Two Part Question – A thumper and a scratcher

[MADDIness]

I have two male bunnies with two different behavioral issues.  The, obviously, live in separate cages and each get their turns to run around the house.

The first is Blitz.  He’s an almost 4 year old male mini rex rabbit. He’s super timid and shy typically.  If you pet him he just kind of cowers.  He never scratches or bites, he’s litter box trained.  He’s super nice, just a big ol scardey bunny.  We recently moved to a new apartment.  And for some reason he has picked up a thumping habit.  I figured he’d just not gotten used to the new apartment, but by now I think he would have.  His cage is just 5 feet from my bed and I haven’t been able to get a good night sleep for a while now thanks to him.  He lived close to me in my other apartment.  The only reasons he ever thumped were because he wanted food, water or someone other than me entered the apartment.  None of those are the case now.  He has a bowl full of food and plenty of hay and water, lots of comfy nesting material and a big two story hutch.  But he just seemingly thumps at nothing.  And LOUD too.  I’m just waiting for the neighbors to complain.  I thought maybe it was because the other male bunny is living in his cage in the same room.  But then the other bunny is hopping around and comes over to Blitz’s cage, they just sniff each other through the bars.  No thumping or angriness exchanged.  Is there anyway to stop this. I miss my sleep.

My other bunny is Mr. Fumbles.  He’s about 8 months old, about 2 pounds bigger already than my older bunny and a lionhead-rex mix.  He is far more outgoing.  He’ll hop right up to you, follow me around the house, he loves being pet and scratched all over.  He’s a cool, sweet bunny, well behaved mostly, litterbox trained.  He does get food aggressive.  If I try to fill up his food while he’s in his cage, he’ll grunt and lunge and bite my hand.  I’ve found a way around that by letting him out to hop around while I fill up food, hay and water.  My big problem is that while he loves to be pet, he hates to be held or carried.  I know all the proper way to hold him, supporting the butt etc. but he wants none of it.  He’ll scratch and flail like a madbunny until he gets away.  Is there anyway of breaking him of this?  I’ve tried different ways of carrying him, but none seem to help.  He will only tolerate it for a few moments before flailing.  I’d like to take him out.  My other bunny loves to be put on the leash and go to the beach to play in the sand and water, but I can’t take him if I can’t carry him.  Any suggestions?  He wont take treats from me while I hold him.  Should I just keep holding him whenever possible and hope he gets used to it?

Any help for either bunny is much appreciated!

[peppypoo]

Could Blitz be thumping at something in the house, like when the air turns on? Their senses are sharper than ours, and sometimes they can spook at things. As for the noise, is there any way to damp the sound? I’m not sure exactly what your setup is, but maybe you could put padding somewhere to lessen the vibrations?

Is Mr. Fumbles fixed? Territoriality is a lot more common in bunnies that are intact, though sometimes it does occur in neutered ones as well. As for being held, very few bunnies actually like it – I would say Blitz is the exception rather than the norm if he doesn’t mind being carried around. As long as you are able to pick up Mr. Fumbles long enough to transport him when necessary, I wouldn’t encourage you to just let him be happy with all four feet on the ground.

[RoyalElvira]

Why dont you try to bond the bunnies? They might pick up on each others good habits! Rabbits generally do not liked to be picked up, which is probably why Mr Fumbles wont let you hold them. They are prey creatures, being picked up scares them. Are either of them neutered? If not, have them neutered! It will definitely help with behavioral issues

[MoveDiagonally]

If they’re not neutered that could help you with some of the behavioral issues.

Blitz is probably hearing something he’s not used to. Did you move to a slightly nosier area? Or maybe something else has changed sound or even smell wise? For example: I run an air purifier in our bunny room and it makes a quiet fan-like noise. When it broke thumpapalooza rolled into town but as soon as I replaced it they went back to normal. I could barely hear it but apparently it was a big deal to them!

Most rabbits don’t like being picked up as it’s too much like being scooped up by a predator. Mr. Fumbles might not ever be easy to handle. You could try a bunny burrito for necessary handling but definitely let him live the grounded life he prefers.

[MADDIness]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Neither are neutered. Unfortunately, to get a rabbit neutered in this area costs an astronomical amount. Like 5+ times that of a dog or a cat. If I could afford to get them neutered, I could afford a horse! Lol.

I think I figured out Blitz’s thumping problem though. He can now here my mice when they run on their wheels. Before he couldn’t hear them. It only seems to bother him at night (lucky me). Both my mice have ‘silent’ wheels and are on the opposite side of the house, but even with the doors closed you can still hear them run. So there’s not much I can do about that. My mousies need their exercise.

What is your guys opinions on allowing male interaction. I let them check each other out once and at first they just sat completely still. Then the younger one sniffed the older. Then the older one tried to mount the younger one. I’m assuming to establish dominance. The younger one then flipped around to face the older and I seperated them before anything could happen. Now they just sniff each other through the bars. I’ve heard some bad stories. My mom once had two males, when one was hopping around the other escaped and they almost killed each other. Similarly, when my boy mice got older one killed his father (he was then named Hitler and given away haha) and I bought more cages and seperated the remaining two boys. Never trust Petsmart supposedly only selling ‘female’ mice by the way.

[MADDIness]

Hmm, upon second thought I realized I might offend someone by telling you all that I named my one mouse Hitler. My ancestors were Jewish and 47 of my relatives died in the Holocaust. I’m in no way trying to make light of the Holocaust. Please forgive me if I offended anyone.

[MoveDiagonally]

Hm… I think Blitz will stop thumping when he gets used to the noise but you could try running a fan outside your bedroom to “muffle” the sound. Though depending on what kind of sleeper you are that might keep you up too.

I think most people here will advise you against putting two un-altered bunnies together. They could appear to get along but in an instant that could change and result in serious injury or death. They can’t be trusted with each other and all those hormones between them. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it at all. Getting an injury treated would likely be more expensive than getting them neutered.

On neutering: Have you tried calling surrounding areas to check for prices on altering? In my local area it’s pretty expensive to spay/neuter but if I drive 40 minutes it’s about 1/3 the price. You could also try contacting a local humane society that deals with rabbits or a rabbit specific rescue to see if they offer/know of any low cost options around. I definitely understand financial restraints but it’s worth a try if you would like to be able to bond them in the future.

[Elrohwen]

I think Blitz might stop as he gets used to it. Right now it’s a new noise in a a new house, but with enough time it will be the same old thing.

I would also stop trying to pick up Fumbles. I’ve found that the more you try to force the holding the cuddling, the more they try to avoid it. Having a bunny who can be picked up for nail trims and things is great, but I think it’s asking a lot to want them to enjoy it. Even most dogs and cats hate being carried around, so you can imagine that it’s scarier for a bunny who is a prey animal. I generally think leashes are more of a danger than anything, so I don’t use them. Maybe you could set up a pen in the area you want to take him, then put his carrier down in it and let him come out to explore on his own.

I wouldn’t put them together unaltered. Females would be worse, but two males will most likely fight and bunny fights can be vicious. You might be able to find some place with cheaper neuters and go that route.

[Deleted User]

Have you tried looking into a place that does discount spays? I would talk to any local rabbit rescues that may know of a few good ones. Or they may be able to give you information concerning spay vouchers. Or something of the like.

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