Think Ive Taken A Step Backwards....

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niklovesrats

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So... after having Ted in Sunday and it all going well... he was left alone yesterday cause I had yet another late night! Today I was off so after the usual routine of feeding and coaxing him out I brought him in... he was calm and everything and then when I put him on the floor he kept thumping his back feet (what does this mean...?) My husband was concerned something was wrong with his legs but I said I was sure it meant something... anyway much to our horror 10 minutes later he literally flicked his bottom and next thing I know I got urine dripping down the walls..... so then I tried to catch him which he was having none of.... long story short we had to corner him and grab him which he didn't like.... put him in his hutch and I think some of the trust has probably been questioned as he wasn't so receptive to being hand fed tonight.... he is very possessive over his food bowl! He is booked in for the operation on 27th June........
 
When they thump their back feet, something has scared him, was there a loud bang on the TV? Mine normally squirts pee when he tries to assert his dominance in an area.
 
The TV was on... I wondered afterwards if he put his scent cause he can smell the girl rabbits.... they were in day before...... he literally went around the whole room rubbing his chin on everything...... I really hope he is going to be ok... I don't want to make his life worse than it was before!
 
All this is actually just normal rabbit behaviour and nothing to worry about honestly.

Firstly the thumping is usually to do with danger or something they are not sure about. It is often a loud noise or someone coming near them they were not expecting & it gave them a fright. It is to frighten off whatever the danger may be. For example my rabbits will thump during the night if they hear a noise outside and they have been frightened by it. I guess like my dog who barks instead. So we generally have a chorus of thumping and barking until we check it all out and calm them all down. Usually food settles the rabbits back down.
My rabbits also thump during the night to let me know if our hamster Travis gets out of his cage and is running around when he shouldn't be. In hindsight we should have called him Houdini lol.

For the spraying he has smelt the girls and is letting them know he is there by leaving his mark I'm afraid. This will stop once he is neutered and the hormones calm down. The male rabbit will chin rub everywhere and every time there is a change to put his scent on it to say that it is his. Even when we bring in a new cardboard box my Bear is over rubbing his chin all over it lol. By the way mine absolutely love to hide and play and chew cardboard boxes. I get really big ones from where I work so that all three of them can fit in.

Just continue on as normal as he will be fine. Both you and he are just learning about each other so all this is understandable. xx
 
Mine still squirted when he was exerting his dominance over his brother, since we rehomed his brother he has settled down with his wife and we've had no more problems. ;)
 
I just want to make him happy! The shed will be arriving very soon either end of this week or early next week, be so much better once he is living in a larger area. I know I have to wait 6 weeks until the girls can go with him but will all of that be ok? The girls came to me from 8 weeks old so their past is much less complex than his! I don't want him to be scared of me!
 
Trust me he will be happy once he is living in his new shed with his new wives. You will see a huge difference in him. It is what nature intended and much as we humans love them nothing can come close to companionship with their own species.

You and he will just have to be patient. Perhaps you can start to tell him about all the good things that are going to be happening for him. He may not understand but it may help you feel better. I personally think you are an amazing person and family doing an amazing job of making his life so much better. Believe in him and yourself. Love and hugs to you all including Ted :) xx
 
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