Spoiled Bunny?

[Jubaloo]

Hey, guys!

I need some help with my bunny. Whenever I put him in his cage, he starts biting it and he tries really hard to go through the holes and escape. He’s free to play around the house pretty much all day and only put him in his cage when it’s bed time for me(around 5 am).

He’s 4 months (not fixed) now and we just got him a bigger cage and he has more play time than ever, so I really don’t know what to do.

[sarahthegemini]

He doesn’t like being in a cage. No bunny does. How big is it?

[Wick & Fable]

Spoiled behavior is like Wick, where if he hears a bag crinkle and doesn’t get a treat, he pees in front of you, haha.

That may be your sleep time, but rabbits are naturally still active during that time, hence being in a cage is difficult at that time. It’s understandable to put your rabbit away when you’re sleeping though. To help your rabbit get through the night, make sure the cafe has ample space for roaming and make sure it has stimulating items, like fresh hay (change it right before he goes in), fresh water, etc.. To help distract him from being in a cage, maybe cover most of the sides so he can’t see as much of the outside space. Not all of it though, you don’t want him feeling like he’s in a box! Careful when doing coverings, as some rabbits, like Wick, view clothes near cage walls as climbable objects and scale it!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[joea64]

While rabbits are most active around dawn and dusk (the fancy term is “crepuscular”), I’ve found that they can be fairly busy at night if they feel safe and secure. Panda and Fernando can easily see me in bed from the upper deck of their condo, and I often wake up to see one of them – most usually Fernando, who, being an albino, has poor eyesight in the day but sees decently well at night, especially at a distance – contemplating me as they bunloaf. They can get up to some mischief even during the day when they’re supposed to be sleeping; pretty much half the time I come home to find the two hidey boxes (made out of old cardboard beer cases) on the upper deck knocked all askew and even into the ramp well between decks.

I’ll have to start giving them before-bed hay refills more often once I get the new batch of hay this weekend; I’ve been doing it occasionally when they seem to have been particularly assiduous about reducing their dinnertime hay pile. Covering one or two sides of the upper deck may help too, I think they’d appreciate leaving the side facing my bed uncovered though so they can gaze at me all night long.

[CottonBall]

Mine is absolutely nocturnal…if I can’t get her back in,she waits til I’m in bed to start chewing or digging at things she shouldn’t. During the day she sleeps mostly. She’s up right now though about 8 am. Furball. Sometimes I think she does it on purpose, lol.

[Jubaloo]

Thanks for replying, guys!

His cage is 6′ x 2′. Not that big, but I live in a very small house so that’s what we can do for now. I try to wait until he’s acting nappy so I can put him back in it, but as soon as I lock him, he’s more awake than ever.

I do keep one side of his cage covered with a towel tho, but yeah, he always tries to chew on that when he’s being grumpy.

He is shedding (it’s spring and very hot where I live), so I’d think he’s been more moody because of that, too.

I’m gonna try to change his hay and food and stuff right before bed time and see what happens.

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