Deaf Rabbit

[nessar]

On Wednesday I took on a house rabbit. He had been given to Pets at Home. He's a big rabbit, his old owner said pure breed but the staff couldnt remember what. He looks identical to Blanc de Bouscat (google image it) and weighs in right (4.7kg) but he has blue eyes, rather than the breed's usual pink. The staff reckon he is about 2-3 years old.

He's very friendly, litter box trained in his cage, but wees and poos all around my desk when he is let out, ignoring his other litter tray there. Today I bought 5 paint trays and lined them up around my desk so there were no gaps and he has used them to poo in a little more than what is on the floor, but not wee, so partial success there! Not sure whether he had a litter box in his old cage, as he has large urine stains on his rear, he definately wasnt house-trained.

The main problem is he is possessive and aggressive about his food. He won't let me remove his empty bowl from his cage to fill it, and if you dare go near a treat he hasnt eaten he will charge, grunt, and once when I didnt move fast enough, bite.

I've been trying to train him, but noticed he didnt respond to any verbal or noise detterant. I tried getting louder and louder, but to no avail. So when I took him to the vet to get him vaccinated and checked over, I asked about deafness. He said wait till he is in the same room but round a corner so he cant see you, then bang pans together. Being a prey animal he should be startled and run like the clappers. His ears didnt even twitch.

So I have a deaf rabbit! And trying to train a deaf rabbit is hard. Saying 'no' or clapping your hands like they say to do in the books doesnt work as he cant hear you, and obviously you cant tap a rabbit. I've tried to find info searching through google but cant find anything on training deaf rabbits. So far I have got him to respond to being sprayed with pressurised air in a can (for cleaning keyboards) to get him to stop chewing things. As regards litter training I have tried picking him up when he is toileting (normally near the litter tray) and placing him in the litter tray, but he just runs off and messes up the carpet somewhere else.

The aggression is the main thing, and I dont mind pellets but I just can't have him urinating on my carpet 4 times a day! I've had many rabbits before, but never one indoors and never one so aggressive about food. The vet said neutering might help with both problems but where he is older the behaviour is probably at least partly permanent. Not sure if I will get him neutered as there is a risk, but even if I do it wont be probably for another month, as he is getting vaccinations first. So the question is:

How do I train a deaf rabbit? (edit: and sorry for the essay )

 

[stonecoloured]

I've never had rabbits, never mind a deaf one... But looking through the internets, they suggest using air sprays/ water sprays to discourage and food to reward.

It may be worth giving him food/treats after he uses the right litter tray and spraying him if he uses the floor.
The only other thing I can think of is a flash light to panic him...


Also, I wonder if his aggression about food is because he is used to other rabbits/people sneaking up and taking it? Have you tried approaching him in plain sight, so he knows you are there and then taking the foods? Or possibly, taking his food and replacing it (at the same time) with a small treat, as then he associates you touching his food with treats! Should make him less grouchy.

Hope this helps! Good Luck! Sounds like a tough one!

 

[aly_starh]

On Wednesday I took on a house rabbit. He had been given to Pets at Home. He's a big rabbit, his old owner said pure breed but the staff couldnt remember what. He looks identical to Blanc de Bouscat (google image it) and weighs in right (4.7kg) but he has blue eyes, rather than the breed's usual pink. The staff reckon he is about 2-3 years old.

Ahhh, just googled it, soooo pretty!

He's very friendly, litter box trained in his cage, but wees and poos all around my desk when he is let out, ignoring his other litter tray there. Today I bought 5 paint trays and lined them up around my desk so there were no gaps and he has used them to poo in a little more than what is on the floor, but not wee, so partial success there! Not sure whether he had a litter box in his old cage, as he has large urine stains on his rear, he definately wasnt house-trained.

Thats most definetly territorial marking. Even when rabbits are neutered they will poop around, basically to find his bearings, and to show his territory. After i have cleaned Alfies cage, he normally does this, as he can smell a new scent.

He is most likely spraying outside his cage. Due to territory.

So as for pooping, that might always happen, but to minimise spraying, best thing to do is after cleaning it up, wipe it over with lemon juice. Rabbits detest citrus fruits, so this should deter him from that area.

The main problem is he is possessive and aggressive about his food. He won't let me remove his empty bowl from his cage to fill it, and if you dare go near a treat he hasnt eaten he will charge, grunt, and once when I didnt move fast enough, bite.

Okay well, out of all the reseach i have done on rabbits, i always read to never put your hands in there cage. Thats his own territory, his own little space. So even when cleaning wait till he is out of the cage, then clean it. Same with filling his bowl, wait till he is out of the cage, then fill it.

I've been trying to train him, but noticed he didnt respond to any verbal or noise detterant. I tried getting louder and louder, but to no avail. So when I took him to the vet to get him vaccinated and checked over, I asked about deafness. He said wait till he is in the same room but round a corner so he cant see you, then bang pans together. Being a prey animal he should be startled and run like the clappers. His ears didnt even twitch.

Hmmmm, thats a tricky one. Maybe hes just ignoring you? Rabbits are pretty stubborn when they want to be. Did his eyes open? Try clapping your hands right on top of his head, just to make sure.


...... okay, just read the top paragraph again, the fact that you say he has blue eyes, may actually mean he is deaf.

So I have a deaf rabbit! And trying to train a deaf rabbit is hard. Saying 'no' or clapping your hands like they say to do in the books doesnt work as he cant hear you, and obviously you cant tap a rabbit. I've tried to find info searching through google but cant find anything on training deaf rabbits. So far I have got him to respond to being sprayed with pressurised air in a can (for cleaning keyboards) to get him to stop chewing things. As regards litter training I have tried picking him up when he is toileting (normally near the litter tray) and placing him in the litter tray, but he just runs off and messes up the carpet somewhere else.

Not to worry, im sure your persistent training will pay off. The pressurised air can sounds like a good move. You could also try a 'splash' of water??

Maybe he doesnt like the litter tray he is given? Or the material inside it? What is it that your using?

The aggression is the main thing, and I dont mind pellets but I just can't have him urinating on my carpet 4 times a day! I've had many rabbits before, but never one indoors and never one so aggressive about food. The vet said neutering might help with both problems but where he is older the behaviour is probably at least partly permanent. Not sure if I will get him neutered as there is a risk, but even if I do it wont be probably for another month, as he is getting vaccinations first. So the question is:
How do I train a deaf rabbit? (edit: and sorry for the essay )

Being an older rabbit, your right. Some of the habits he has may be permanent.
I would try praise, he seems to be very food orientated. When you see good behaviour then offer a treat.
As for when you see behaviour that is not desirable, like biting the carpet or something.. Id 'tap' the carpet then move the rabbit. Reapeating it till the rabbit learns.

Hope that helps,

 

[nessar]

sorry, havent been on it ages! I questioned P@H and he is definately Blanc de Bouscat.

The litter tray issue is kind of sorted. I slowly started taking them away till 2 were left, then put his old travel cage in its place, without the top. He will wee only in there, however it is right under my desk, right where my feet would go, the long side under the desk. I did try turning it round, so it had the end under the desk, but he weed next to it instead!

He is getting better with behavior, I can now remove his bowl if I do it slowly whilst stroking him. I too read about not putting hands inside the cage, but I decided it wasnt practical - what if he had an operation and he had to stay in his cage? I wouldnt be able to clean him out or feed him properly. So I wait till he's out to clean or rearrange but will remove his bowl when hes in to try get him used to accepting me in that space.

He does poo EVERYWHERE! It's ridiculous, I have to go round picking it up every night after he's in bed (he will charge at me if I do it when hes out). I swear he toilets more than he should, I clean his 2 litter trays out every 2 days, more sometimes, he really smells! What do you use for litter? I found sawdust smelt, wood litter was a bit better, but carefresh was best odour-wise but doesnt absorb as much. Expensive though for a student like me, a £5 bag doesnt even last a week and that is using it in addition to kitchen roll and lots of hay.

I'm pretty sure he is deaf, or very nearly so. He just doesnt react to noises. However I did wait till he was asleep and then yell as loud as I could with a friend and he opened his eyes for a minute before going back to sleep - might have been a coincidence but maybe he can hear a little.

Yes, he is VERY food oriented, however a little too much. I can't really feed treats, as he goes for me when I do, unless its something big like a whole carrot or half a broccoli, then he'll nibble it nicely. But not really practical to keep feeding him. I've stopped with the compressed air, and started using a water spray instead. It's more effective and I had a bit of a scare with the air, accidently got him in the eye and he wouldnt keep it open for 15 minutes or so.

Being that some of his worst behaviour has improved, would you reccommend neutering? Obviously any operation does have a risk but it eliminates the chance of testicular cancer and might improve behaviour, I can't make my mind up. I had one of my rabbits as a child die from the anesthetic.

 

[kmur]

sorry, havent been on it ages! I questioned P@H and he is definately Blanc de Bouscat.

The litter tray issue is kind of sorted. I slowly started taking them away till 2 were left, then put his old travel cage in its place, without the top. He will wee only in there, however it is right under my desk, right where my feet would go, the long side under the desk. I did try turning it round, so it had the end under the desk, but he weed next to it instead!

He is getting better with behavior, I can now remove his bowl if I do it slowly whilst stroking him. I too read about not putting hands inside the cage, but I decided it wasnt practical - what if he had an operation and he had to stay in his cage? I wouldnt be able to clean him out or feed him properly. So I wait till he's out to clean or rearrange but will remove his bowl when hes in to try get him used to accepting me in that space.

He does poo EVERYWHERE! It's ridiculous, I have to go round picking it up every night after he's in bed (he will charge at me if I do it when hes out). I swear he toilets more than he should, I clean his 2 litter trays out every 2 days, more sometimes, he really smells! What do you use for litter? I found sawdust smelt, wood litter was a bit better, but carefresh was best odour-wise but doesnt absorb as much. Expensive though for a student like me, a £5 bag doesnt even last a week and that is using it in addition to kitchen roll and lots of hay.

I'm pretty sure he is deaf, or very nearly so. He just doesnt react to noises. However I did wait till he was asleep and then yell as loud as I could with a friend and he opened his eyes for a minute before going back to sleep - might have been a coincidence but maybe he can hear a little.

Yes, he is VERY food oriented, however a little too much. I can't really feed treats, as he goes for me when I do, unless its something big like a whole carrot or half a broccoli, then he'll nibble it nicely. But not really practical to keep feeding him. I've stopped with the compressed air, and started using a water spray instead. It's more effective and I had a bit of a scare with the air, accidently got him in the eye and he wouldnt keep it open for 15 minutes or so.

Being that some of his worst behaviour has improved, would you reccommend neutering? Obviously any operation does have a risk but it eliminates the chance of testicular cancer and might improve behaviour, I can't make my mind up. I had one of my rabbits as a child die from the anesthetic.

Neutering will very likely help put a halt to his marking habits.

Also, as long as you don't live in an antique shop, I'd recommend getting used to stomping. Rabbits stomp to express fear, frustration, and disapproval. Our rabbits all quickly learned that a good stomp on the floor means we are unhappy with their behavior - The rabbit that we had some dominance/aggression issues with would get in to 'thump wars' with us. She'd start chewing on something, we'd stomp. She'd stomp harder. We'd stomp back. After a few rounds, she'd give it up and go find something else to do. I imagine that, in theory, some rabbits could take the stomping coming from you as a sign of danger - However, in my personal experience, I have never had a rabbit interpret it this way. They always interpret it is "I am angry. Stop it." Our more submissive one (Not fearful at all, just doesn't attempt to gain dominance in any way)will almost always respond to one thump. normally, he'll stop what he's doing and won't do it again. Sometimes, he'll thump back and continue doing it, but I don't think I've ever had more than a two-step thump war with him.

I am suggesting this with the assumption that they primary recognize the vibration from the thumping, not the sound. I am not sure on that, but I know if I 'thump' on the carpet or the bed, I get the same response back from them even though the sound is very muffled. I wouldn't bother though if he seems at all frightened by this behavior. Considering how fearful rabbits are rumored to be, I've never had an issue with timid or skittish rabbits. I imagine if they rabbit were timid or skittish, this really wouldn't have the same effect as a rabbit who has lost his fear of the world through domestication. (I'm not sure my rabbit even understands the concept of thumping for alarm. The only thing that ever alarms him is dogs walking outside when he's looking out the window, and he doesn't thump. Just lays down until they pass. He apparently don't understand the concept of windows either )

I had a pet rat that was completely deaf, and it actually made her a better pet - While all of the other rats were startled by unusual sounds such as cars going by or a dog barking, our deaf rat was completely fearless. If they lived longer, I think I would have tried to get her certified as a service animal. She loves everything and took on every challenge, and we adored her for it. I hope you have the same experience with your rabbit - I know ours were primarily startled by sound more than anything else, so maybe you'll get the same effect of a brave and outgoing pet!

 

[aly_starh]

sorry, havent been on it ages! I questioned P@H and he is definately Blanc de Bouscat.

The litter tray issue is kind of sorted. I slowly started taking them away till 2 were left, then put his old travel cage in its place, without the top. He will wee only in there, however it is right under my desk, right where my feet would go, the long side under the desk. I did try turning it round, so it had the end under the desk, but he weed next to it instead!

LOL, yep sounds like a typical rabbit. Try moving the litter tray and putting a plant or something there. Or either spill abit of lemon or orange juice there. Rabbits get offended by that smell.

He is getting better with behavior, I can now remove his bowl if I do it slowly whilst stroking him. I too read about not putting hands inside the cage, but I decided it wasnt practical - what if he had an operation and he had to stay in his cage? I wouldnt be able to clean him out or feed him properly. So I wait till he's out to clean or rearrange but will remove his bowl when hes in to try get him used to accepting me in that space.

Thats cool.

He does poo EVERYWHERE! It's ridiculous, I have to go round picking it up every night after he's in bed (he will charge at me if I do it when hes out). I swear he toilets more than he should, I clean his 2 litter trays out every 2 days, more sometimes, he really smells! What do you use for litter? I found sawdust smelt, wood litter was a bit better, but carefresh was best odour-wise but doesnt absorb as much. Expensive though for a student like me, a £5 bag doesnt even last a week and that is using it in addition to kitchen roll and lots of hay.

Is he neutered? the poops are definetly territorial. Alfie does it to an extent too.
Regarding changing the trays often, i only change alfie once a week. And even then its not that full.
Yeh, i also found woodshaving smell, and they are too dusty aswell.

I buy the cheapest litter that ASDA sells, its there own brand and works really well. I think its £1.50

I'm pretty sure he is deaf, or very nearly so. He just doesnt react to noises. However I did wait till he was asleep and then yell as loud as I could with a friend and he opened his eyes for a minute before going back to sleep - might have been a coincidence but maybe he can hear a little.

Ahhhh, maybe he sensed someone was there??

Yes, he is VERY food oriented, however a little too much. I can't really feed treats, as he goes for me when I do, unless its something big like a whole carrot or half a broccoli, then he'll nibble it nicely. But not really practical to keep feeding him. I've stopped with the compressed air, and started using a water spray instead. It's more effective and I had a bit of a scare with the air, accidently got him in the eye and he wouldnt keep it open for 15 minutes or so.

Ahhhh bless.
Good to hear the water is working.

Being that some of his worst behaviour has improved, would you reccommend neutering? Obviously any operation does have a risk but it eliminates the chance of testicular cancer and might improve behaviour, I can't make my mind up. I had one of my rabbits as a child die from the anesthetic.

Personally, i wouldnt. But thats just my opinion. If he was younger then i would have said yes. As he is 2-3ish, the behaviour he as will now be a habit. But if his behaviour is improving then id just carry own with training.!

Hope that helps!

 

[Kirsty5]

Just a little advice: if your rabbit is deaf, he may react to stimulus such as banging your hand on the ground or stamping your feet - generally, deaf animals will feel the vibration rather than the noise / sound itself.

Don't go in guns blazing, try light bangs / stamps first, then increase to see when you get a reaction

 

[JoshuaA]

A few points I would like to make whether they have been made already or not.

If the rabbit is deaf it would be crucial for you not to approach the rabbit from behind or out of eye sight, specifically if you are intending to pick it up. It is a natural reaction of a rabbit to go completely berserk if they are startled/touched from behind. It is apparently stemmed from the fact birds of prey swoop down from above and behind to claw their targets. This is one of the major problems with picking up aggressive rabbits and specifically untrained ones.

The next is the grunting, I have a female Lionhead and a Male Harlequin and the male is so friendly where as the female is very aggressive. The female usually grunts at a time of discomfort, for example if I'm forcing her to stay still to stroke her or I am taking her food away like in your case. The only way to combat this for the food is by holding her down when you place the food in her cage. However if you are able to allow the rabbit freedom around the house this issue can quickly disappear due to it feeling a little more relaxed in the environment and it knows there are plenty of places to run and hide. Of course around an office cables are a big problem, they're perfect to gnaw teeth on!

With the cage if you make a shelter (not a house) perhaps a large wooden box with a full open end and pack it full of straw then place the food on-top during its aggressive period the rabbit will usually jump into its artifical burrow whilst you change the food.

Spraying... You can neuter them and it is recommended, my male has been neutered and my female has been spayed. Both are just as happy and just as lively as they were before though there are concerns about rabbits coping with anaesthetic. It is not a guarantee though that he will stop spraying however there is a chance he will.

If he is deaf then the chances are his ears won't react to sounds and it can be pretty obvious at times or other breeds with flops it can't.

Can't think of much more to say apart from make sure he has enough room in his cage to stand up to his full height on his back legs. When they stand on their back feet with their front paws hanging its a sign of them looking around to survey their area, it also helps in their cages as they are less wary of what's going around because they can see exactly what is there!

Good luck and post some pictures! :

Edit: Both my rabbits now live outside periodically usually during the winter they come in their hutch into the conservatory where they are given freedom of the house and during the summer they are outside where they have freedom of the garden and usually the conservatory.

Treats - It's always good to get a variety of treats, both my rabbits go absolute crazy over locust beans, assorted mixes and best of all cream crackers!! I usually give mine one of those corn of the cobs to encourage gnawing and treat them for being good. For example to begin with if you encourage your rabbit out of his cage to feast on his treats and gradually encourage him each time to come out to the middle of the room to eat in the open he will eventually learn to be comfortable. Then you can progress by being closer to him each time, eventually stroking him perhaps a grunt or two will happen but with time they will fade out of it. My female always use to bite my hand to drop, however as I was rather resilient to its bites it didn't bother me but now after some love and attention it knows to expect a stroke and pat for treats. Just the rustle of a packet changes their mood in from not wanting to know me to saying hello and running through my legs.