Hi, my name is Lexie and I'm the proud new owner/full time slave to a rather stroppy little madam called Tilda. Her breed is questionable, but she's closer to English than anything else. Myself and my partner came across her when we were picking up supplies for our two female fancy rats. She was almost 17 weeks old and had been bought and returned twice, thanks to "aggression, and issues with children" and the pet shop had rather given up hope with her. I have always taken in all sorts of small animals from shelters before, steering well clear of pet shops, but I was completely in love when I saw her, as was my other half, so we took her straight home. She did indeed have aggressive and destructive tendencies, and I've got all the cuts and bruises to prove it, but it's hardly surprising that it took time for her to adapt, given her start in life, and now we have started clicker training, the destructiveness is gone, she's using her brain and her energy for much more positive things!
She is our first house rabbit, as we now live in a flat so therefore don't have much choice, but we're loving it and wouldn't have it any other way now. We have both kept outdoor bunnies before, but this is a whole different ball game - it's like having a hyperactive toddler running round my house, except a hundred times faster, and able to outwit us at every turn!
She's having to learn to adapt to me just as much as I am to her. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and while I'm able to run around and play with her for a little while some days, others I have to leave it to my partner as I use a wheelchair, so at first I had a positively outraged little bunny stamping her foot at the fact that I couldn't come play with her and showing me her little bunny backside for hours as punishment. She's learned to like those days just as much now though, as I let her curl up and sleep in bed with me as a treat for her and better therapy than any doctor can give for me.
She's been given nothing but compliments and a clean bill of health from my vet, and seems to be getting on well with my rats, although I'm not at the stage where all three of them can have 100% free range together without me panicking!
While clicker training is making slow but steady progress, harness training is really not going well at all. She lets me put the harness on her without any worries, but then panics when back down on the floor and on the lead. Does anyone have any suggestions that might help us? I'd love her to be able to experience fresh air and grass, I just wish I could explain that to her!
She is our first house rabbit, as we now live in a flat so therefore don't have much choice, but we're loving it and wouldn't have it any other way now. We have both kept outdoor bunnies before, but this is a whole different ball game - it's like having a hyperactive toddler running round my house, except a hundred times faster, and able to outwit us at every turn!
She's having to learn to adapt to me just as much as I am to her. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and while I'm able to run around and play with her for a little while some days, others I have to leave it to my partner as I use a wheelchair, so at first I had a positively outraged little bunny stamping her foot at the fact that I couldn't come play with her and showing me her little bunny backside for hours as punishment. She's learned to like those days just as much now though, as I let her curl up and sleep in bed with me as a treat for her and better therapy than any doctor can give for me.
She's been given nothing but compliments and a clean bill of health from my vet, and seems to be getting on well with my rats, although I'm not at the stage where all three of them can have 100% free range together without me panicking!
While clicker training is making slow but steady progress, harness training is really not going well at all. She lets me put the harness on her without any worries, but then panics when back down on the floor and on the lead. Does anyone have any suggestions that might help us? I'd love her to be able to experience fresh air and grass, I just wish I could explain that to her!
