Keeping rabbit in cage?

[Bao]

So I have a four month old bunny who is about to get spayed very, very soon. I made the appointment as soon as I can, just because she’s had temperament issues from the beginning and though I never thought that they’d get worse, they have gotten worse.

She’s a Dwarf Hotot/Dutch mix, around or over 3 pounds at the moment, and very sweet nonetheless. However, she has super destructive behavior where she chews up the carpet or the drywall or anything that she’s not supposed to chew. I’ve gotten toys for her to play with and for the most part, she’s been pretty tame and quiet. However, as soon as she hit four months a week and a half ago, she started getting aggressive and harder to deal with. For example, last night, she pulled her blanket from under her playpen and chewed up the carpet. She has NEVER done this before. She also kicked out all the hay and bedding from her litter box and threw herself a little party. She’s also hissing at people that she’s never hissed at before and thumping for no apparent reason, all of this starting from the week before.

Though she is hardly confined in her cage anymore, I was wondering if that’s better to do when I cannot supervise her. At least until she’s spayed, I don’t want her to get into anymore trouble and I don’t want her to damage any goods. I baby proofed the room as much as possible (putting corner protectors, hiding all the cords), but she’s learned to eat through the corner protectors instead. I’m much more worried about the health effects of what all this can do to her tiny little body, especially the chewing of the drywall. 

I know many bunny owners are highly against confining bunnies into tiny cages, but I really do not want to deal with the possibility that Bao might get hurt because I was being negligent by leaving her in a potentially dangerous space. If then, it is temporary (less than a week before she gets spayed) and she’ll be back to having the space she’s used to.

So what do you guys think? Sorry that this is so long! Any recommendations besides caging her? Bathrooms are not an option, because I do share one with a roommate 

[Fluffykins]

I’d keep her in the cage. Sit by the cage and bring her in for snuggles and quick playtimes while you fully supervise then put her back. Do lots of interaction with her while in the cage (pets, talking to and odd treats) or if the cage is in a place where she will be fairly isolated, then put it somewhere with more people traffic.

The biggest thing is don’t lower your affection or interaction with her whilst she’s confined to the cage, and it being less then a week – personally I think it’s fine.

There are many situations where an animal has to be caged for a week or somtimes two.. being boarded, after surgery etc. This isn’t the same as permanently housing a bunny in a tiny cage with little to no interaction or playtime.

[jerseygirl]

I agree with Fluffykins. It might be best for the time being. She will probably have to spend more time in her cage after the surgery anyway so it will get her a bit more used to that.
If keeping her in cage when you cannot be there, try give her things like seagrass or timothy hay mats or tunnels that she can destroy. You could even attach a mat to inside of cage side so she can work on it. It would make a mess but keep her occupied.

As a more longterm solution for her play pen, could you put a vinyl remnant down directly on the carpet?

[12345ABCDE]

Rabbits should never be confined to a tiny cage unless for medical/recovery. If you can’t let her free roam, get a large pen for her.

[Bao]

@Fluffykins and @jerseygirl, thanks for the info! She’s just exhibiting behavior that comes along with puberty and I didn’t anticipate it so soon. She’ll technically only be in a cage for a few hours when I’m at school or out and she’ll be in her pen again. I wouldn’t mind it so much if I were at home since we own the property, but I rent a room in a house when I’m away for school. I’ll try the mat thing and give her as much affection as possible!

@sarahthegemini, she has free roam at my room in my home, but she has a large pen when I’m away at school. The real issue is whether or not I can safely leave her in her cage for short amounts of time when I’m unavailable or whether that would be detrimental to her wellbeing. Even then, she would be in her cage for a few hours at a time and back in her playpen when I am able to supervise her better. Also, housing Bao in her cage would also be a very short-term thing as we’d try to get her adjusted to an even bigger space after she’s spayed next Friday.

[Author]

Messages