OK - Time for a NEW Thumper question!

[always quiet]

My dear little furry daughter is acting a bit odd.... Her behavior has me stumped so I figured I'd ask all those who were of so much help to me months ago. She spends several hours each day, having floor time. We barracade off the living room and put newspaper under the end table for her to...ah....take care of business! She is now going on the paper, ripping it to shreds and digging in it! She has newspaper in her cage but doesn't seem to do that in there...only when she is out on the floor. Any ideas where she is trying to dig to?? I normally wouldn't mind her doing this but shredded papers does not absorb well!!

 

[CRB#33]

Sounds like nesting. Is she in heat?

 

[always quiet]

OK....time for another new Thumper question....how do you know when a rabbit is in heat????!!!!

 

[preshi]

Maybe she's trying to hibernate? she is a wild bun bun I have heard that rabbits dont go into heat the same way cats and dogs do. Rabbits are fertile most of the time. They can even get pregnant the day after they have a litter!

 

[always quiet]

Thumper is NEVER having a play date over!

 

[preshi]

I just read that they dont hibernate either... LOL So now I am out of ideas...

You know you can get Thumper fixed just like any other pet you would have

 

[always quiet]

No play dates = no whoopy!!

Seeing how she is a wild animal (sshh!! Don't tell her that! ) I don't think a regular vet could fix her. I couldn't even find one to check out her neck when she was little. They all told me that they need 'special' licenses to treat wild animals.

 

[preshi]

Yeah that is true, Thankfully we dont have to get individual permits we can work under our hospitals.

Well just make sure if you decide to expand your bunny family that you keep them apart! LOL

I've asked some people I know what they think of the behavior. I'll let you know in a little while

 

[preshi]

Ok consensus among bunny people is that Thumper is just playing and having fun. I was told that maybe you can litter train Thumper so she's not spreading waste around the house or maybe you can give her a seperate box of newspaper to shred. Either way it's normal bunny behavior

 

[always quiet]

Thumper is trained to do her business on the paper...this is where my problem is coming in! IF she does her thing on shredded paper, it leaks!! It's odd because the paper in her cage is alway intact when I clean it out daily. It's just the paper on the floor that she does it to! Typical kid...always trying to drive Mom nuts!! And NO, I have no intention to add to my bunny population! (I do wonder what any babies would look like if she 'married' a normal domesticated rabbit )

 

[preshi]

How old is Thumper now?

www.rabbit.org has some good info

 

[always quiet]

She's a big girl now! She's 8 months old!!

 

[CajunDixie]

She needs something to chew on when she's loose. If you get in the habit of giving her something to chew on in her cage then get her the same type of thing to chew on outside her cage. In pet supplies you can find pieces of wood, use cardboard tubes, or even old phonebooks.

 

[always quiet]

I bought those little packs of wooden sticks that Hartz sells. She never chewed on any of them!

To try something different, when I just cleaned her cage out now, I used the normal intact newspaper, but then topped it with a layer of shredded paper. We'll see if she likes that. I have gotten her all the different pet beddings out there (cedar chips, pine shavings, the fluff made of recycled newpapers) and she hates it ALL!! Goes totally nuts in her cage when you use it!!

I do keep an eye on the growth of her teeth. When I was first married, I had a dwarf rabbit who's teeth didn't meet, didn't grind down when he chewed. I used to have to cut them with nail clippers (the ones made for pets) monthly. Thumper lets me open her mouth to take a peek! All is well!! (considering this is evening floor time and she is tearing up the newspaper as I sit here!! )