midnight thumper

[hina]

hello wondering if anyone has any tips for a thumping problem. i haven’t slept in a week!. he usually starts around midnight and he just keeps on going for 5 or 6 hours. he is unnuettered but he is 5 years old and nothing at all has changed so i don’t know why this behavior has suddenly appeared. his cage hasn’t even been moved in about a year. really hoping someone will be able to help. getting a bit tired lol

[tobyluv]

That is a long time to thump! I’ve never heard of a bunny thumping for hours. It seems like that could actually damage their feet/legs.

Rabbits thump when they are excited, mad or frightened. Do you think that there could be anything frightening your rabbit? I don’t know where you live, but it’s winter here, and we sometimes get a mouse in the house in the winter. A mouse might be attracted to any food in a rabbit’s cage. Do you have other pets that could be disturbing your rabbit? Are there any new sounds in the house (like from an appliance) or the neighborhood, or different smells in the house? Do you get up and observe him or try to calm him, and does that help at all? Is he still eating and pooping normally and acting normally during the day, and is in good health? Does he get plenty of out of cage time for play and exercise during the day? Is his cage a big enough size to give him plenty of room? Something must have triggered this thumping, even though you say nothing has changed for him.

I know this really didn’t help much, but maybe with some observation and detection work, you can figure out what started all of this.

[hina]

thanks for the reply and its not that little vibrating thumping. lol i don’t know what to call it. its that big bang then 5 min then another big bang. when he dose it i turn the light on and go over and he stops. hes wide awake and with attitude. lol hes always been pushy and had attitude but always slept through the night. a mouse is possible but he starts up again 5 min after the light is off. his health seems good. he still eats everything he can get his paws on. his cage isn’t the biggest. wish it could be bigger but he dose get out a good amount. i’m going to try a night light tonight. though he was still doing it this morning when it was getting light out. it seems if i’m in bed he dose it but if i’m up and moving around he dosnt. since iv been up hes just been sleeping he use to be just shut in a barn (not while he was mine) but i rescued him a few years ago. i really don’t know what could be new to have started this.

[tobyluv]

What you described is regular thumping, and is caused by excitement, anger or fright. Would you have room to set up an x-pen? Most store bought cages are not big enough. The recommended minimum is 2 feet by 4 feet. Maybe he suddenly has decided that his cage isn’t big enough and he is mad and is thumping to show his irritation – and he wants out.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Oh yes – I had one of those – a BIG 13 lb rabbit which shook my small studio flat with her intermittent thumps (timed carefully just as you close your eyes again!!) and I’m guessing it was a mad thump (at night) as she had the roam of the flat and then went back in at night…..

Thinking about it – when we moved to another flat where she was in full roam 24/7 she stopped thumping…
I thought it was because she’d grown out of it !! Maybe not now !

Where was BB 20 years ago ??!!! LOL
(Then again, where was the internet??!!!)

Maybe a bigger cage – open xpen will work. Maybe SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP will sometimes work !!!!!! LOL

How about toys, woody bits and unlimited hay…. they can be very active at night – like hamsters in their wheel !!

Good luck !

[hina]

i have very limited space. but maybe if i could find a long skinny pen that could be easily taken down during the day it might work. i live in a tiny bedroom lol. i wish i could just let him lose but i don’t trust him not to get past my bunny proofing if left unwatched that long. his cage is the min just that it meets it though . hes only a small guy for the amount of noise he makes. i’ll see if i can find anything that will fit in a small walkway space. and i’ll update on if it works.

[tobyluv]

The x-pens can be made into different shapes, not just circles. I know that they can be made into squares or rectangles. There are some with 2 foot wide panels, 8 panels in total, and they can be made into a pen that is 2 feet by 6 feet. I have seen others made of smaller panels (18 inches) so they could be made into an even skinnier rectangle, but that wouldn’t give a rabbit as much room. You would have to get one high enough so that your rabbit couldn’t jump out. 36 inches is usually the recommended height. They can be folded up when not in use. And there are the pens made out of wire cube systems that you can make into squares or into skinny rectangles. This page shows both systems https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/GreatHabitats/tabid/229/Default.aspx

Besides the fact that’s the thumping is keeping you awake, it seems like that much forceful thumping could possibly injure his foot or leg. It may not be that your rabbit is thumping because he’s mad and wants out, or would like a larger pen, but unless you can figure out some other explanation, you may want to get a larger enclosure for him.

[Love4Bunny]

Sometimes rabbits thump when they want more attention from you at a specific time. The fact that your rabbit stops when you enter the room and starts back up again when you leave suggests that he could just want more of your affection and company.

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