Bunny Problems

[sr2011]

Hello everyone,

I am having a lot of trouble with my bunny.  I have had her over a year and I hate to admit it, but I’m at my wit’s end with her.  She’s very sweet, but she’s just causing a lot of extra stress in my life.  First off, she’s been chewing the carpet.  This isn’t a new thing, but I try to prevent her from one spot and she just finds another. I know it could be related to boredom, etc. but I have provided her with many other options such as a phone book, toys, and a dig box.  She still tears up my carpet and is going to cost me quite a bit of money when I move out of my apartment and lose my deposit.  I want to let her out and play, but she is quite destructive. 

Secondly, she is preventing me from sleep.  I am a student who is very busy and stressed with school and the little sleep I do get is continually interupted by her.  She makes so much noise throughout the night and the morning by thumping, chewing on her cage, and digging at the floor.  I even got indoor outdoor carpet for her cage to prevent the noise, but she of course chewed it up.  There is no other place in the apartment I can move her as I have a roomate.  I have also tried headphones, earplugs, etc.  Nothing works. 

I enjoy her and would love to keep her, but throughout the time I have had her she has just had a negative impact on my life which has cost money, sleep, and sanity.  I was very prepared to have a bunny and did not rush into the decision, but she is causing much more frustration than I ever expected.  Any advice would be much appreciated. 

[Barbie]

Oh no! I’m sorry to hear you’re having a bad experience with her. How long have you had her? I think some of her night time noises will bother you less after awhile. I know that when I first got Leroy, he kept me up at night, but now it doesn’t bother me at all. Ear plugs are good, what about a white noise machine? You can find “white noise” online for free too and play on your computer at night (set the screen to turn off so you don’t have the added distraction of light).

Have you tried all sorts of toys? Bunnies have different play styles so I’d recommend that you check out the toy section here and try some of the cheap at home toys, like TP rolls stuffed with veggies or a cardboard box with newspaper strips hung inside. It does sound like she’s bored… how much play time does she get? Ideally rabbits are “free roam” like a dog or a cat, but given the carpet digging, that’s probably not an option right now. She should get at least 3 hours a day out of the cage/pen to stretch her legs, run around and binky, and to explore. Try some more interactive toys, like a small treat dispenser ball that she has to roll around to get her pellets out. You could hide/scatter them around her pen or around your room so that she has to use her nose to find her dinner (same for veggies). What about clicker training her to do some basic tricks. Not only does training tricks keep themphysically moving, it also mentally stimulates them and strengthens the bond between bunny and human. One suggestion for the carpet, you can get some inexpensive porcelain tiles at a home improvement store and put them where ever she’s been digging to cover the spots and keep her from ripping up any more carpet.

[sr2011]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I have had her a little over a year.  These problems are nothing new, I just keep telling mself it will get better or I will get used to them, but it’s not happening.  Her noises still wake me up at night.  I have tried the white noise machine and listening to headphones, but I can still hear her.  Unless I turn up the volume very loud, which of course means I can’t sleep, haha!

As far as the toys, I have tried all those that you have mentioned.  She is just not interested in anything.  She gets about 3 hours a day of playtime, but like I said she chews the carpet so I have to keep an eye on her the entire time.  This makes it very difficult for me to focus on my school work because I am always stopping her from being destructive in someway. And as far as the carpet, I have successfully blocked off the areas that she chews on, but she just finds another place in no time.  And I can’t exactly cover my floor with porcelain tiles.  I’m just not sure what to do anymore.

[jerseygirl]

When you’re stressed and sleep deprived it can make things feel so much worse too. There may be some things you could try to tackle this. If it were me, I would cover the trouble spot of the carpet wth a heavy board. To that I would attach something like sea grass matting, using carpet tape. Not sure how safe that is though. I guess you could screw 2 lengths of wood across the matting and into the board underneath.  So then she can continue to entertain herself without damaging the carpet underneath. Sort of a diversion.

For the noise over night, I don’t know what would work. Try making it darker where her cage is – maybe drap a blanket around the cage (not directly on it). Fashion so sort of tent with it loosely over the cage.

I think if she has more to do before night falls she may settle more. So if she’s out in the evenings – provide new and interesting things for her to do. Make tunnels and mazes out of boxes, do some clicker training exercises with her perhaps.

[sr2011]

She just tends to find new places in the carpet whenever I block one off. So I that’s what I’m just not sure about. No matter what trouble spots I cover up, she just goes straight to another one.

I’ve tried the blanket over the cage before and that doesn’t seem to phase her either. I also tend to let her out about 9-12 before bed, so she does get her daily exercise before bedtime.

Thanks for the help though! I’ve honestly tried all of these things and I think my frustration just stems from nothing working.

[Barbie]

Yeah I understand being frustrated! What about getting a large pen for her and putting a tarp or something down underneath? That way you can let her out into a large area for play time, but she can’t get to the carpet to dig. Or could you pen her in the kitchen (provided it’s big enough) where there isn’t any carpet? I know that doesn’t solve everything, but at least if she’s not ruining the carpet while she’s out you can get some work done.

[sr2011]

That’s a good point. I could put her in the kitchen to play. I was wondering if at night, I could put her in my bathroom. I could put her litterbox in there and her water bowl and food with a nightlight. Would that be cruel though? That’s the only solution I’ve come up with, but it would mean taking her out of her home every night. Any thoughts on that would be helpful.

[Barbie]

The bathroom might be an option to allow you to sleep. Do you share it with your roommate? If not, maybe you could just set that up as her “home” (as long as it’s big enough). Anyone else on BB have any ideas on that?

Make sure to create a corner cozy with some blankets and her bed and a cardboard box or something if she likes to hide. Rather than keep the door shut during the day, use a baby gate or some NIC grids set up in a sort of fence to keep her in the bathroom when it’s not play time. With the door open, she can at least be a part of the daily action with people walking past the door and such. Just be careful… some rabbits can get “cage possesive” which is why you shouldn’t mess too much in the cage while the bunny is in it, so she might not appreciate you using the bathroom while she’s in there – an easy solution to that is just put her in the kitchen for play time when you need the bathroom. Also, she might not need the night light as long as she gets natural light during the day…. I mean, it is supposed to be dark at night. Does anyone know how well rabbits can see in the dark?

[sr2011]

Making the bathroom her “home” would make my life so much easier. There is tile in there, so no carpet to chew. And I would get sleep at night. She could also have playtime in her x-pen or in the kitchen. The only problem is that there is no window in the bathroom, but it may get enough light if I keep the door open. I’ll have to think about that. I don’t want it to be dark for her during the day. But other than that, this is a GREAT idea. I would love some feedback on it if anyone has some.

[Barbie]

Well if you could use a baby gate (if she doesn’t jump over it!) or create a gate from NIC grids or something and put that up during the day rather than leave the door shut I think it would be ok. Does the door open inward into the bathroom? If so, you’ll probably have to watch that she doesn’t chew it if the door is open (put a plexiglass gaurd on the door or some cardboard).

[MimzMum]

I’d like to add that you want to be sure, if you’ll be putting her in the bathroom, that there are no fixtures/items she can reach (toilet hoses, baseboard heating, etc.) that she could injure herself with. Also that there are no chemicals she can get into, or toilet brushes/cleaning implements she can chew on that would have toxic cleaning material still on them.
I hope you can find a way to continue to co-exist with your bunny. I have a son at college right now and he was always thinking he’d get himself a ferret while he was in school, now he realizes it’s not feasible because of the workload he’s taken on. I know there are a few students here who have managed to successfully balance their school and their time with their bunnies.
Hang in there! Hopefully with her new surroundings, she will be a little quieter for you. How much longer do you have at school?
If you have time, we’d love to see a photo of her.

[Barbie]

Oh thanks MM, I forgot to mention that about the bathroom fixtures, chemicals, etc. And yes, we love pictures here, if you have time!

[Karla]

Is she spayed? The instinct to chew seems to be more strong in intact bunnies.

[Elrohwen]

I think using a bathroom as a large cage would be a fantastic idea! I would just use a baby gate or something to keep her in there but allow light in through the door. I don’t really see any problems with it – in fact, most bathrooms are far more bunny proofed than a regular bedroom.

[sr2011]

Yes, she is spayed which is nice! She’s very good with her litterbox because of that. But I did check out the bathroom this morning and even with the door open, it is very dark in there and I just hate to let her live like that. Especially since she has a great bunny condo. Would it be ok to leave her in there at night when I go to sleep? I could just stick her litterbox, water, food, and a toy in there at night to let me get some sleep. My bathroom is completely bunny proof. All I have to do is close the toilet (because she jumped in there for a “bath” one time!) Does this sound cruel though? It would mean taking her out of her home everynight. Honest feedback on this would be great. Thanks for your help everyone. I’m starting to feel better.

[Elrohwen]

I think allowing her to sleep in there would be a good idea. I can’t imagine it’s that much darker than the rest of your place (at night), and the darkness should help her get on a sleep schedule. I would try it for a night and see how she does. I think as long as she has a place to hide in there (a box or something), her litter box, and toys she’ll be fine.

I don’t think it sounds cruel at all! It seems cruel to us humans because we wouldn’t want to live in a bathroom, but think of it from the bunny’s point of view – it’s really just another room to her; she doesn’t understand what we use it for . As long as she has her litter box and her toys, I don’t think she’ll mind at all unless she’s an especially anxious bun (which you haven’t indicated).

[Sage Cat]

I’m quite sure there are some other members who’s buns home is a bathroom.
I think putting her in there at night is a great idea. It is like she gets to have a 2nd room!

[Barbie]

I know there are some members who have build their bunny cages into their closet (door open), so I don’t think it would be much different that that…

[sr2011]

I put her in the bathroom last night and she seemed to be fine. She had her litterbox, water, food, and a toy. She came right out this morning and actually stayed in there to play a little while. AND I got some sleep which I was VERY happy about. I’m glad I found what is hopefully a solution. Thanks for the help everyone!

Now if we could just get her to stop chewing my carpet….

[Elrohwen]

That’s fantastic! Getting sleep is the most important thing – once you’re not groggy all the time you can work on the carpet issue 🙂 Maybe something will come to you, or maybe if you block her off enough she’ll just stop doing it eventually.

[KatnipCrzy]

If you are worried about how dark it is in the bathroom- you could always plug in a nightlight for her instead of having the regular light on.  I think rabbits can see decently in low light situations- as that is when they tend to be most active anyway.  And there are some nightlights out there that are super energy efficient.  But I would plug it in where she cannot reach it- like where you would plug a curling iron, etc- most bathrooms have a higher counter height plug for that.

[Barbie]

That’s great that the bathroom worked for you! A nightlight is a good idea

[BinkyBunny]

Yeah for sleep! That is really important. She might be enjoying the bathroom at night since I am figuring it is larger than her cage and she can get some exercise during her active times.

Another option to think about is housing her in an xpen instead of a cage. Offering more room may allow her more activity throughout the day so that she is not so busy at night, but then even if she is, she would have more room to do what she wants without waking you. Of course you’d have to cover it with area that the pen covers with sheet vinyl or something that would be easy to clean and give her some fleece to lounge on.

OR you can use the  xpen to expand space from the bathroom if it goes directly into your room.  Am I understanding correctly that this is your bathroom?  The other roomate(s) don’t use it? 

As far as the carpet chewing – is there a section that she concentrates on or will she just chew anywhere?

ETA:  In the bathroom, you’ll have to be careful with even the chemicals you use on yourself that could get onto the floor and in the air if your bunny is housed there (hairsprays, perfumes, body sprays etc should not be used around your bunny   – not only would then get in the air near your bunny, but the particles would drop down on the floor, which would not be good either, so remember to  be conscious of that now that your bunny hangs out in there more) 

 

[RabbitPam]

I’m trying to come up with a suggestion for the carpet, and I am continually thinking that covering it is one way to go. Maybe you could take a cotton blanket or a sheet and spread it across the carpet she runs on. You could anchor it down along the edges with some things, and see if she goes after the carpet instead of the cover. Also, if you were to buy several large pieces of seagrass mattes, you could tie them together with twist ties from one square section to another and make a larger carpet cover that way. The advantage there is that you could fold it and store it when she isn’t out.

A jute rug over your carpet might act the same way, and could be rolled up and rolled out again.

I am disappointed in Pier I Imports who used to sell these great seagrass squares that came in 6 ft. strips, each square was a foot. You could just buy a strip, or cut off some squares. Never saw them again after a couple of years. Great stuff.

[Author]

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