Obsessive Digging

[Ecresi]

I tried to look up more information on this, but I wasn't coming up with much other than the fact she's just bored. My mini lop Cho has developed an issue where she digs and tears at the bottom of her cage for hours on end without stopping. Last night she did it constantly for over 3 hours. A few friends of mine who are rabbit owners said she's digging out of boredom and I shouldnt discourage her from digging since it's a rabbit thing, But the noise is driving my entire house insane. Any ideas on how to stop the noise without stopping her from digging? :/

She gets plenty of free roam time and she has toys to play with, we've tried distracting her with food, scrubbing and cleaning the bottom of the cage, thinking that maybe there was something there she didn't like, lining the bottom with solid flakes of hay from the bail we buy every month, nothing is stopping the noise or the obsessive digging. When I first adopted her she didn't behave like this at all, she never made this much noise before.

Also, there's a good chance she might be pregnant. I know behaviour change is pretty common for pregnant does, so could this just be part of the pregnancy? I'm running out of ideas and would love suggestions on at least keeping her more quiet when she digs.

 

[maxysmummy]

i dont know anything about pregnancy but i do know that when my bunnies reached puberty they started acting out in all sorts of strange ways. untill you can get her spayed, perhaps making a "diggy box" (a box filled with straw or hay or woodchips or something for her to dig in) could help?

or even giving her a bit of carpet to scratch.

max scratches on us whenever we piss him off - like after cleaning his vents or cutting his nails he goes crazy digging on llews jeans.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I don't think they dig just out of boredom. Nikki used to try to dig thru our tile and destroyed a rug. She has plenty of toys and places to go and things to do. She' the only one that does it. She also will do the same in a litter box filled with shredded paper. We just feel that she likes to dig and definitely likes to arrange things.

 

[Ecresi]

The digging itself I don't really mind, it's the noise thats driving me up a wall. The way our house is set up there is no possible way for me to have her out of the bedroom right now, and I'm barely getting more than an hour of sleep with her digging at all hours of the night.

 

[elrohwen]

It could absolutely be a hormonal thing - her brain is telling her to dig and create a nest for her new babies.

If it's not a hormonal thing and she gets enough exercise, I would change her cage situation around so that she can't dig anymore. Put down new flooring or cover the area she digs and she'll need to find a new outlet. If you leave things the way they are, I'm not sure there's any way to discourage her. Sometimes it just takes a new environment and some distraction to break a bad habit like that and turn it to something less annoying.

 

[Ecresi]

Later on I'm going to try and change her into another cage and include a nest box. For now she's being moved into another room of the house when its time for bed, and back again when it's not. Things can't be that way permanently however, just hopefully until a solution is found.

 

[Ecresi]

Just an update, We switched into another cage and still the same digging constantly. and she's not just digging, she's trying to bite the bottom of her cage as well. its more like, " scratch, scratch, bite bite, scratch scratch" again and again over and over. this time she did it for 2 hours straight. I can't imagine this being good for her nails or her teeth.. The cage sides and bottom are completely filled with scratch and bite marks. I've tried distracting her with something else to take her mind off scratching and biting, we even tried a squirt bottle but nothing is working. I just don't know what to do :/

 

[Flash Gordon]

my Bambam does this ...allllll night long...drives me freakin batty!..shes spayed and she about 3 years old and just started doin it within the past year...i have coroplast for her flooring and we have bamboo floors so everything is wayy louder without carpet...oh boy she can dig..shes gonna make it to china before u know it...ive heard that shes bored too but like u said she has toys and she gets out time everyday so i guess she just likes to scratch scratch,.,,bite bite .,.,scratch scratch...and she is like a speed demon doin this....when shes in this mode if i go into her cage and grab her poop box to empty or clean it she will grab it with her teeth and YANK it out of my hand and flip it over....dirty poopbox everywhere...i wish i had a suggestion for u but i dont

 

[Ecresi]

Oh wow that sounds JUST like Cho, only Cho isn't fixed and like I said there's a possibility of her being pregnant. I really hope a solution can be found :/ I definitely don't have any desire or intention to find her a home. I would love things to work out peacefully.

 

[tamsin]

Scamp will have days like this. He's a wild bun and very active so needs lots of stimulation. From observation, his digging tends to be a mix of frustration, boredom and absolute conviction if he keeps going he will dig through! Once he starts he'll often be soo focused on it he won't stop and will get quite cross if you try to move him or put something in the way.

It's not necessarily space or exercise that's the only issue it's also mental stimulation. You need to get them working at something else instead of digging so you break the pattern.

What time do you feed her? I feed mine last thing at night so the have food to occupy them at the time they would naturally be most active. I also feed using a treat ball and by hanging up veggies/wrapping them in paper or hiding on boxes etc. so feeding takes hours.

Cardboard boxes are good for buns that like to dig and chew as the are cheap/free and the can shape them into tunnels.

I also find hanging things over the area helps. This is a video of Scamp: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=732dyAZite8[/ame] in the first section he's madly digging at some bunny proofing covering a vent he previously removed and squeezed through) in the next section I hung a to that is in the way if he tries to dig and that refocuses on chewing that.

 

[Flash Gordon]

alright that vid was stinkin cute!!!..yea they def get obsessive and feisty when they dig....i understand the distraction part ..i just gotta think of how to do it for her cage...and i gotta be honest with you ive hung toys and stuff up for the buns but never something that big ,i was worried it would get rockin and knock em upside the head..but ur bun was diggin it ..im gonna try it.thanks for the idea

i do jam her hay into dif holes of her cage to try and keep her busy..the hay rack seemed to bore her.

 

[Ecresi]

Definitely going to try more distractions.. lol, that vid was so cute.

 

[Momto3boys]

Wow that video was CUTE!!! She was definately lovin those willow sticks, I need to try something like that!

 

[Ecresi]

So we have a confirmed pregnancy. She began pulling fur and making a nest, so I'm going to at this point at least, say she's pregnant, which very well be the main cause of her digging.