Young buns cranky at bedtime?

[Quantum]

Hey, all!  Bean is only about 5 months old.  After his first couple of days with us spent in his x-pen (checking on his litterbox habits), we gave him free run of the living/dining room.  He loves it!  He’s a little binky machine and has part-time employment as Speed Bunny doing wind-sprints around the room.  I noticed that as it got near 9pm (bedtime for Mike) that he gets crabby.  If I’m on the floor with him (Bean, I mean), he’ll come up and dig or tug at my clothes.  I walked into his pen, he followed me in and I closed the door for the night.  I’ve noticed that every evening now, he seems to act like a cranky, over-tired little kid and I know it’s his bedtime.  It’s odd because during the day when he’s tired, he’ll just flop whether I’m on the floor with him or not.  It’s only in the evenings that he acts cranky.

Anyone else experience the “cranky little kid syndrome” at bedtime?

[SirThumpsey]

I haven’t experienced it at bed time but anytime I try to get either of my rabbits back in their cage, they seem to throw a little hissy fit. Sir Thumps a lot hates being in his cage and would rather just run around all the time. Bunnie doesn’t mind her cage and I can sometimes get her to go back in without much trouble.

I’m sorry that I don’t really have much of an explanation but I’m sure some one here can help you.

[bunnytowne]

Yes the ol catch me if you can I am not going in there game.     I learned to put a nice treat in the cage so now Cotton looks forward to going to bed now.   In fact near his bedtime he goes inside and waits a little while.  When no treat comes he comes back out to get petted.

Maybe a fav treat in the cage will help encourage him to go in.  It may take a little while for him to figure it out but when he does oh joy.

[Quantum]

It’s weird. There’s no problem with him going into the x-pen at night. I’ll go into it and start straightening things up and in he comes. He doesn’t make a break for the gate as I close it. It’s just cranky, over-tired little kid behavior that let’s me know it’s his bedtime. He’ll either get into things he knows he shouldn’t (i.e. stuff or an area he normally stays out of) or he’ll come over and start tugging at my pant leg. Like a baby crying or a toddler getting all cranky-pants just because they’re tired. Getting him to “go to his room”? Not a problem. It’s just the behavior right before bedtime that I find funny.

[Elrohwen]

I know that Otto really starts to perk up at 9 or 10, which is when we start getting ready for bed. So he starts getting into things, but I think it’s just because he’s really starting to wake up and get active. Maybe it’s the same with your bun? He prefers to start acting up at 9pm and that just happens to be when you put him to bed. Just a thought, because I know Otto is so bad with getting active right when it’s time for him to go back in the cage.

[Beka27]

Yes, it might not be that he’s “cranky” but rather that’s when he wants more attention from you at that point. 8-9pm seems to be when a lot of buns are becoming more active, some like to stay out and play until 11 or 12. It’s tough to say from your description. My buns have no issue going into their pen. They like it and even during “free-range” time, they often will choose to spend it napping or lounging in their open pen. If you leave the pen, does he follow you back out?

[Quantum]

Yeah, he’s a great little follower. He’s active (boy, is he active!) when I first let him out in the morning. Tearing around, binkybinkybinky, speed bun, binkybinkybinky, chin anything that seems to be in need of it, inspect to make sure no changes-without-bunny-approval have been made and then…crash! Big flop into hard sleep. About 1-ish, he’s up and about. Allowing a few pets here and there (he’s still adjusting to his new home, so I’m not trying to push the relationship and he is getting better about contact). He’ll come over, get in my lap (on the floor), attempt to eat my book a few times and then it’s a shorter repeat of the morning, followed by the afternoon crash-nap. About 5:30, he’s up again. A repeat of the afternoon, pretty much. And then, about 9-ish, we start getting into cranky territory. Digs at my clothes, **hard** shoves against my arm, tugs at my clothes–all things that, though he has the opportunity, he never does earlier in the day. That’s why I think it’s “Moooooooom, Idon’wannagotobedbutI’mreallytiredandcranky…..” all said in a 3 year old whine.

[RabbitPam]

I’m inclined to agree with you. I think they can get the cranky tired feelings in the evening. Does he use his litter pan at all when he’s out? Sometimes they need to go, and act kind of antsy but if they can get to the litter box right away they feel better. I would just try to adjust your schedule to his, and get him into his pen when he shows the first signs of cranky. Sounds like that’s where he wants to be. Both my bunnies, as they’ve gotten older, have surprised me by putting themselves to bed if I haven’t suggested it first. Then the chewing on the bars starts when I actually close the door for the night. Doesn’t last long, though.

[Elrohwen]

Wow, you bun is sooo active! Otto is up a bit from 5-11am in the morning, but he’s nowhere near that active. Then he doesn’t wake up again until 8pm. My bun is lazy!! Haha. I wish he would wake up throughout the day like yours and run around instead of being a lazy bum all the time 😛

[Quantum]

RabbitPam, he’s great about using his litterbox. It’s in his x-pen and the gate’s open all day. He’s only had one accident since I brought him home–he peed on the towel in the pen that his hay is on because I was cleaning his litterbox. He’s lost, maybe, 6 bunny bombs around the living room since he’s been loose and those have been when something’s startled him (loud noise outside, our enormous White-Koi-o’Death doing big splashes in his tank, things like that). He’s a little litterbox hero, he is.

How old is Otto, Elrohwen? Maybe it’s a difference in ages. Or maybe mine’s just….odd. I love him to death, though. He makes me laugh countless times a day and I bet Otto does, too. A little more tolerance to petting would be lovely, but that seems to be improving. And he does like to be around the “big, short-eared bunnies” when they’re in the living room.

[RabbitPam]

Their behavior changes so much as they age. I had been so worried there was something wrong with Spockie after he was about 2 years old, because he wasn’t as crazy, but it was just adulthood. Hormones and growing up all have a big effect. He sounds very cute, and should be videoed when he’s doing all those binkys for curious BB members. (Hint, hint.)

[Elrohwen]

Otto is 4-5 months old right now (18 weeks). He’s active at times, but mostly he’s a couch potato (maze potato??). I do wish he was more active because I’m afraid he’ll get fat as he gets older if he doesn’t get his bum in gear 😉

I agree with RabbitPam that I’d love to see binky videos!

[Quantum]

I’ll try–I need to figure out the video capability on my digital camera. What better time/reason to do it? It’ll be nice to have evidence once he’s older and not such a binky maniac.

[Dee]

BunBun aka Ludicris gets VERY cranky at bedtime. He was worse when he had his cage- now him and Nelli have no cage, just freedom of the downstairs (except our bedroom). They hav several seeping areas, such as their special blankie in the living room, the couch, and the kitchen chairs. BunBun usually sleeps up on the couch with me when I stay out there <3 . Anyway, at night BunBun starts doing all the things he's not allowed to do- he gnaws on the woodwork, goes into the half bath and hides behind the toilet, and even ventures into "my" area of the kitchen to root around near the trash and try to get into the cabinets (it's weird, we have a galley style kitchen with a long Ushaped workspace where the stove, fridge and sink is lined up on one side, counter/cabbinets on the other, and the buns only go there when they are mad at me and want their food. I think they don't like the "trapped feeling of being in a dead end space. Nelli isn't too bad, but she likes to imitate everything her husband does. I used to lose my mind every night, trying to get the buns their dinner (leafy greans with their special treat of apples n bananas), while BunBun was getting into everything. He's matured a bit now, and him and Nelli mainly just sit glaring at me until their dinner is ready.
Does your bunny get special food at night? If not, perhaps giving him a special bowl of favorite healthy treats as soon as he begin getting “whiny” would help. Of course, maybe that would only make him get cranky earlier, since my BunBun’s naughty behaivior was directly related to being tired AND wanting his dinner- lol. Good luck- they do mature a bit with time!

[BinkyBunny]

I double ditto Rabbitpam’s hint for binky videos!  

My bunnies, who are older, minimum 6 years old, definitely have a different energy than young bunnies. But they are still active exploring off and on throughout the day, but in the evening, Jack is much more demanding and bossy.  It’s like he’s got this extra energy that he doesn’t know what to do with, so to keep him busy, I usually put together the maze or do a bunch of tunnel configurations (which you can just do with boxes and such if you are on a budget). Vivian, on the other hand, likes to spend time chewing on stuff later on(and early a.m.), so she has lots of sticks and chew toys to keep her busy. 

So it may be that your bunny is a similar schedule and is feeling much too active to be settled down. You may have to try and find things to keep him busy (Phone books are good for that too – also check out our “toytest” section under Bunny Info for homemade toys suggestions.) that he can be content with in his own space. 

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