New Behavior: Angry Scratching / Peeing

[IngridMama]

We’ve had our beloved lop, Ingrid, for over a year. She’s mostly a mellow, well-behaved, middle-aged rabbit. Her favorite thing to chew on is cardboard, so over the last year we built her several different climbing structures and hiding boxes made out of cardboard. She loved ripping up their insides and hopping on them.

BUT… Ingrid has had 2 serious GI stasis incidents in the past 6 months, and the vet hypothesized that she might be ingesting too much cardboard. So I rebuilt her entire cage structure (which she’s in during working hours- after work, she can hop around the whole house) to drastically reduce the amount of cardboard. Instead, I used wire cubes to build her up a mini “condo”, connected the condo to an empty set of wooden drawers, and gave her a big open “pen” space for hopping. I bought her more wood-based and hay-based chew toys and gave her plenty of levels to hop on. In short, I thought I built a bunny dream home. 

Instead, she’s been frustrated and agitated in this new space. Some of this I chalk up to an adjustment period. But she has truly righteous anger for a corner of the wood drawers. It goes beyond a usual “digging impulse”–she can’t seem to leave it alone, and she (uncharacteristically) will pee in the corner after a long digging session. (I take this as her giving a final “F. You” to the corner, but then I may be anthropomorphizing a bit much!) The digging is LOUD, too, and sometimes happens at 4 in the morning. We share a wall with neighbors, so we’re desperate to help her knock it off a bit. 

I’m at a loss to figure out why the corner agitates her so much and how I can help fix it. I’ve covered the area in carpet (she tore it up), in cardboard (she tore it up), with chew toys (she threw them out of the area), and most recently, I covered the entire area in a big cardboard box that she can’t remove. She was just as furious that the box was now in her way, but at least she can make “progress” in digging into and tearing up the box. I thought it might feel more satisfying to her, since all of her digging and biting of the drawers isn’t getting her anywhere. My fear is that I was trying to eliminate cardboard from her environment in the first place, and now she’s doubly motivated to tear up this box to get back to the wood corner. 

Does anyone have similar experiences or thoughts on why one particular corner of her cage seems to agitate her so much?

And is “anger peeing” a thing? Or is it a sign that she just wants her little box moved to this new spot? I worry that if I put a litter box in that corner, she’ll just tear it up, too, but I can give it a try. 

Other suggestions? Please help! 

[jerseygirl]

Determined girl!
I dare say it is reaction to the changes.

I would be tempted to put a second litter box there though, to see if it helps.

What was in that corner previously? And what would be behind that wall there where she is digging? (I’m thinking if she can here something…)

Is the white unit the condo & where you put her stuff and litterbox etc? Any chance you can post more photos of the set up?

[jerseygirl]

Regarding the cardboard, I do agree it can be problematic for some rabbits if the eat it. Some rabbits can get away with eating tonnes, but I have seen cases where it’s slowed the gut, including in one of my own rabbits.
When she had more cardboard, did you ever see her eating it?
If not, perhaps it’s something she can have again but only when you’re home and she’s in your line of vision.

You mentioned she’s middle aged. Has she had a thorough dental exam? To truly get a look at the molars, it would probably require sedation. So often, de real issues can be connected to GI issues. Also, other unidentified sources of discomfort in the body.

You sound pretty rabbit savvy, so you’re likely already aware of that!

[IngridMama]

Thanks for these suggestions! I ended up adding a second litter box and putting in the area where she had been scratching. Turns out this was the magic solution! Maybe that’s all she wanted all along. I think Jerseygirl was right when she asked what had been in that corner previously… and yes, it was her litter box. I didn’t put together how disoriented she might be from having it relocated.

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