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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR Thumping, please help!

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    • Cowlover21
      Participant
      1 posts Send Private Message

        Hello, I’m new to rabbits. I recently got a 6 week old rabbit.I’ve had him for about 5 weeks and he is presenting some problems. Usually at night he will thump once about ever hour. I’m a very light sleeper so you can just imagine how annoying this is. Our night-time routine is to get him in his cage after playtime, refill his pellets, hay and water if needed. Then I cover him up and turn my fan on (I can’t sleep without one). Today he is being extra annoying because now he’s doing it during the day. The only way he will stop is if I start crying from frustration. I have tried everything, yelling, spraying with water, making a loud noise… If this doesn’t stop I can’t keep him much longer. I love him I and I don’t want to get rid of him but I can’t deal with this. He lives in a 2×5 grid cage and is let out from 3-9pm. I don’t understand what his problem is, If you could help or even solve the problem it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


      • tobyluv
        Participant
        3310 posts Send Private Message

          At 11 weeks old, your rabbit is approaching adolescence, with the surges in hormones that brings. That could be the reason for the extra thumping he is doing. Rabbits can thump out of fear or anger, or they can thump with excitement. It’s doubtful that there is something (like a mouse) startling him during the night since he is doing it hourly. It could be frustration at being caged, or he is easily excited. Neutering a rabbit calms or eliminates certain behaviors like humping, spraying, frustration or aggression, so maybe it would help with the thumping too. It’s probably a little early for him to be neutered, but he can have the surgery when his testicles have dropped, which should be soon if they haven’t already dropped.


        • FloppyBunny
          Participant
          80 posts Send Private Message

            Have you tried giving him attention, petting him, etc.? My rabbit sometimes thumps if he wants attention NOW. Otherwise, don’t give up on him yet. Like Tobyluv said, it will probably go away after being neutered, once his hormones calm down. Baby bunnies can be troublesome, but they usually grow out of it. My boy used to chew everything and dig in every single plant pot, but after a while he stopped and is now extremely calm. Give him some time.


          • Azerane
            Moderator
            4688 posts Send Private Message

              Don’t yell or spray with water from thumping, if he’s thumping out of fear or stress, it’s only going to exacerbate the problem. It’s possible he’s still getting settled, so perhaps just talking to him and trying to sooth him will help. A behavioural change will not go away overnight, but he won’t thump every hour at night forever, you’re just going to have to work through it. Of course another option is potentially moving his cage to a different room of your house so that the thumping can’t wake you. Have you tried leaving the cover off the cage overnight? Perhaps he doesn’t like it being on there.


            • Mikey
              Participant
              3186 posts Send Private Message

                My bunnies thump when they are very scared or when they are mad at me. Yelling, making loud noises, and spraying him are likely making the thumping worse as it could easily be scaring him or making him mad. I recommend googling and youtubing bunny behaviors and what they mean to help you understand the bun a little better

                Seconding what Azerane said about the cover. My buns hate when they cannot see; one will even start to full on freak out. Perhaps covering him up has been stressing him out


              • Sr. Melangell
                Participant
                1708 posts Send Private Message

                  Bunnies thump or a number of reasons, they will thump if they heard a tiny bird outside, or even something we cannot hear, just talk to your bunny, tell him everything is OK, bunnies thump to warn us also of danger too, so if you make a mistake and he thumps because you left pizza burning in the oven, be thankful, bunnies are wonderful creatures, I often get woken up by my boy banging because it is going to rain in the afternoon.

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              Forum BEHAVIOR Thumping, please help!