Rabbit fast becoming a menace

[Paradigm]

So remember a while ago when I had the best behaved bunny? Well, he started going up on our bed and digging it. That’s fine.

I also changed his cage bottom from all sawdust to a litter tray and a blanket. Kept peeing on the blanket, so I removed he blanket and washed it. He was fine with the next blanket but seemed to accidentally pee over the back edge onto it. Blanket removed again.

It seems these changes have unsettled him, and Stew Junior over here has dug a hole in our rented carpet and started pooing all over the bed and occasionally peeing on it. He understand where his litter tray is and primarily toilets there. Never less, I can’t wash my duvet etc every time so I’ve done a few washes and otherwise spray with vinegar.

When the next paycheque comes through I’m going to buy some matts for him and have covered over his dig spot for now. It’s possible he’s getting bored but he’s not interested in most toys so I’m not sure what to do about that.

I’d rather not have to shut him away when he can’t be supervised. We briefly considered getting a second rabbit to distract him but don’t have room for two cages.

Help?

[Tessie]

How old is he? Is he neutered?
Sounds like hormones to me!

[Paradigm]

He’s approximately 3. We adopted him in November/December time and he was neutered shortly afterwards. :/

[Tessie]

Hmmmmmm :/ I’m not sure in that case.
Has anything else changed in the environment recently?

[Paradigm]

Just the bedding in his cage being put into a litter box. He had to be shut away for a day, too?

I don’t really want to go back to filling the whole thing with litter but the blanket is too much like our bedding – my wife thinks because it smells of us he also thinks the bed is his litter box. We also let him have his food/salad on our bed when he seemed ill so maybe this further confused him?

His food was put in his bowl rather than his puzzle for a few days too, so maybe boredom? He’s had his chew book the whole time though. He also has a cardboard castle filled with hay (which he never toilets in) and a wooden toy which can be rolled (he doesn’t seem to understand what to do with it).

[kathybunny]

what kind of cage? Mine are caged, they love their cage. It’s not near as fancy as many on here but it’s one of the NIC cages and it has several levels so at least they can stretch and jump to the levels. When I let them out to play, they end up going back in totally on their own and they really don’t stay out all that long. I don’t feel too bad leaving them caged (I have 2 in there) b/c they seem to like it. Could you build a bigger cage maybe?

[Megabunny]

Wow!! A man who doesn’t want the bunny to wallow in a cage. Amazing! Mine has to be penned in, too, as he’s insanely destructive(the rabbit, not the husband). You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, but I wonder if just 5 days or so, mostly in the cage unless you’re right there to keep him in line, would reestablish the litter habit. At least your bed might be ok, but as you’ve seen, once they start digging carpet, there’s no stopping them until they hit the other side. Maybe they continue even after that. I’m not sure. I had a rabbit doing that and just put a carpet swatch over it and he dug and dug, then started getting through the carpet below!And he was a little one!

[JackRabbit]

A ceramic tile over his carpet digging spot may help. As for the bed, keep him off of it.

[kirstyol]

We are going through a similar thing with Bramble since moving his pen into the living room, everything in the pen is the same but he has been so badly behaved since I moved him in here full time that I am seriously considering going back to having the pen in the hall and him just having his free roam time and his cage for night time in here like it was before. I am thinking its just the change of scenery that has him a little freaked out, bunnies are sensitive creatures. I am hoping it will improve in time, I just hope I can put up with his naughty behaviour for that long!

[Paradigm]

I’ve moved the bedside table over the dig spot and covered the gap on the other side (between the bed and the bedside table). His other dig spot is now covered by cardboard. He hasn’t touched either since. Will look into getting either an extra bit of carpet (or perhaps a seagrass matt) and ceramic tiles for where he really mustn’t dig as the cardboards isn’t amazing as a permanent fix.

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to bar him from our bed as we live in a studio flat.  His behaviour was improving so I think he was beginning to settle however I’ve just brought in new changes so he may flare up again.

He was peeing over the edge of his tray and onto the blankets and/or cage bottom, so I had to do something. He’s now got a corner tray with a (very) high back and a cat/dog litter box matt. It’s slightly springy so should be more comfortable than plastic but isn’t fabric soft. I’m also changing him from sawdust to carefresh so we’ll see.  

He likes to dig in his hut, so it may need replacing but was under £8 so well worth it. Also bought a treat ball for his food in hopes of providing new food-oriented entertainment. 

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Here’s the new set up, it’s really too small for him to be shut in for long period of time… Also visible is his newest project: cage chewing.

Thanks for all your suggestions and I hope your bunny settles down too, Kirstyol!

[Megabunny]

awesome job! all sounds wonderful!! Lucky bunny!

[kirstyol]

Thanks, he has actually been a little better over the last few days. the reason I brought the pen in here is because he is getting a condo which will need to be in a different part of the room to where his cage currently is. I thought that by bringing the familiar pen in and putting it in whats going to be the new condo spot it would get him used to the new set up a little before he gets the condo, sort of halving the changes if that makes sense.

[Author]

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