Well, he sounds like many of the bunnies I have had. Seems like God sends the ornery ones my way because He knows I will fall in love with them and keep them despite their orneriness.

Buns like to do “bunstruction” and “redecorating.” And yes, it does seem like many of them have a touch of OCD! They train us, we do not train them. However, don’t despair, there might be some answers.

With the bowl – I have always used HEAVY ceramic crocks with my bunnies. Anything lighter they will move and use more as a toy than a dish. I found my heavy crocks at a feed and seed store. You will know you have a heavy enough crock when you feel a strain on your wrist holding it in one hand, LOL.

As for the morning thumpfest – do you by any chance live near an airport or railroad tracks? Or have trash pickup trucks that start coming around about the time he thumps? Bunnies are sensitive to vibrations that we can’t hear. I’ve had buns that started thumping and then a little while later I would hear the whistle of the train. And the tracks were not even that close – maybe a mile or so away. So maybe there’s something Totoro is picking up on and he thumps a warning.

Since he had been used to more attention, he could be reacting to the changes. A buddy for him might be a good idea. I don’t know the size of your room and whether you can fit in another cage. I have always had two bunny cages and that way the bunnies can see each other and yet have a place to himself/herself.

My current bunnies, I discovered, can be allowed out together for short periods of time. Shamrock likes to chase Clover. She just goes and hops in her cage if she gets tired of it. But some bunnies can get into bad fights, so you just have to know your bunnies. My experience has been not to leave them totally unsupervised, because I had one bunny, Pepper, who picked on each of his three successive wives. Only it wasn’t obvious until later I’d discover wounds under their fur. So I had to separate them.

And Pepper was not a bad bunny, he was really sweet, and maybe he just didn’t know his own strength, but he was hurting the girls so I had to protect them. That’s why I believe each bunny should always have a cage to call his/her own even if they’re bonded.

Most every bunny I’ve had has been a destructo-chewer. Clover used to eat her Carefresh litter to the point of giving herself intestinal blockage. I had to switch to aspen or hemp. And bunnies are obsessive and stubborn. Scolding just makes them look at you, annoyed, like “What!? You gotta problem?” and then turn back to what they are doing. So I just bunny-proof and provide safe chewables. They still find ways to get into trouble.

So…you basically just have to accept them for what they are, troubleshoot, bunny-proof, put forbidden things out of reach and cords behind stuff, etc. And just appreciate those heart-melting bunny eyes.

I would say that a bunny friend would be a good idea . But Bunnymom is right- it requires lotys of supervision and care to be sure they are safe to be left alone together. I have been lucky- I got a female bunny, Nelli, for my male bunny, BunBun, after he had been with us for about 2 months. Aside from some humping at first (Bun was the humper, Nelli the humpee) they have gotten along pefectly. I could leave them together overnight after about 2 weeks of daily bonding.They have never fought- it’s a match made in heaven. I have heard that it’s easier to bring a female bunny into a male’s home, since male’s are usually less territorial than females. If you think this is something you want to do, lots of us have advice on how to find Totoro a wifey.

I think rabbits love to bother us in the morning just because they can- lol. BunBun likes to wake me up at about 4AM chewing on the door frame. I yell at him for that and go back to the couch (I like to sleep on the couch cuz hubby snores). Then he starts eating the carpet- I repeat the yelling and he hops off. I get settles again- now he’s trying to get my dried flower arrangement from this huge vase. Repeat yelling/hopping away. As his grand finale, he jumps up onto the kitchen table and perches precariously on the edge, staring at me as I lay on the couch like “Look Mom, now I’m gonna fall- see??” At that point I get up and give him attention and treats so he will let me get back to sleep. So yeah, I know how you feel. Maybe Totoro has a good reason for his morning rowdiness, or maybe he’s just a brat like my Bunbun .

I think Totoro would be okay with bunny dates as long as you can recognize aggression in the rabbits, like ears back at a 45 degree angle and tail raised up. You can separate them if you see any aggression.

For his pellets, you can get a crock that attaches itself to the cage. I got one at walmart that’s a nice size (since Smokey only gets 1/4 cup of pellets, anyway). She would do the same thing, flipping her bowl over. I got tired of it and visited walmart. It was only a couple of dollars, and I have it screwed onto the cage right next to her litter box and now we have no more problems

I know when Smokey doesn’t get attention, she is reall ornery and bratty and cranky. So maybe that’s why he’s acting the way he is ?

I also agree with bunny-proofing whatever you possibly can — cords, clothes, beds, walls. For the walls, just put things against the walls so he can’t reach them.

I wish you luck !