayed a few months back (it only cost around 200-300 dollars at my regular vet!) and she’s still crazy but not as bad, her personality is just mischievous (jumps over 2 foot fences easily, digs the carpet in a certain spot, etc.). You just have to figure out what works for you. I bet if you get her spayed she’ll calm down quite a bit. Belle loves to jump over stuff, so we got a 4 foot tall fence. She loves to dig under a couch and we blocked it off. There are baseboard protectors, carpet runners, bitter apple spay, plastic tubing and much more! Here’s an article that gave me a ton of ideas, definitely worth reading How to Rabbit‐Proof Your Home
As for bonding with your bunny here’s an article for that Bonding With Your Rabbit | House Rabbit Society
Good luck, don’t give up yet!

 

[dgos17]

My one rabbit Belle Is just like this besides the furniture thing. Wr got her spayed a few months back (it only cost around 200-300 dollars at my regular vet!) and she’s still crazy but not as bad, her personality is just mischievous (jumps over 2 foot fences easily, digs the carpet in a certain spot, etc.). You just have to figure out what works for you. I bet if you get her spayed she’ll calm down quite a bit. Belle loves to jump over stuff, so we got a 4 foot tall fence. She loves to dig under a couch and we blocked it off. There are baseboard protectors, carpet runners, bitter apple spay, plastic tubing and much more! Here’s an article that gave me a ton of ideas, definitely worth reading How to Rabbit‐Proof Your Home
As for bonding with your bunny here’s an article for that Bonding With Your Rabbit | House Rabbit Society
Good luck, don’t give up yet!

Mischievous is a great way to describe my girl too. thank you for these links, very helpful. I will keep trying b/c she's a sweetie! thank you!