Odd digging behavior

[Michelle B]

So tonight and last night when I let my buns out they were acting a little strange. They’ve been digging at everything, their cloth tunnel, the sofa, the pillows, my blanket. It’s very strange. They sometimes dig at the pillows, but never like this. I can’t really explain why but they seem upset about something, on edge I guess. Rui was digging and moving the blanket around in my lap like crazy and when I would pet him he would stop all of the sudden and lay down. I would rub his nose until I thought he was calm and then go back to what I was doing, and then a few minutes later he’d get up and start going crazy again. I wondered if it might have something to do with the onset of winter. These are my first bunnies and we’ve only been together since May. Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior?

[Michelle B]

Just now Rui was in my lap again, digging and pushing and patting like there was no tomorrow. Then he stopped and settled between a pillow and the back of the sofa. I petted him and talked to him and he started shaking. After a minute or two he jumped up and started digging again. That’s when I discovered he’d left a big pile of poopies. Like 40-50. He hasn’t pooped on the sofa for months. He’s normally really good at using the litter box (or at least the immediate vicinity of the litter box). And now he’s back in his cage eating pellets like nothing happened. This is really abnormal behavior and I’m not sure if I should be worried or not.

[MarkBun]

It’s hormones. They’re becoming adoescents now and are becoming little terrors. Time to schedule a snip snip time.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ditto Markbun digging is normal, but like that-it’s horomones and time to neuter!

[Michelle B]

They were both neutered back in August. And they were little terrors then, but their digging now is more…focused maybe. They’ll be really intent on whatever they’re digging for a few minutes and then wander off. And they’re putting a little more strength into it. When Rui was digging the blanket in my lap he would dig and fall off backwards, then push forward off my lap. They just seem a little more frantic about it I guess.

I’m sorry for how confused I sound. It’s not that I think this is abnormal behavior for rabbits, it’s just abnormal for my rabbits.

[Desma]

Hunny Bunny like to dig on the bottom of her cage sometimes. Even though she is fixed and I clip her nails, I think that maybe she likes to dig because of her nails?

[MarkBun]

Huh. I thought it was hormones with the pooing, peeing and digging but if they were neutered in August, then the hormones are out of their system. Your profile said that they weren’t fixed yet so I assumed hormones. It could be the onset of winter as their instincts are telling them to dig a burrow. I just caught my little guy inside of my rolled up sleeping bag digging and chewing up a new warren for himself. For rabbits, there are usually only three warning signs you need to worry about:

No pooping or peeing
No eating or drinking
Constant teeth grinding.

If your rabbit isn’t doing any of these things, 99% of the time their behavior is just being a bunny and other than having to deal with the behavior, you don’t have anything to worry about.

[bunnytowne]

This digging is called scrabbling by some.  

Cotton does that he digs then smooths my shirt out then pulls gently at it then grooms it by nibbling across and licking it a little bit. 

He does leave some Cotton scented poop toward the end of his digging too.   Then he goeslies down to be petted. 

Sounds like your bunnies have a new hobby.  

[Michelle B]

Guess I was just getting worried over nothing. Thanks for the reassurance. And sorry about the profile. I fixed it now.

[Michelle B]

Guess I was just getting worried over nothing. Thanks for the reassurance. And sorry about the profile. I fixed it now.

[Balefulregards]

I like Marks answer – My two have become chewing and digging fiends…I mean they always chewed and dug, but as of the past two weeks, the digging has gotten similar to what you describe – focused.

I am in Montreal and with the time change we have very definitive season changes. I changed their space around some to add some interesting new dig challenges and that has helped re-direct away from my bed frame ( the former target of the chew/dig)

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