Please help...

[Luluznewz]

A new issue has developed with my rabbits. I have to keep their cage in my bedroom because I share a house with three other roommates. My rabbit has taken to scratching against the cage walls.

I built the cage, so it has a small gridded wire on the sides. The scratching is LOUD and he does it more at night. I am being woken up about five times a night! I can't sleep through it and its driving me crazy.

They are getting the same amount of free time as they always were. Nothing changed, he just started doing it out of no where. They cant be free all the time because they are just so destructive. There is no way to bunny proof a room well enough to let them be unsupervised. If there is nothing else to get into they will just incessantly rip up the carpet.

Any suggestions?? Obviously I so so love my rabbits, but this really is driving me crazy.

 

[featpete]

If you think it's due to boredom, maybe add a variety of toys for them to play with.

I would also suggest possibly covering the bars (at least the ones being scratched at) with something that will dull/nullify the noise, such as small plastic tubing that you can get at hardware stores. The tubing should be pretty much the same stuff you'd use to cover the wires in your house so you know they won't be able to bite through them. If you have photos of the cage setup it might be easier for people to suggest ideas!

 

[maxysmummy]

give him something else to scratch.

we give ours old books and old cardboard boxes - keeps them entertained for hours

 

[Luluznewz]

I'll try to post pictures of the cage. I dont really have them now. Its hard, Lulu (my first rabbit) used to be more or less free range. That had to change when I got Zeppelin. He is really destructive and somehow the two of them working together makes all the damage worse. No matter how much run time he has had, or how big his pen is he will sit there and attack the bars. I think im going to have to cover the back of the cage with a grass mat or something.

I'm really worried that it will block out all the light though! I dont want them to be locked in the cage in the dark while i'm not home. Im going to start with just the back wall, but i'm almost positive he will just move to another wall. He ignores all the toys I give him.

 

[elrohwen]

How big is the cage? Hannah is awful with pulling at the bars and being a pain when they have to be in a 4'x4' pen (like when we're out of town and they are staying with friends). At home in their larger enclosure she doesn't do this at all. Maybe he just needs more space. Could you add more levels? Or a pen outside the cage at night?

 

[MiniLopHop]

:yeahthat:
I agree. Becky would bite at the bars and rattle all night until I added a play-pen. Ironically she sleeps in her cage, but gets very upset if I shut the door. I guess she just wants the option?

 

[Luluznewz]

So I took your advice. They get run time, but maybe yall are right about them hating to be locked in at night. I went to home depot and got a box of lament flooring to cover my carpet (which they rip up). I have an X pen around it for now, but ill pick up some grids later. I hope its big enough now. They seem to be enjoying the extra freedom. Its now enough room for them to run a bit, so they seem to like that.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

[PerpetualAnimalLover2011]

I think that new set-up is a great choice. Its tough because they are pretty nocturnal sometimes, and we are obviously not, so being locked up at night can irritate them (and their keepers!). Let us know what happens. We don't have the same scenario at my house (Tim runs the kitchen, haha) so i'm curious to see what works.

good luck! sweet dreams, we hope!

 

[Luluznewz]

So they like the new pen...but the scratching didnt stop. I actually was pretty upset about it. The new pen is fairly large, I think its about 4.5 feet by 5 feet. That, and they still get run time. There are all sorts of toys and stuff for them to destory.

I ended up having to put up a blanket up to cover the back of the hutch, and cut a vinyl tile in half and stuck it to the wall to make a border on the side. THEN as if they wanted to completely sent mommy over the edge, he started scratching at the only tiny little exposed piece of wire...which is RIGHT next to the open hutch door.

So now the entire hutch has a border so he cant get to the wire. Obviously i'm going to allow them to keep the extra space, but i'm beginning to doubt that was the problem. I think somehow he thought it was fun to scratch at the wire...

Well either way I think the problem is solved. Rabbits can be weird sometimes.

 

[elrohwen]

I think you're right that he just thinks it's fun. I'm sure you've noticed that lots of people come to RO asking why their bunny is digging the carpet/flipping the food dish/digging in the litter box or another super annoying thing. Fact is, they just think these things are fun! No matter how many "toys" we give them (usually whatever we think would be fun to play with), sometimes whatever activity they've come up with on their own is just more fun to them.

Does he chew? Or just dig? I had some luck putting a no-chew substance on the bars (I think it was lime flavored). It wore off after a chew or two and I had to reapply, but it made Hannah think twice before she grabbed on and eventually she stopped. If it's digging though, I'm not sure what you can do other than block it off.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Have you tried a dig box? I have a cardboard box with a bit of straw in it. It still makes a little noise, but not too bad. She can dig all she wants without destroying anything or hurting herself.

 

[Luluznewz]

The dig box is a good idea. Maybe that is my next step. They are still really driving me crazy. I'm not sure when this became such a huge problem. Its really hard to have good feelings towards your rabbits when you are woken up at 2, 4, and 6. Lol.

I'm just praying this is part of Zeppelins adolescence. He was neutered young, but hes about 6 months old now, so I suppose it would make sense that that is making him more restless.