How do I train my female Flemish Giant?

Question

I am talking all kinds of training. She will be outside with a female Holland Lop in a large rabbit hutch. My mom barely agreed to having them so i need to make sure that they are perfect or else i might have to get rid of them. I need to litter box train her, and i would like to train her to come to her name, and maybe if possible sit, heel, and i definetly want to train her to walk on a rabbit leash. Also if anyone knows, how far can Flemish Giants usually want on a leash? And do i really need to feed her alfalfa pellets when she is a baby or can she just do timothy hay?

Please Help!!!!!!

And thank you if you do!

Answer 1

i have bad exsperiences with female rabbits but I still love mine I keep reading that  getting them spayed will help  but  for my SMALL rabbit it was about 150 dollars to get him fixed and my female rabbit is BIG so I cant imagin what that would cost but my sisters rabbit that we sold was evil but I went from giving her treats to hand feeding her to gain her trust a little flemish giants are really big even bigger than my female rabbit so I hope you find a good deal if you deside to spay her

Answer 2

First of all, it sounds like you want a dog, not a rabbit.  You need to understand the difference.

It is possible to train a rabbit to do everything you mention, but rabbits do not learn quickly or easily.  And like people, some are more intelligent and open to training than others.  This will depend entirely on your rabbit's ability and willingness as an individual, plus your level of commitment as a trainer.

To train your rabbit to do anything consistently, you will have to spend hours and hours of consistent repetition with her in order for her to "get it."  Then, once trained, you will still have to continue working with her regularly and every day so she doesn't forget.

Animal training is possible because we can manipulate the animal to make a connection between performing certain behaviors that already come naturally to them by instinct.  Litter box training is one such instinct.  A large part of animal training involves getting the animal to discover the behavior you want it to perform on command through discovery during play.  With dogs and cats, that is often easy because they naturally like to play with humans.  Part of this enjoyment is due to the fact that both dogs and cats are predators in the wild.  A lot of "play" behaviors of cats and dogs are actually predatory instincts.

Rabbits are harder to train because they do not naturally like to play with humans.  This is due to the fact that they are prey in the wild.  But rabbits do enjoy playing to a certain degree, and you can use this to your advantage in training your pet.  Play in rabbits is usually characteristic of very young animals.  As they grow older, their interest in play diminishes naturally.  Remember also, that a rabbit's life-span is not as long as either a cat's or a dog's.  Rabbits reach maturity by 6 months of age.  So you must start early with a rabbit.

So the best strategy for training your rabbit is to begin when she is still very young, so the whole idea of training will become second-nature and natural to her.  If you wait until she is older, she may not be so interested in working with you.

You may not remember all the details of this message, but remember these two words:  Consistency & Repetition...Consistency & Repetition...Consistency & Repetition...Consistency & Repetition....  

That is how to train a rabbit.  Good luck, and have fun.  That is what will help the process along for both you and your pet.

Regarding feed:  Timothy hay is much better for a mature rabbit's digestive tract than cubes.  If you notice the animal is getting diarhhea, it is because of the feed.  Alfalfa cubes and pellets are used primarily commercially on animals being raised for human consumption,  because they put weight on the animals rapidly.  Alfalfa cubes and pellets are not natural food for rabbits, and are too rich for animals which are being raised as pets.  So alfalfa is not appropriate for pets, whose lifespan will be much longer.  Put your animals on timothy hay as quickly as you can and keep them on it.  It's what they eat naturally anyway.  Do not supplement their diet without consulting your veterinarian.  If he or she suggests it, you can supplement a rabbit's diet with liquid vitamins mixed with the animal's water.  That is all they need.

Answer 3

See where she usually goes to the bathroom in the hutch and place the litter box there. If she still messes outside of it, pick up her p**p and put in in the litter box to help guide her to use it. You could also put a bunch of hay (and yes timothy hay is fine) in one end of the litter box, rabbits usually defecate while eating, however, will not eat the spoiled hay if she does pee on it (I really find that this idea works!). And just remember, use a bigger litter box (the bigger the better)  and stay consistant, rabbits can take a while to litter train, and if you decide to get her spayed, she may loose her training for a while after surgery, but it will generally come back like it did before.

As for sitting etc. Try clicker training her (exactly the same method as dogs) and there are some great articles on Karen Pryor's website regarding specifically clicker training rabbits...try: clickertraining.com

There is alot of controversy on walking rabbits on leash, they are not the sort of animal that you take on a walk everynight. They get frightened easily and being prey animals, they will bolt. It is also easy for them to get out of a harness, so if you're going to do it, find one that fits very well. I do have harnesses and leashes for my rabbits, however, it's only for out in the backyard, I would never take them around roads and streets.

Good luck