please help!! new (destructive and harmful!) behaviours

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 11 months ago by Poe & Atlas.

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- 12/11/2020 at 7:24 PM
  Poe & Atlas
  Participant
  5 posts
  Hello,
  
  I have two rabbits, Poe and Atlas, who have been together since birth. They are male, neutered, and a little over a year old. They are best friends, always side by side, cuddling, grooming each other, etc. They will occasionally “mount” each other, but it is not usually an issue — typically just for dominance and then they’re done. However, there have been around 3 instances over the past few months where Poe will mount Atlas, very intensely (i’m so sorry i don’t know how to say this without it being weird), and will chase him around in order to continue. He will keep “mounting”, looking like he is biting Atlas’ back/fur, which results in Atlas throwing Poe off, a very loud growl/snarl (I’m not sure who it is), and Poe will look somewhat dazed sitting on his rear end, having pulled out a clump of Atlas’ fur. Besides this, they don’t fight, and they seem just as close as they always have been. I don’t know what to do! I try to catch it in time and stop Poe if I notice him being too persistent, but it has escalated like this around 3 times. Their enclosure is in the basement unfortunately, so I’m not supervising them in their cage all the time, and I’m worried about this happening when I’m not around. Does anyone know anything about this? Is it because they’re both males and both want to be the “dominant” one?
  
  Another (possibly linked) behaviour I have noticed lately is the digging. They dig at the fleece in their cage all the time. I know that digging is a natural behaviour for rabbits, but I’m wondering if there is something more to it? Their cage is a c&c cage, with foam mats for cushion, and a fleece blanket covering that. However, I don’t have quite enough foam for right now to cover the whole area, so I have put multiple layers of cardboard down for a temporary fix. Today I noticed that in two spots in the cardboard, they had dug fairly large holes through all of the layers. They do dig at the foam areas as well, so I don’t think it’s only because there’s cardboard. They dig so much more than they used to, so I’m wondering if it is something stress-related?
  
  If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please share 🙂 I love these two so much and just want them to be happy and stress-free.
- 12/11/2020 at 8:59 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Hmmm, have there been any changes in your household? Maybe new pets or people that could have triggered things? It could be that since they were together since birth they might be resorting out their hierarchy as they get older. It’s good it isn’t escalating though!
  
  They might benefit from some bonding sessions in neutral territory or some stress sessions to see if that helps calm them down.
  
  How much space do they have? You could add some grass mats and a digging box to give them something more safe to do. My diggers also like cardboard cat scratchers. Be careful that they aren’t eating the foam mats.
  
  The other thing that can trigger changes in dominance or the bond is when one bunny is sick, so keep an eye on them for any other symptoms. Seems the buns pick up on things sooner than we do!
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
  - 12/13/2020 at 5:36 PM
    Poe & Atlas
    Participant
    5 posts
    Thank you for your answer:) There haven’t been any new people or pets in the house, but I was away for a few days and had my dad take care of them. Maybe a different person and routine threw them off a little bit.
    
    I will definitely try to do some bonding and stress bonding sessions to see if that resolves their little scuffles. Thanks for the idea!
    
    Their enclosure is 12 square feet, which I know is smaller than the minimum, but we are doing renovations and space is limited right now. Hopefully sometime soon I will be able to upgrade. They get some “free roam” time in the hallway almost every day for at least 3 hours, oftentimes for longer. Maybe the process could be contributing to their stress levels though… their cage isn’t in a bunny safe room unfortunately, and because I’m living with my parents, there isn’t really a way that would be possible. I have to pick them up and bring them upstairs, which isn’t enjoyable for anyone involved, but I’m not sure how else to do it. I’ll post in another category of the forum soon to hopefully get some advice on alternate methods to bring them upstairs without having to disrupt them so much in their enclosure.
    
    I’ll also try to set up a digging box soon, and I will get some grass/hay mats to put in the spots they dig at most — I had been thinking of getting them anyways, but now that I have a reason to I will get on it now!
    
    I will definitely keep a closer eye on any potential symptoms. It’s incredible how well rabbits are at sensing things that we don’t see. I have noticed that they are drinking less than they typically do. Poe has also been less excited about his pellets some nights, but will eat his hay and salads. When he goes back in their enclosure for the night, he is so focused on digging that he doesn’t care about his pellets, but since he eats his morning pellets as well as his hay and salad, I figured it wasn’t stasis or something like that. But maybe there is something else going on — I will try to book an appointment for him soon and keep a closer eye on him in the meantime.
    
    Thank you so much for your advice!
- 12/13/2020 at 7:34 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  The stress of an altered routine and home renovations could be playing a role. Hopefully some bonding sessions and a little TLC will straighten things out! Stress of an altered bond can also cause reduced appetite (esp if one bun is guarding the food).
  
  Maybe you could train them to go into a carrier to transport them for exercise?
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
  - 12/18/2020 at 2:45 PM
    Poe & Atlas
    Participant
    5 posts
    DanaNM … Thank you so much for the information and all your advice! I will 100% give it a try with the carrier. Hopefully it won’t be so traumatic for them if they can get to playtime without having to be picked up. I’ll also post on this thread again once I have had a chance to do some bonding sessions to update you on the process!
    
    Wick … Thank you as well for the info! Good to know that it’s normal for rabbits to eat later — must be a sign that they feel safe if they trust the food will stay there for them. I will definitely be doing more bonding sessions. It sounds like that is what the two of them need to sort things out. Sounds like my rabbits got the same idea as yours! They started digging out of nowhere and now do it very often. At least they have a hobby 😉
- 12/14/2020 at 6:42 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5813 posts
  Sometimes rabbits develop a food security over time, in which they become more confident that food will be presented to them and will stay there, even if they don’t eat it all in one go. This happened to both my rabbits, where initially they’d eat everything right away, but now they simply do a few bites of morning pellets, and then they will revisit it during the morning hours.
  
  I want to underscore Dana’s suggestion of some bonding sessions. Both when puberty hits and when a major procedure is done, the relationship between two rabbits can become a bit shaky, so some systematic efforts may be needed to safely supervise as they finally establish the relationship’s hierarchy.
  
  Regarding the digging, that can be stress relief, and at the same time, it is a very normal rabbit behavior. One of my rabbits particularly did not actually start digging until he was 2-3 years old! Maybe he just didn’t realize how fun it was until then, haha.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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