Posted By B&A on 3/10/2017 5:19 AM

Good Morning, 

  I am new to rabbits and got two rescue rabbits recently. I got the boy, Bertrand, first, he is male and 12 months and the softest most docile and calm rabbit  – he has never bit or been aggressive except for a couple of foot thumps when he doesn’t like what I’m doing. He is lovely though, just loves being snuggled and he gets into a bit of trouble, he keeps uprooting my spider plants, but that’s about all, and even then I push him away from the plants – I think he might think it’s a game we’re playing :/ .. it’s okay though, he is cute about it. 

My second rabbit I got after Bertrand, she is female, Arlo. She is between 3-4 months and she is a different kettle of fish. She makes Bertrand look so sane and calm – she seems a bit a manic. She like to chew .. and dig and runs round in mad circles doing her binkies – she like to be pet a lot but has no fear in giving me a nip when I try to push her away from chewing something. Another difference, Bertrand calmly eats his food through out the day – he is never in a rush he nibbles here and there .. calmly. Arlo on the other hand, she devours food like she has never seen salad before. Is this just young rabbit behaviour? surly she can’t keep these energy levels up for long or could she? Is it just like a little kid, because she is so young? Will she grow out of it? or calm down after she is neutered even? 

Thanks 

Chewing and digging are normal bunny behaviours. Running around binky-ing is a great sign of a happy rabbit. Not really sure why you’d want that to calm down. All of these are not hormone driven behaviour (unless she’s digging and chewing out of frustration) so spaying will likely have no impact whatsoever. She will probably grow out of it but I don’t think that’ll happen for a few years at least. She sounds like a perfectly normal active bunny. 

Posted By B&A on 3/10/2017 6:16 AM

haha, I don’t want her to stop doing it altogether. I think perhaps I didn’t stress the difference in behaviour to my boy.  She just seems to never stop, I am trying to provide as many toys and entertainment and attention as I can, she just seems a bit … yes, over the top, like she is overly excited ALLL of the time. I am just curious if this is a young thing or this is just the personality of some rabbits. Perhaps it was a silly question. 

It sounds like a personality thing but it should still calm as she gets older but for the most part I think you’re stuck with a very excitable bun 

Have you thought about making her a digging box?

Just get a large cardboard box and fill it with shredded paper or fleece or even soil. Maybe throw in some treats or toys and let her go to town! I need to make one for my boy.

I wouldn’t want them eating soil… Sounds like you have two different personalities there. The dig box is a good idea. My bunnies have enjoyed all of those suggestions by sarathegenini. At the moment I have a nice wooden box with play sand. My bunnies like to scratch around in it. Guin likes to dig at blankets and towels. Perhaps give her a towel to toss around. they do tend to nibble on things, so watch that she doesn’t ingest if. Although Guin nibbles on towels, and Avalon and Morgana completely shred towels and fleece and linoleum and carpet, and cardboard, they don’t actually ingest it. They leave me a mountain of shreds to sweep up. But that is what bunnies like to do. So rather give them something that they can safely play with. Nibbling and shredding and digging are forms of play. but if they are ingesting the material, try something else. Even a really deep layer of hay is fun. Guin loves to burrow in deep hay, and then jump up like she is jumping out of a birthday cake! Hay everywhere. Yay.

Posted By vanessa on 3/10/2017 8:50 AM

I wouldn’t want them eating soil… Sounds like you have two different personalities there. The dig box is a good idea. My bunnies have enjoyed all of those suggestions by sarathegenini. At the moment I have a nice wooden box with play sand. My bunnies like to scratch around in it. Guin likes to dig at blankets and towels. Perhaps give her a towel to toss around. they do tend to nibble on things, so watch that she doesn’t ingest if. Although Guin nibbles on towels, and Avalon and Morgana completely shred towels and fleece and linoleum and carpet, and cardboard, they don’t actually ingest it. They leave me a mountain of shreds to sweep up. But that is what bunnies like to do. So rather give them something that they can safely play with. Nibbling and shredding and digging are forms of play. but if they are ingesting the material, try something else. Even a really deep layer of hay is fun. Guin loves to burrow in deep hay, and then jump up like she is jumping out of a birthday cake! Hay everywhere. Yay.