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Lots of little questions

22 10:37:13

Question
QUESTION: I got a rabbit at 8weeks old and she is now 7months old.She is fairly well potty trained i.e she only poos in her cage but wont use her litter tray but occasionally she will jump on me and sit for ages while i tickle her but she poos on me!! Is there a reason for her doing her poos on me??  Also she likes chewing anything wires paper magazines she even jumps on me if im reading paper and pinches it off me and runs off with it. She understands the word no and usually when she decides to run round my tv chewing the wires after a couple of nos she usually lays down, but lateley she is being very naughty/mischievous and can spend an hour or so driving me crazy chewing wires when i shoo her away she finds something else to chew like my socks or she climbs upto my cds and chews the cardboard box around them etc she
moves when i say no but never gives up lately and will get herself in more trouble by finding something else to chew.
I have booked to have her neuted next week and hope that this might stop her naughtyness but i cannot cope with this behaviour and cannot understand whats wrong with her. She runs around jumping a lot so shes definately not unhappy but why the sudden naughtiness?? Please help i love her to bits and don't want to have to get rid of her.

ANSWER: First off, rabbits leave pellets around their space to warn other bunnies, 'Hey, I live here!' Spaying may help her to be less territorial, but the fact is most rabbits do this. Luckily the poops are small, hard, odorless, and easy to clean up ;-)

Second, because their front teeth are constantly growing, bunnies chew. All the time. You can give her toys (like wooden sticks) to chew on and old newspapers/phonebooks to chew and shred. That way she can get out her urge to chew instead of going after your stuff. But bunnies are like babies - you need to keep things out of their way if you don't want it to be damaged ;-)

Be aware that chewing carpeting and wires is VERY dangerous and could kill your rabbit. Carpet fibers can cause a blockage in her intestines and wires could give her a deadly electric shock. Check out these ideas to rabbit-proof your house:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/rabbit-proofing.html

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=18&cat=1803&articleid=2724

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT SHE HAS HUNDREDS OF THINGS TO PLAY WITH WOODEN TOYS,HAY OBLONG THAT SHE CAN CHEW+RUN IN+OUT OF,LOTS OF OTHER THINGS SHES GOT WHAT IVE BOUGHT HER FROM PET SHOP BUT SHES NOT INTERESTED. WHEN IVE GIVEN HER NEWSPAPER TO RIP UP SHE EATS IT+THEN SHES POORLY! I ALSO GOT A BOX WHICH IVE FILLED WITH HAY THAT SHE DIGS IN BUT SHE WOULD SOONER HAVE THINGS SHES NOT SUPPOSED TO. THE WIRES I COVER WITH TEATOWELS WHEN SHES RUNNING BUT SHE PULLS THEM OFF TO GET TO WIRES SHES VERY CLEVER!! I JUST DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO

Answer
There really isn't a way to keep rabbits away from things they should not have except to keep those things out of her reach. If she's refusing to leave them alone, then the wires should be completely blocked or else in a place where she absolutely CANNOT get to them. She's just a youngster right now, she will eventually settle down and not be *quite* so mischevious. In the meantime, turn her space into Bunny-Proof central ;-)