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Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: Feb 9-15- Rabbit Care

In honor of Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month, we have invited Joanna Campbell of the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society here to answer all your questions on rabbit care and training.

Joanna has had pet rabbits for over 30yrs. She got the rabbit bug after a fellow student brought rabbits to class for show and tell. Since then, she has continuously had a variety of rabbits, from Dwarves to Flemish Giants. Joanna first became acquainted with the House Rabbit Society in 1997. She went on to become a nationally certified HRS educator, HRS fosterer and served on the House Rabbit Society Board. At the same time, she founded the Minnesota House Rabbit Society now called the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society, where she currently serves as the group’s president.

So join us with your many bunny questions from February 9th to the 15th.

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:43 am Post subject:

I have a bunny question. My sister had a male rabbit for many years. He wasn't neutered and she said she never saw him sleep. He died a couple years ago. She recently got another male rabbit who was neutered and when she saw him stretched out sound asleep she thought he was sick because her other rabbit never did that. The rescuer that she got him from said her other rabbit didn't sleep because he wasn't neutered. Can that be true?

Answer

I have never heard of that myself. However, I've frequently had inquiries about how and when rabbits sleep. Because they are prey animals, they tend not to close their eyes to sleep like us humans do. Only the most carefree of rabbits will be observed to be truly checked out and "asleep". They are more likely to take advantage of times when the household is normally quiet to do this - times when you are asleep yourself or at work, so you don't see this happen. The rest of the time, you might do something interesting, so they want to be at least partially aware of what is going on around them. The behavior you have observed in your sister's first rabbit is much more typical of the average rabbit, regardless of whether they are neutered or not.

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:38 am Post subject:

Hi,

I have a well-loved, neutered, male rabbit who is 5 years old. He has a access to a cage during the day, but is allowed free home of the dining room/living room. He spends most of the day lying under the table or on a mat in the corner. His litter-habits used to be really good, but it seems like he has been getting "lazy" about going in the right place. There are no medical problems, it just seems like he'd sometimes rather urinate outside of his cage. I've tried putting various litterboxes with different substrates around the area- which are almost always ignored. At times, he has peed on the couch (it seems in retaliation), after being caught doing something bad (ie. not allowed to certain areas/chewing shoes).

Anyway, it's not a huge issue since the floors are hardwood- but I would like to bring him to my new home in the fall if he's litter habits are more predictable(versus staying a home with my family where he's been).

Another question I have is related. Do you think he would be happier in the current home with my family (more people and other pets), and perhaps the change to a quieter, place would be disruptive?

Okay, and lastly, I'd love to clicker train him. Any suggestions on how to do this with rabbits?

Answer
Great questions! I'm glad you included that he doesn't have any medical problems because any time normal behaviors change it is good to rule out a physical cause before addressing the behavior. I'd also say that you have correctly identified two different types of behavior. Retaliation peeing in inappropriate places is unlikely to be curbed. This most commonly happens when you've done something that the rabbit is unhappy about - and more times than not they will even wait til you are watching or nearby to make SURE you get the point. Wink

Simply getting lazy about the litterbox is something you should be able to address with your rabbit though. Since he's using the litterbox part of the time, and you've already tried different litters and more litterboxes, my recommendation would be to repeat the litter training process. Restrict him to his cage except when you can supervise him. If he has an accident, then he goes back in the cage on restriction for 30 minutes or so. Right now, he has no incentive to curb the behavior because he still gets all his privileges and you still clean up after him. So, why bother? Assuming he values his freedom, it won't take him long to figure out that using the litterbox gains him continued freedom.

In terms of where your rabbit would be happier when you move, that's hard to say with the information you've provided. I'd consider who is his primary caregiver and who spends the most time interacting with him. If that's you, then he should definitely go where you go. However, if that's someone else in the home - and they are willing to continue those duties - then maybe staying in his current location would be best. Most rabbits will adjust to changes like moving just fine, so I wouldn't leave him behind simply to save the stress of relocating. If, once you both get settled in your new place, he seems lonely, you can always consider getting him a friend to keep him company while you are at work or asleep.

Since you are interested in clicker training your bunny, that would obviously require him to live with you to have enough time together to keep up his training. Most rabbits are capable of being clicker trained. If your rabbit likes food/treats, that's perfect. Some rabbits are not motivated by food and that can be a little more challenging. And there are a few rabbits that know what you want but simply refuse, too. The basic process of clicker training is to spend time with your rabbit, clicker in hand, treats in the other. When the bunny does what you want, click immediately & treat. The bunny learns to associate the click with good things, so then you can eventually reinforce desired behaviors with just a click. There is a bunch of information available on the internet. Just go to your favorite search engine & type in "clicker training rabbits".

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:38 pm Post subject: New bunny intros

Posting for a friend:

We are looking to add a bunny to our home and we have 1 cat and a dog. We had a bunny before with the cat and they got along great. However it has been a couple of years and we did not have the dog at the time. The big question is...the dog is pretty mellow and seems to like the rabbit we are looking to adopt as we did a little meet and greet. But we are just looking on the best advice you have for introducing the current pets to the new bunny. He will be an indoor bun of course and we hope to give him free reign of the home when we are home.
Thanks!

Answer
It is great to be cautious when introducing rabbits to other species. Since your cat has lived with a rabbit before, they will likely adjust to a new bunny rather easily. You will still want to keep an eye on them to make sure they adjust to each other and interact properly. I'd also recommend having some space in your home that is just for the rabbit and another that is just for the cat. They need to be able to choose to retreat from each other, even if they rarely use that option. We have two cats and a bonded trio of rabbits here. The cats are allowed into the bunnys' play area, but not into the bunny cage.

With the new dog, probably the most important thing to remember is a dog has powerful jaws and can accidentally hurt a rabbit without intending to. What is just play to them can be fatal to a rabbit. So, you will want to closely supervise interactions for some time to make sure the dog & rabbit interact properly. When we are doing introductions, we usually start by teaching the dog not to pursue the rabbit - that the rabbit is allowed to hop and the dog doesn't need to or even get to chase. We'll put the dog on a leash and sitting or laying down. Let the rabbit hop around in his line of sight & evaluate his reaction. Be sure to use your voice to calm and assure the dog that this is a positive experience and offer treats to reinforce positive behavior after the introduction session is over. Repeat this process gradually giving the dog more freedom as he proves he can be safe around the rabbit. Every introduction is different, but to get an idea of how others have done! it, read http://dogmeetsbunny.blogspot.com/. This includes several people's own experiences with introducing rabbits to dogs. Good luck!

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:46 pm Post subject: what bunny is best?

Hi there! I have been considering bunny adoption for some time now. We have bunny proofed, and even set up a room that will be the bunny's own personal play room rather than have to stay in a cage. The biggest question we have is what kind of bunny to get! We were told that larger lops are easier to train and more friendly than the small straight eared bunnies. Is that true? Is there a definite personality difference with the breeds? I plan to spend every moment i am home with the bunny so I really want one that will want to be with me as well. Is there a specific way to socialize them? Thanks!

Answer
Somebunny is going to be very lucky to live with you! You've done some great preparation for your new family member. And it is also very likely that there are many homeless rabbits near you that need homes - so how do you pick just one?

While some people will say that there are indeed breed specific personality traits, many adoptable rabbits are mixed breed or incorrectly identified by breed, so that's really not a very good guideline. I've often said that if you lined up five apparently identical rabbits, you'd find a variety of personalitys and vice versa - if you lined up several rabbits with the same personality, they would likely have very different appearances. So, your best bet is to spend time with individual rabbits and see who seems like a good fit to you. Bunnies have all sorts of personalities - from quiet & shy, to positively fearless, and everything in between. Plus, because they are prey animals, the more the get to know you, the more you will see their 'real' personality. Some rabbits appear shy or standoffish initially but are really sweet once they get to know you. Think about how much time you've spent preparing for your new family member. You don't want to rush the process of finding! the rabbit to occupy that space.

There are a couple of things I would suggest considering, though. While breed isn't the best indication of personality type, we often say that "size does matter" - at least with rabbits. Much like dogs, smaller rabbits tend to be more active, busy, etc. Larger rabbits tend to be more laid back, relaxed, etc. Both are stereotypes and there are certainly exceptions - but it gives you a general guideline to start from.

Also, it is just as easy to bring an already bonded pair into a new space as a single bun. If there are any pairs available near you, please consider them as well. Pairs wait longer to get adopted, but are not twice as much work. They share the same cage, same litterbox, etc. Plus, they provide comfort and support to each other during the hours that you are away at work or asleep. That doesn't mean you can pick two random rabbits and bring them home without issue - but two rabbits that are already bonded are almost a two-for-one special! Smile

Good luck with finding your new family member!

Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject: Litter?

I recently adopted a bunny that was originally kept outside. At the shelter they put hay in his litter box and he really did not use it. So he is home now and I am still using Hay in his cage here in the house...he eats it and poops and pees outside the litter box. I was told that I could litter train him....what is the best/safest litter I can use and can I get some litter training tips? Thanks so much!

Answer

You didn't say whether your new bunny is neutered. If not, that is the first step to successful litterbox training. An unneutered rabbit is driven to mark his territory, which is done primarily with poop and pee. If he's been recently neutered, it can take 30 days or so for the hormones to settle down again.

Assuming your bun has been neutered at least 30 days, the usual way to start litterbox training is to restrict activity to a very small space for a few days. The bun will usually pick a corner as their bathroom area. Put the litterbox there and then gradually increase his run space. Supervise him closely and if he has an accident, put him back in his cage for 30 minutes or so before allowing him freedom again. Most bunnies catch on very quickly - within a week or two.

However, some rabbits can be more challenging. Rabbits that have been allowed to poop anywhere for some time have a "habit" they need to break. The whole litterbox concept is new and they might take a bit more time to be reliable with it. Still, most rabbits can at least be "cage-trained" so they can be allowed freedom to roam, even if they aren't 100% with the litterbox.

In some cases, it takes a little experimenting to hit on what the rabbit wants. For example, some rabbits want two litterboxes - one for a bathroom and one for a "lounge". If they only have one, its the lounge. If they have two, one will be the bathroom and the other will be their lounge.

They do tend to poop while they eat hay, so keeping it in the litterbox should encourage him to spend more time there and keep the poop where it belongs. If he's sitting outside the box, you can try setting him *in* the box to see if that helps. If not, you may need to try a hay rack of some kind so he can only get to the hay from inside the litterbox. Once he catches on, you can go back to putting hay right in the litterbox as most hay racks just don't hold enough.

In terms of what type of litter to use, our favorite litter is pelleted wood. If you live in an area where they sell wood pellets for use in wood pellet stoves, those are ideal. They are cheap and effective. Similar products are available in pet stores under brands like Feline Pine. You want to avoid clumping litters as self-grooming animals like rabbits will ingest some of it, which can cause digestive issus. You also want to avoid softwood *shavings* like cedar. While they make things smell nice to us, they can cause issues for your rabbit. Pelleted wood is processed to reduce/eliminate this risk. Beyond pelleted wood, there are several paper-based litters, many of which rely on recycled product. Brands of paper litter include Yesterday's News and Carefresh. Best of all, if you use wood or paper as litter, you can turn your bunny's litterbox into garden fertilizer rather than simply throwing it away!

For more detailed information, there is a great article on litter & littertraining here: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/litter.html

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