Benedict Sending Mixed Messages

[oatmealpie]

 My lionhead, Benedict, is sending mixed messages. During playtime he’ll run some bunny 500s and binky around, which means that he’s happy. Then he’ll push and chew on the bars of his X-pen (it’s open during playtime, but we still use it to block off non-bunny-proofed areas), which means that he’s bored. For the record, I’m using this guide to analyze his behavior.

Is he really bored? He has a long cardboard tunnel to run in, a cardboard castle to hide in, and several toys to chew on or toss around. It seems no matter how much space we give him (e.g. a hallway, bathroom, and most of our living room) he still wants to push his boundaries and explore where no bun has gone before. Should I give him more stimulation or stop worrying that he’s bored?

[Sarita]

I think it just means it’s blocking his area and he wants in – I imagine they mean the chewing on bars to mean he’s bored when he’s in his playpen….that’s how I interpret this.

[NuggetBuns]

My rabbit does the same thing. We open up the xpen to let him out, but use it to divide the living room and dining room like a gate. Instead of running around the living room, most of the time he’ll just sit next to the gate and chew on the bars. It’s different from him picking up the xpen panels with his mouth and shaking it or pushing it to get it out of his way so he can be completely “FREE” to run around the entire apartment. I think the more attention we give our rabbits, the less interested they’ll be in the areas beyond their borders. But I’m struggling with the same problem at the moment unfortunately. =(

[LBJ10]

He isn’t necessarily bored. He just wants to see what’s on the other side of the fence. I can have the gate up in the bunny room’s doorway and Leopold will try to chew on the gate. I open the gate so he can come in the living room. Do you know what happens 90% of the time? He comes out into the living room and looks around for about 5 minutes. Then he turns around and goes back to his room.

[NuggetBuns]

LBJ10- lol! I wish Nugget did that. When I open up the pen to let Nugget out, he actually helps me by grabbing hold of it and pushing it like he’s saying “FINALLY you’re letting me out of jail… I WILL HELP YOU!” And then if I’m not careful, he’ll run out to my bedroom before I can separate the living room from the rest of the apartment. We always keep the door shut, so he’s always met with disappointment. The bedroom is the forbidden room that he MUST go into and if he sneaks into it in the morning, I’m always late to work =(

[CheriB603]

My Jo-Jo is not allowed in the upstairs bedrooms. She can go EVERYWHERE else! We don’t even block off the stairs, just keep the two doors closed. But if someone goes upstairs, no matter how stealthily, she knows and zooms up hoping to squeeze in between your legs (which happens now and then)!
I gave up trying to shoo her out – now I just close the door with her inside and wait about 30 seconds. When I open the door, there she is, wanting to be on the other side! They just want what they can’t have.

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