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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Bun Won’t Go To Bed!

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    • Buckley's Mum
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        Morning, I’m very tired today because I couldn’t get my bun to go to bed!  What can I do? He’s a Netherlands Dwarf and is about 17 weeks old, I’ve had him 4 weeks.

        We’re just reaching a point where he’s starting to interract with me, I’ve discovered he thinks I’m far too big and scary by sitting on the floor with him (where I’ve been for the last 4 weeks!) and he likes me to lay on the floor.  So by laying on the floor, he’s become more curious and comes up to me more and he has even let me hand feet him his pellets – oh such joy!  I have never been so (physically) close to Buckley and we’ve even had a couple of nose to nose incidences! So we’re just starting to become friends, however, apart from him being scared of his own shadow and not liking being picked up, how am I suppose to get him to go to bed?

        I know I previously moaned that he wouldn’t come OUT of his cage but now I can’t get him back IN!  I tried “herding” him in the right direction, but he thought this was a great game of jumping over my hands/arms. He also kept running into and hiding in his castle so I took that away.  I ended up taking ALL his toys away so there was nothing to play with – this just gave him more room to run and jump in! I tried encouraging him in with his food and he gets to the door following the food and then he runs away.

        I have to admit, I’m a wuus, I don’t want to lunge at him and grab him becasue as we’re just building up a relationship I don’t want to frighten him and then him not want to know me again.  Also, it’s been a couple of weeks since I actually picked him up and I’m frightened of hurting him/making him angry (and not like me any more).

        How can I get this naughtly little boy to bed so I can get some sleep?

        Please help – thanks x


      • Sarita
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          Hi, I’m moving this to the behavior section.


        • Hazel
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            All you need is a treat that he loves. Craisins work very well with bunnies. Lure him into the cage with the treat and give it to him. You can attach a command like “bedtime” or something like that if you want, but most likely he will start running to his cage as soon as he hears the craisin bag crinkle
            Make sure he only gets that particular treat when he’s supposed to go in his cage.


          • Buckley's Mum
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              Hi thanks for that, but I’m not sure that will work, Buckley won’t take “treats”, he just won’t touch them. I don’t think he’s ever had them and won’t try them. I also don’t know what Craisins are?? I’m in the UK, don’t know if we have them here, perhaps they’re some kind of raisin?? I tried luring him into his cage with a pellet and he followed it, right to the door before bolting in the other direction. I have been pointing to his house and saying “bed/bedtime” and snapping my fingers for him to get the idea. I think he’s being a petulent child and not wanting to go to bed!
              Is there such a thing as too much freedom?


            • Roberta
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                I use Craisins too. Dried Cranberries. Craisin is actually a brand name used by Ocean spray but essentially they are just dried Cranberries. Raisins will also work. Check out the dried fruit section in your supermarket.


              • Elrohwen
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                  I feed my rabbits breakfast and dinner when it’s time for them to go back and they’re always happy to oblige. Sometimes really good treats can work too, but nothing beats dinner for a hungry bun.


                • Emmie
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                    Posted By Elrohwen on 11/27/2012 11:36 AM

                    I feed my rabbits breakfast and dinner when it’s time for them to go back and they’re always happy to oblige. Sometimes really good treats can work too, but nothing beats dinner for a hungry bun.

                    This works for me. I only feed Thane at night before I go to bed. There’s no issues from him then


                  • tanlover14
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                      It took forever for my buns to try treats but they will go BONKERS over Craisins (dried cranberries). Literally nuts. They will do anything for a Craisin. Whenever trying a new treat with them it usually takes a few days before they oblige me and try it. It usually involves me putting it up to their mouths a million times or poking their mouths with it — in which case they’ll get so annoyed they grab the craisin and go to fling it and realize — wait, this may be tasty. Ha!

                      Bribing buns is always the easiest way to everything.


                    • buttercup86
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                        I had this EXACT same problem when I first got my bunny. It was TERRIBLE. But don’t worry, because after exposing my bunny to craisins (you can choose something else, really I think you can choose anything) he finally goes NUTS over them and now gets the hint that when he hears his craisin bag, its time for bed. Here are the steps I took when I was having a lot of trouble:

                        1. Herd him to the area where his cage is.
                        2. If you can, block him in the area where his cage is using boards or something similar. For me I just blocked off the entrance to the room where his cage was.
                        3. Turn out all the lights.
                        4. Sit on the floor by the cage of his door, pointing to where his door is.

                        Waffles would take about 5-10 minutes to finally get bored and go in his cage. He had issues finding the door (or so I think) so I would just point to the door and tell him it was there to get his attention.

                        Everyday expose him to ONE treat to designate as your “going to bed” treat. Eventually Waffles ended up loving craisins and I use it to get him to bed no problem now.

                        But trust me, this was the most frustrating thing for me. I am so happy he finally has the routine down. I hope this information was helpful!


                      • Buckley's Mum
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                          Thank you Buttercup, I’m heartened to know that I’m not alone. I have actually found Craisins in the supermarket and have tried them, Buckley doesn’t care much for them, but I can work on him. I have found Carotyns which is the equivalent of bunny cocaine, he goes nuts for the stuff, but still, I can lead him to the door and then he bolts. I pour out his dinner and rattle his pellet bowl so he knows pellets are coming and I put it under his nose and lead him to the door, and then he bolts. I let him sniff his veg plate and have a small nibble, lead him to the door and he bolts! He’s like a petulent teenager who won’t go to bed! I must spend 30-45 minutes just playing this game.

                          Bearing in mind he does not like being touched and will bolt if you try, when it comes to bed time, I’m tapping him on the bottom to get him to move and he won’t budge, I push him from behind until he starts sliding on the carpet, and he won’t budge!!! He’s soooo stubborn.

                          Stupid question – if I turn off the lights, will he be able to see where the door is? Will he care, or is he more likely to just sit there. At bedtime I’ve taken away all his toys and he just sits there without a care in the world, I’ve left him there (albeit with the light on) and he doesn’t go to bed. It’s def a battle of wills at the moment. At all other times he’s utterly adorable and a joy to have, but at bedtime when I’m tired and I want to go to bed, he’s def a waskly wabbit!

                          I’ll try turning the light off tonight.

                          I’ll keep you posted.

                          Thanks.


                        • RabbitPam
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                            My bunnies don’t go nuts for Craisins, but they have always liked the healthy cookie-like treats made by Oxbow. I get Veggie Smacks, the heart shaped ones that are actually ground Timothy hay. I also have used some of the other treats the BB sells in the store here, because they are made with bunny healthy ingredients and a consistency bunnies like. It’s really trial and error at first to find one your bunny goes nuts for, but when you do you’ll see a motivating change. Try the dry treats if craisins aren’t a hit. Kale Krispies are very good (dried kale and quite healthy), the Oat pellets sometimes work. Also, try a 1/4″ slice of fresh banana. Raisins, too, but anytime you use a fruit for a daily treat you’re giving a sugary fat. I was able to train Sammy to jump into her habitat every night just by rattling the jar of Veggie smacks and giving her one as a reward for going to bed.


                          • tanlover14
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                              Oh God, BuckleysMum… I really can’t help laughing. Despite the Craisin trick, my buns have a tendency to do all these tactics also.. especially my boys! Sometimes it takes both my Boyfriend and I to get all the buns inside for sleepy time.

                              I know it’s so frustrating but it’s so hard to stay angry at their furry little innocent looking faces!

                              I would definitely try what RabbitPam does and sift through treats until you find ones they like. It can take more than one try for your buns to decide they like something though! After like the 3rd day, my bunnies started going nuts for the Craisins and we have these treats called Nibble Rings that they also go completely bonkers over.

                              Also, I just came to the realization that your bun is probably still on unlimited pellets… this may be why he doesn’t care so much about “dinner time” and veggie time. My buns didn’t start caring until they began getting limited pellets.


                            • buttercup86
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                                I definitely noticed a difference when I turned the lights off…I couldn’t just pack up his toys the lights had to be off..and I just sat by his cage door tapping on it and he would sort of panic then find the door. When I had no treats he cared for turning off the lights was the only thing that worked.


                              • Buckley's Mum
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                                  Well, buttercup, I have tried the turning the light out thing and I kept tapping the cage until I was blue in the face, so out of frustration (and tiredness) I left him there in the dark for about half an hour and when I cam back, he was STILL SITTING THERE!!!!! He hadn’t moved, he was no closer to going to bed than I was!!! it’s like he’s doing it on purpose waiting to see who breaks first!


                                • buttercup86
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                                    Oh man! I’m so sorry to hear that its not working for you! Have you continued to expose him to treats to get him to love them? When he begins to like treats save one treat that he ONLY gets at bed time. I looked up other things online as well when I had troubles with bed time…I googled a few methods but never ended up having to use them. Maybe if you Google something you can find a solution. Hopefully he catches on soon! Keep us posted!


                                  • buttercup86
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                                      Also does he only spend nights in his cage? Does he roam around outside of his cage all day? Because maybe, just for one day, he should spend like a full day in his cage and only have him out for maybe 3-4 hours for exercise, just for one day, and while he is in there give him tonnes of treats and maybe some toys that he has only had access too when outside his cage. Maybe he doesn’t see his cage as “home” yet.


                                    • Brandy
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                                        Luckily all of my buns know “go home” and listen most of the time. I put their dinner salad into their enclosure, then start hearding them in that direction and telling them to go home. It’s not too hard since they know a yummy treat is waiting there for them and I don’t pick them up if they cooperate.

                                        It sounds like you are holding the treat? Perhaps they get scared at the door when they have to go under your hand to get to the cage? Have you tried just putting the treat inside? It might take a couple tries but they they would associate going back into the cage with the reward and you can avoid hovering or reaching over them (too much like a preditor for a skitish bun).


                                      • Buckley's Mum
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                                          Sorry for the gap in replying. During the week, i.e. when we’re at work, hubby lets him out when he gets up which is about 6am and then he gets put back at around 8am when we have to leave for school/work. Admittedly I get my son to put him back, and he doesn’t have any problems, I’m wondering whether it’s because he’s comfortable with me and still a bit weary of my son.

                                          Today things (I think) just got a while heap worse. He has just discovered he can get off the carpet and when he touches the stone floor he didn’t explode in a ball of lava, so now he’s exploring even more of the kitchen, ie, behind his cage and behind the dryer, which I’ve had to block off. But he’s now sitting behind his cage where it’s very dark (Buckley is dark grey) which makes it very difficult to see him and I’m dreading trying to send him to bed later as its’ going to be a battle of wills again.

                                          I’ve tried putting treats into his cage and he sniffs and gets as far as the door and then bolts the other way, it’s like he’s trying to outsmart me, and succeeding!!!


                                        • RabbitPam
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                                            You may need to block off some areas to be off limits until he learns they are and loses interest.
                                            I think a helpful factor in my treat routine is that she knows the sound of the treats rattling in the jar, sees the jar in my hand, and learned that she will not be getting that bedtime treat UNTIL she is in her cage. Only when she is where I want her does the treat coming out of the jar get into her eager mouth. Then the xpen door closes. That’s our routine, and it’s a learned behavior because they are trainable.

                                            I definitely think cutting down to the recommended quantity of foods like pellets is the thing to do, as is a regular feeding time for meals. You want a bunny to be well fed, have unlimited hay, but not unlimited anything else so the effect of a reward for going to bed can be created by small, healthy treats. A little time between supper and bedtime snack will make him a bit hungrier for it.

                                            Bunnies really want a daily routine. Once you can establish one of food, play, exercise and bed, you will have him cooperating more. That means a regular pattern in which his needs are met but also it complies with yours. The 6AM-8AM window is a good example of that working in the morning. If possible, try a matching one in the evening. 6PM feed him dinner, watch him use his litter pan then let him out, play until 8PM or so, then rattle treat jar and herd him back. Some people vary this timewise, but it’s kind of what my routine is like and Sammykins knows it.

                                            We used to be amazed at Spockie because eventually he put himself to bed, treat or not, at 8PM. He watched reruns of West Wing on our rug in front of the TV, then hopped into his cage when it ended. He was special, though.


                                          • Buckley's Mum
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                                              Hi RabitPam, your Sammie sounds a darling!

                                              Okay, you have unleashed a whole heap of questions now, so here goes.

                                              How much pellets should Buckley have, he’s a 5 months old dwarf, could I please have this in grams or ounces as I don’t understand “cups”?

                                              Is a 2hr window from 6pm-8pm long enough for exercise in the evening? Admittedly when he’s out for about 6 hours, he does sit around doing nothing for long periods. (by the way, he is only allowed in the kitchen as the rest of the house is not bunny-proof, and according to hubby, never will be! but I’m working on him!).

                                              Currently I don’t feed him until it’s bedtime which is about midnight when I put his dinner in his cage and then try and get him to follow it in. In the morning I check he’s got enough food and there’s usually got pellets and veggies left over from the night before so there’s enough for him to last the day whilst I’m at work. Does this mean I’m feeding him too much? He of course has unlimited hay.

                                              He’s a very shy bun, I think he’s scared of his own shadow, and the only way I seem to be able to interract with him is by encouraging him to come to me by having treats, and he absolutely won’t be touched, which is why the treats is the only interraction he has with me (

                                              Tomorrow, we’re going out for the day leaving at around 8am and won’t return until about 9/10pm, will he be alright being in his cage all day? It’s quite a large comfortable cage, but obviously not one he can run in, I can let him out at around 9/10pm when we get home, will he be okay?

                                              Maybe I shall try an earlier dinner time/bedtime tonight and see what happens.

                                              Thanks for all your advice, but I would like to hear your opinion on the above.

                                              Thank you x

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                                          Forum BEHAVIOR Bun Won’t Go To Bed!