Why does Thumpy hate bedtime so much?

[Alanna]

Well, Thumpy is just a very cheeky boy with lots and lots of personality! Sometimes I think he's smarter than us! He's got his bedtime programmed into his brain and about ten minutes before that time each night he hides himself under the couch and we can't get him out!

It makes me feel cruel putting him to be in his cage when it's so obvious that he really doesn't want to go. I don't understand it- he's got a lovely big cage full of toys and fun things to do, lots of food, fresh hay, cool water and we always give him special vegie treats when we put him to bed. Why doesn't he want to go? He loves playing in his cage during the day when the door is open and he can choose any place in the house for his fun. Is he just being a rebellious teenager?

Also, if anybody has a solution for wallpaper eating I need to hear from them immediately! If Thumpy eats any more wallpaper our landlord is going to make us pay for the whole house to get redone!!!

Thanks,

Alanna*

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

You could try training Thumpy to go into his cage at night, like maybe start giving him his evening veggies in his cage at the time when you put him too bed and say 'bedtime' or another word so that he learns he has to hop into his cage when he hears you say it to get his food. That should make putting him away a lot easier.



About the wallpaper problem, I think there are nasty tasting sprays that you can put on walls of furniture that your rabbit eats so he'll learn not to do it. You could also give him other things to shred, like newspaper, phonebooks and paper bags.

 

[Haley]

Im having the same problem you are getting my Mr. Tumnus to bed at night. He's fine being in there all day, but around 11 pm he's under the couch and will not come out.

I have been feeding him at night, which helps a little. I rattle his food and he comes, sometimes. When that doesnt work, I coax him out with a little treat. If worse comes to worst, my boyfriend tips the couch back and I rattle the food (once his little hiding place is exposed, he's more apt to come running). Good Luck..I know its frustrating!

With regards to the wallpaper, I have no clue. I know you said in another post that he likes the taste of bitter apple, which is the only thing Ive used. Is there any way to cover the areas with something?? maybe you could line the wall with NIC grids (although I know this would look pretty bad) One thing I did when my buns were chewing the baseboards was to put masking or painters tape along with wall, that way if they chewed they were getting the tape and not the baseboards (after a few times, they stopped..guess they didnt like the taste).

Good Luck and keep us posted

-Haley

PS..does your bun have lots of hay and chew toys? grass mats etc are great to chew on!

 

[HoneyPot]

My Misty knows the word OUT, which I guess I just always said when I was trying to get her out of somewhere she shouldn't be, so she picked it up and now listens to the command(much to my amusement).

Also she LOVES oats - and like many other bunnies, she knows what the sound of an opening Oat bag or granola wrapper sounds like. I've been known to lure her out of places she should not be and into her room by crinkling the bag of oats. She gets a treat 4 out of the 5 times (I reserve all treats for bribery)...

Bribery is your best bet. They are way smarter than us.

___________
Nadia

 

[pamnock]

Keep in mind that our bedtime is not necessarily bunns bedtime Rabbits are often active late into the evening, so although we may be ready for bed - they are not!

Pam

 

[Spring]

The more time I let Pebbles out, the less cooperative she is to go back in her cage!

I usually when it's time for bedtime I start clapping my hands quietlyclose to the ground and guiding her towards her cage. If she decides to turn away, I just guideher with my body movements. She's gotten into the habit when I start clapping and coming towards her, she runs into her cage. She also knows that once she's in her cage, veggies will soon follow!

They taste freedom, then who wants to be put in an enclosed area no matter how big. Silly buns!

 

[Alanna]

Yes, I think that's it Spring- he's just got a taste of the good life, and really what sensible bunny would want to go to bed when there are so many more things to be chewed and so many more binkies to do before sleep time?? I ask you!

Alanna*

 

[Haley]

lol ^^ how can you not love that face? Thumper is just too cute

 

[ec]

On the "their bedtime isn't our bedtime" thing - that's so true of my bun, Nibbles. At 2:00 in the morning, she's ready to party. I'll be moving from a house to an apartment sometime over the next few months (date to be set) and am not sure what I'll do at night, since she loves to shred ....

 

[JimD]

We put a NIC add-on onto the front of Binkies cage and she LOVES it. She still spends a lot of her time in her cage but has been spending at least half of her time in the new addition.
She loves it so much that she almost refuses to go into her cage when I serve breakfast. She sits outside of her cage and tries to get at her food bowl through the wires and looks at me with the most perturbed look on her face. She'll usually do this until I shoo her into her cage....and even that she does reluctantly and will spin and nip at me in the process.
I think it's something about me wanting her to go.... and her thinking it's our new game:?.