Digging Bunny out of control

[roxyllsk]

I have 2 buns - one is pretty mellow, the other not so much. He is not quite old enough to be neutered yet, but will be as soon as my vet fund is replenished (had a sick dog).

I have the grids on the litter boxes because he would dig everything up and make a huge mess.

They have a sand box (litter pan filled with a few inches of sand) to dig in.

They have bunny-safe sticks & twigs to chew on.

They have free-choice hay, hay cubes, and pellets, plus greens 2x a day.

They have a phone book to shred and destroy (and they do).

They live in a NIC 4 story condo and get out time several times a day in a bunny play pen. I tried letting them have free run of the downstairs like I did with my old bunny and they get under the sofas and I can't catch them. So it's the bunny playpen, which is 4' x 4'.

This is my problem.

I put the crock with the bunny pellets in one of their 2 litterpans, on top of the dig-proof grid. But this little guy digs and digs in the crock until there are no pellets left. Like within a half hour of me filling it. I have tried leaving the crock on the floor not in a litterpan, but he digs then pees in everything. They are very good about using their litterpans otherwise.

So - suggestions for dig-proof bunny pellet server ? This is such a mess and a waste of food.

 

[Imbrium]

it's pretty hard to stop them from digging at something once they set their mind to it ><

what sort of bowl are you using for the pellets? something deep and not very wide might thwart him (like this: http://www.petco.com/product/104836...=MM_SmallAnimalSupplies_DishesFeedersWaterers )

you could also hand-feed his pellets, which is a great way to bond with him and would thwart the digging. while "unlimited" pellets are often recommended for babies, they generally don't actually need a pellet buffet - hand feeding him until he's done eating them 3-4x a day would get him enough pellets if you've got the time to do it. you could put a bit of pellets in your hand and let him eat from it - you don't necessarily have to feed him one at a time; he'll probably grab 2-3 at once.

 

[LakeCondo]

I like one of those things meant to hold dry cat food, that adjusts small enough to hold pellets. The pellets come out of the holes when the rabbit rolls it. The one I have is a blue egg & is called an egsersizer or something like that.

There are also bowls that fasten on the side of a cage or pen.

 

[JBun]

You could try one of those gravity feeders for rabbits, and just put it up high enough that he won't be able to get his paws in there to dig it out, but low enough he'll still be able to eat.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We have a crock that fastens to the side of the hutch--works really good to keep spillage to a minimum. We also only feed pellet in the evening and then take away the crock at bedtime. So, ours don't mess around with their food. They also have hay 24/7 and veggies twice a day.

 

[ladysown]

scrabbling...that can be a pain.

How to deal with?

1. give a wee bit at a time so he's hungry when you put food in
2. put the bowl up higher so he can't scrabble
3. put something OVER the feed so he can get his nose in but he can't scrabble it out (a piece of one by one inch wire wedged in works well for this).
4. different type of feeder (the kind that he has to put his head into to eat but can't get his feet into).

 

[roxyllsk]

I have one of those rolly-ball things for my dog - I'll give that a try.

My buns are not babies but they are both younger than a year. Molly, the one that is doing the digging, is just 6 months old. I thought he was a 'she', thus the name which has stuck. His friend is about 9 months old, was neutered a few months back and has always been really laid back. I'm hoping this behavior will lesson once he gets snipped. I'm not sure his breed, but he is a mini bun, solid black with uppity ears (not a lop). He was so very, very tiny when I got him and he might weigh 2 1/2 lbs now - he's grown a lot but is still a little guy.

I've never had a problem with my buns geting too fat as they prefer to eat the hay and veggies to the pellets actually. I just feel badly when they don't have food in front of them, but that's me.

It's a ceramic crock that is pretty heavy with a lip on it. It's about the span of my hand wide (4/5 inches?) and holds about 1 1/2 cups of pellets. I think I do have an extra bird bowl that I can attach to the side of the cage - my old bun drank his water out of that as he wouldn't use a bottle. I'll have to dig that out and try it.

He is VERY determined when it comes to digging - he loves to dig in the sandbox.

 

[ldoerr]

That bowl that Jennifer linked is AMAZING at EVERYTHING. It is high enough that they can not dig the food out (especially if it is not full) but low enough that they can easily reach the bottom to eat or drink out of. They also last FOREVER. The ones that I use have been in constant heavy use for 6 years and barely have a scratch on them, even though my rabbits like to eat food bowls. They come in at least 3 sizes, 10oz, 20oz, and 40oz. I know that at petco they are found in all of the following sections at least. small animals, birds, cats, dogs. There might be another section or two that i am missing, but still. They are found EVERYWHERE in the store. They also come in multiple colors. For each of my rabbits I use a 10oz for food (only give 1/4c a day) and a 20oz for water. I used to have rabbits that dug at everything and the when I used these they could not dig at all anymore. I really can not say enough good things about them. I also have NOTHING negative to say about them. They are spill proof and easy to clean. They fit every cage I have ever had etc.....

 

[Imbrium]

I don't use 'em for water just because I like the 1.5L cat waterer that sits out in the pen instead of having to go into the cage all the time to unscrew the bowl and change out the water... but I love mine for pellets, it definitely stops them from making a mess or sitting/pooping in the food bowl or throwing it around when the pellets get low.

 

[tamsin]

I'd scatter the food on the floor or use a treat ball. If you've got a ton of food left after half and hour you're probably feeding too much Rabbits only need a very small amount of dry food and too much can encourage 'bad' behaviour, as they spend too little time on eating hay which leaves plenty of free time for destruction!

4'x4' is really not big enough for exercise. They need to space to run and jump and twist! Do you have a room that would be easier to bunny proof eg a corridor you could put a board at each end of. Or a bathroom or store room? Could you fill the gap under your sofa eg with underbed storage boxes or some wood? Or perhaps put a larger fold up pen in your living room for a couple of hours a day. I they get a chance to burn off some energy then again you get better behaved bunnies!

 

[roxyllsk]

I actually attach the pen to the front of their NIC cage - they love to zoom in and out of the cage, up and down the levels, then do loops on the carpet.

I don't really have a room to make a bunny room - they'd chew up the baseboards and that isn't going to happen.

I did try to bunny proof my family room by putting wires in PVC pipe and such, and that's when they got under the sofas. There is a maybe 4 inch gap - very small - but they managed to squeeze under it and get in trouble. My old bun was an English lop and he was sooooo laid back - he regularly had the run of the house and was good about not getting into trouble. Guess I was spoiled with him!

I could set up some attached xpens in the basement to give them some fun time. Only problem is that Molly is not really happy about being picked up at all. He is fine with me petting him. Mac, my other bunny, is very laid back and loves to be picked up & held. He will happily hang out in my lap. But not Molly. Their cage is in the family room, so he'd have to be picked up and carried down to the xpens.

I think they're happier with the cage in my family room as they seem to like being in the middle of things rather than tucked away in the basement.

 

[Imbrium]

this site has good bunny-proofing tips (including how to keep them out from under sofas and such) - http://www.binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/8/PID/940/Default.aspx

to move the bunnies down to the basement, you could use a carrier - that's what I do to take mine outside so I don't have to worry about pissing them off by carrying them in my arms or having them struggle to get free.