feel totally discouraged and down about rabbits

this has never been this bad. Celeste has always been bad about coming in at night but tonight I cant get any of them in. All 4 of my rabbits are still out in the garden. I cant catch them or tempt them in with food or anything. They are safe out there, but I still want them in. It just seems wrong to have them out after dark. But I really can not control them. And its not just me. Friends of mine who are real bunny experts cant work them out either.

Husband is still building my enclosure - its all done but the roof. It will be finished this Saturday. I can only think I will have to leave them in it for a while to train them that is home but I dont know. And it doesnt help me with tonight. And to make matters worse I have had a really hard day with my son - who is the light of my life but very wearing at times - he is exceptionally bright which is wonderful but it gives him some special need type things which I shouldnt really get into now but it just means he can be very hard to deal with at times. And today has been a bad day with him and now a bad one with the rabs. Feel very low.

Oh hunny you do sound just like you have had a bad day. Animals can be just as trying as nippers at times. Your buns just sound like they know their own minds and enjoy their freedom. Its only natural hun. Try not to get too down. We are all here for you xxxx

You only have a few more days to put up with them being so rotten. Once Saturday comes, you will be in control. Just hold on to that thought!

Some days are just rubbish. I was meant to be home at 1.30, but didn't get in till 5.00 pm as we had a rush job that just had to be done. Then when I got in the house I had to cook tea and put my buns away. Luckily Wolfie didn't get to the burrow first.

Sit down, pour a glass of wine or a large cup of tea, have a couple of biccies and laugh at the thought of you and your pals trying to corral four rabbits who just want to be naughty!

thanks very very much for your kindness. It really helps. We have managed to get Moon & Stardust in but Angel & Celeste are still out (surprise surprise) and experience tells me I have a greater chance of being given £1billion by midnight tonight than getting those two in.

So do you think when the enclosure is finished I should leave them all in it for a couple of days to try to prove the point its a lovely place to be?

I just finished eating a chinese takeaway with matthew & alex and am now going to have a cup of tea then I shall start on the wine!

My set up is that I have a large compound about 20' x 15' or so which is chicken wire. Inside the compound is their hutch (which they enter on pain of death or for food!) and at the other end is an A-frame which is wire with a vinyl covering at the end. Under this end is the infamous burrow, which is over 7ft deep. Usually I try to close off both ends of the A-frame when I get home from work so they can't get to the burrow. Sometimes, however, I forget or am late home.

Wolfie knows that when I come out at dusk, it is time for bed. He is a little devil and if he sees the run open he will pop in and shoot down the burrow. This used to drive me mad, but now I just put Gloria away, who eats all the nice bits of food, and go into the house and leave him. He loves to be chased into the hutch and even if I have him in front of the door, he will resist. I just leave him for 10 mins then go out and quite often he is in the hutch. I think he just doesn't like going in when I am there if he is in a rebellious mood - but seeing Gloria eating all the supper is too much for him too!

I have found that giving them their veggies at bedtime has really started to pay dividends. Gloria has always been fairly easy to put away and food really helps. I have noticed that Wolfie has been easier too. But it has taken about six months for them to realise it happens every night!

Thank you for explaining your set up to me - I really love hearing how other people deal with their rabs!!

Mine are free range in the garden during daylight hours. And they have 2 hutches, they have been going in a pair in each hutch. What we are building now which is being finished on Saturday is basically a box going around the 2 hutches and space around it that we can spare. Then what we will do is leave the 2 hutches door's open so they can all be together and not just sit in a hutch all night but have all the surrounding space as well. The idea is partly that it will be nicer for them!! But selfishly I was hoping it would make them more amenable to going in at night since what they were going to would be nicer than what they currently have.

The enclosure is a metre high, about 6 foot x 7 foot sorry for mixing measurements I am american/english and dont understand either system very well due to confusion at an early age!! You'll find my spelling and words are all over the place as well I try to spell the english way for english people and american way for americans etc but I generally dont bother anymore as whatever I say there is always someone who thinks I am talking gibberish. Rant over!

oh meant to say - mine get dinner same time every night as well. Science Select pellets and loads of veg etc but they still dont come.

I even go out and give them a midnight treat before I go to sleep. Saddo that I am!!!

Bunnies have a habit of wrapping us round their little paws lol!

yes!! rotten little things that they are! I want a cuddly bun!! Who wants to behave and be with me! sob sob poor me

all rabbit have the middle name 'naughty' if you ask me. don't try and feel down - the run sounds great with lots more room and maybe they will be more inclined to go in there at night as there is more room to carry on being naughty in!

Mine have a smaller space in which to live so less chance to evade me and my driving stick!

My BIL lives in Minneapolis and I have a nephew and niece who are American. My kids try to get them to use Britspeak when they are here. They were trying to get their cousing to say Maths instead of Math when she was here in August! They also teach her Scottish words so she can confuse her pals in the US.

Sounds like have some norty buns, but don't we all? When Piper was free range she was such a handful to catch and get back in her cage. If she knew I was trying to catch her no amount of treats or food could tempt her back. When she knew I wasn't trying to catch her, she would hop right over It's like they have a sixth sense about our intentions

I'm American but I find myself using Brit slang when I'm on here and even sometimes when I'm not I obviously spend waaay too much time with all you Brits

You have to start saying Maths and not Math!!

NickieM wrote:You have to start saying Maths and not Math!!

Oh I totally will

One day I say maths the next math and so on with every possible word combination!!! I do love a lot of english words for swearing or rather exasperation, I use them A LOT. Bl***y, flippin heck, old git etc there are millions arent there!

hi senator, hope you feeling better today <hugs>

johns leads me a merry old dance of an evening too, not fun when the weather is cold either !! He is out from early morning til it starts to get dark, and then anytime I can get him in. If I am up til 10pm or 11pm, then he goes in then but if by chance he happens to go in his hutch early around 6pm, then I dash out there and lock him in for night - he is not amused when I do that but I have to be quick as he pushes the door back when I am trying to close it.

i normally top up his food when i want him to come him and he isn't too bad although he plays up and walks around the hutch - if he nearby i can push his bum in! most of the time he walks in there cos he had free range all day and knows its bedtime but he can lead me a merry dance, so no worries you are not alone!

x

It is very good to know I am not alone! I was beginning to get a complex thinking my buns were particularly naughty!! Like their Mama!

Sorry you're having a tough time with them, tomorrow all will be better! I hope we get to see some pics of your hubby's handywork

Aww dont get down, If you think your buns are bad you should try a day with Rhia!! She drives me up the wall but Im used to it now so mostly I just ignore what shes doing She attacks my lovely doggie if he goes in the garden (Her growl is far scarier than his - in fact he doesnt even do it!) and even bit his face the other week. Monsters

just posted and my laptop crashed!!

was going to say enclosure will be finished tomorrow!! (yay!!) and I will indeed post some pics for you!!

And your Rhia sounds like a real handful!! We should do a naughty bunny swap and see whose is worse!! Do you ever wonder why we do it?? I sometimes think the draw of rabbits is that they are constantly playing hard to get so you are always striving to make them love you and be nice!

Just re-seen this thread after I posted this https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/tall-tails-rabbit-chinwag-f5/bad-bunny-t4171.htm Bunny swap? Im well up for it Just kidding, I love my beastie really

Rhia is beautiful though!! Their beauty surely helps them get away with their crimes of naughtiness!

Have you tried clicker training them hun? It used to be a nightmare trying to tempt Buu back into her run at night but since teaching her with the clicker she has never ignored me or not gone in when ive called her x

no I havent tried clicker training!! I will look it up on the net! thanks!