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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 Ridiculous Temper Tantrum or What?

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    • Eucalyptus
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        It’s been about a month since we got Java. He’s 3 years old, neutered, and a very good bunny. I just want to stress that he’s extremely good. He’s very laid-back about almost everything (never gets upset when you do something that would normally piss off a bunny), and very good with the litter box. While he does leave some poops around his pen, he never pees outside of the box, and has had only one or two poops outside of his pen.


        Last night, we bought a new bookshelf that we had to assemble, and were putting it together for a while on the opposite side of our place from him (we’re in a studio, so he can see everything). During this, his pen was open for him to free-roam. He checked out all the bookshelf stuff and ran around, etc. He was fine until my boyfriend had to screw in some stuff that made a loud clicking sound. Java got pretty upset and was running around stomping. I comforted him, and although he stomped a little more here and there, he really wasn’t too upset, just bothered. We finished the bookshelf and got some of our boxes of books unpacked and into the shelf. Java was totally fine after that. We moved some boxes around (we moved here recently so we are still putting our place together very slowly), and again, Java seemed fine.


        I headed to bed and Java laid on my pillow next to me while my boyfriend pet him. I think both of us fell asleep, but I woke up to hearing Java ripping up the blanket under his pen. My boyfriend was still up, and I heard him do a slightly bothered exhale and get up, so I figured this wasn’t the first time. Java pulls at the blanket sometimes when he’s upset or wants something (usually it’s when his hay is running low or something), or when he really wants out if he’s locked in for whatever reason.


        My boyfriend let him out and Java immediately ran to our bed, jumped onto my pillow, and stomped a few times. I comforted him, and he stomped more. He started pooping all over my pillow and digging everywhere (digging isn’t unusual, he always digs on our bed and especially the pillows). We picked up the poops and put them into his box, but he kept going. He went on my boyfriend’s pillow and pooped a LOT, and then ate them all. And they weren’t the more “shiny” poops that they usually eat, this was just regular poop. We let him eat them, but it was still awkward. For about 2 hours now he was either going back and forth between the bed and the outside of his pen (looking around it and stuff). Most of the time, he would look around his pen, then dash quickly to our bed and poop on our pillows.


        Anytime we tried to put him into his pen for bed, he would throw all of his bowls and toys, and then start chewing and ripping violently at the blanket. He’s already tore a couple of holes into it and is most likely going to work on the carpet (bad bad bad!), so we’re not just leaving him to do that. Whenever we reach in his pen, he just ducks his head like he wants to be pet. No stomping since the past hour, just acting up a lot like he wants to come out. We would just let him run around all he wants if he wasn’t pooping all over the bed.


        Note – he was drinking water recently and eating hay, so I really don’t think this is a health related problem unless there’s something that we don’t know.


        What are we doing wrong? We were busy all day because it was our anniversary, so he didn’t get as much free time, but it wasn’t a significant difference. He mostly rested even when allowed out, so I’m not sure if this is just a huge amount of pent up energy or something. There are some slight changes around the house, just some moved boxes, and the only other changes would be that we vacuumed heavily around the apartment and also cleaned his pen completely (changed his box, washed all of his bowls, and vacuumed all of the fur and hay from the blanket). He’s never reacted negatively to any cleaning in his pen at all. Like I said, he’s incredibly laid-back. He tolerates the vacuum completely, so we sometimes can vacuum around him without anything happening.


        It’s 5:30 am and I have work at 7. Only about 30 min of sleep before this all started. But more than that, I’m worried that we’ve done something or are doing something wrong.


      • Sarita
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          It is probably just an isolated incident, I really wouldn’t worry too much. Sometimes it’s impossible to know what sets them off – even a small change in a routine can – rabbits, like children, seem to like a very routine routine so they know what to expect – I think it’s due to their rabbit anxiety.


        • Eucalyptus
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            Posted By Sarita on 01/04/2013 05:47 AM

            It is probably just an isolated incident, I really wouldn’t worry too much. Sometimes it’s impossible to know what sets them off – even a small change in a routine can – rabbits, like children, seem to like a very routine routine so they know what to expect – I think it’s due to their rabbit anxiety.

            What can we do? He’s still doing it as of now. I just gave him breakfast and he ate it all but immediately went after the blanket. We put two yellow pages in the spots that he’s been going for, and he destroyed them and eventually was able to pull them aside so he can get back to the blanket. Like I said, we would just let him go for it until he gets over it, but he’s getting to the carpet, which is … bad.


            We let him out now and he’s just running around on the bed. No pooping anymore, thank goodness, but still. He only wants to be on our pillows. Sometimes he’s just sitting on them, sometimes digging. He goes off the bed sometimes but will almost immediately dash back to be on the pillows.


            Looks like I’m not sleeping. Lol ugh.

            Update 6:13 : He just peed on my pillow.

            Update 6:20 : Actually he peed quite a bit …. all over the place. Happened pretty fast. And now he’s relaxing in his pen.


          • Quantum
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              Oof! That’s quite the temper tantrum! Bunnies really hate changes to their environment–is the bookshelf in a spot where he normally sat or ran through? I know Nibs hates anything that interferes with his normal “runway” with a deep and abiding passion. I was reading that they memorize their paths and run them for practice–any changes to it makes them have to re-memorize it. If it’s not blocking him in any way, it’s likely just because there’s a new, big, odd-smelling thing in his house, dagnabbit! Give him a couple days to get used to the idea and, more importantly, a chance to give it a good chinning or twelve so that it at least smells normal (i.e. like him). All the peeing and pooping (besides letting you know how displeased he is) is just marking his territory to let that bookshelf know whose house it is…his!


            • Eucalyptus
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                Posted By Quantum on 01/04/2013 09:04 AM

                Oof! That’s quite the temper tantrum! Bunnies really hate changes to their environment–is the bookshelf in a spot where he normally sat or ran through? I know Nibs hates anything that interferes with his normal “runway” with a deep and abiding passion. I was reading that they memorize their paths and run them for practice–any changes to it makes them have to re-memorize it. If it’s not blocking him in any way, it’s likely just because there’s a new, big, odd-smelling thing in his house, dagnabbit! Give him a couple days to get used to the idea and, more importantly, a chance to give it a good chinning or twelve so that it at least smells normal (i.e. like him). 

                Nope, the bookshelf is in a closet that he never sees into (always shut). He’s never even gone near that closet since he’s lived here. We assembled two desks that are in his sight, and they were never a problem during the assembling and now that they’re here.

                Posted By Quantum on 01/04/2013 09:04 AM 
                All the peeing and pooping (besides letting you know how displeased he is) is just marking his territory to let that bookshelf know whose house it is…his! 

                This made me laugh so hard. Haha.


                As of now, I just got home from work and he’s in the corner of his pen (he’s almost always laying/relaxing/sleeping whenever we get home). When we got there, he went into his hidey-home (he usually never has to use it and will only hide when there’s a lot of ruckus outside or something), and started digging and chewing the blanket. Now he’s just sitting near his bowls. We’re really concerned about anymore poop or pee …


                Update 4:10 : For a while he was just sitting there staring … no moving. Then he was laying in a spot he never sleeps in and wasn’t responding to anything. I put my hand in for him to smell, nothing. But I pulled out some cilantro and he went crazy for it. He’s not unhealthy, it’s just weird ….


              • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                  Sounds like he’s just upset from the site or the sounds or both. I’d give him some time (provided he’s eating, drinking etc) Think if some giants came and constructed something 100x bigger than you are in your house-you might need a while to cool off

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              Forum BEHAVIOR Ridiculous Temper Tantrum or What?