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Rabbit thumping problems

KarinW

New Kit
Dear all,

I am a new memeber to this forum but I have a problem that I hope you can help me with. I have two house rabbits one whom I have had since he was born and a girl who I took in about 15 months ago. They have bonded well and seem to enjoy eachothers company. I let them out mornings and evenings and they love being on or under the sofa looking at the telly together with me and my husband.

However every night at around 2.30 - 6.00 they start thumping loudly waking us up on 30min intervals. We have tried everything - staying with them, letting them out, having the telly on, having night lamps etc. You name it we have tried it. This has become a serious problem now as frankly we do not get any sleep at all and the only option seems to be rehome them as we need to sleep to function at our workplaces!! Has anyone got any ideas what we can do to make it stop? We have tried ignoring their thumping but it has become unbearable now.

Thanks for all your help.
 
Do they share your room? If so I'd move them out. Buns wake up EARLY and there is nothing you can do to stop that. I keep mine entertain with lots of hay to eat, a carboard house to hide in and chew, a tunnel and a few other toys. It seems to keep them happy.

I wouldn't have a night light on as that would keep them active & is there any other noise that could be waking them up...like snooring for example :lol:
 
Can you bed them on, or cover there cage with, an old duvet? This seems to be most effective at absorbing any noise.
 
How about adding toys as well like loo rolls with treats in the middle stuffed with hay - to keep them busy and not thinking about thumping - do you mean thumping like with their feet or thumping as in just crashing about doing stuff?
 
Thank you all for your answers. They are in their own separate room in a 2x2meter cage that me and my husband have built for them. When they thump they do it with their hind legs - just like something was scaring them. I have checked everything and I do not know what is making them uncomfortable. We moved houses 8 months ago and they had exactly the same behaviour in the old house as well so I do not think it is anything specific in this house. Grateful if you have anymore ideas.
 
We have a house rabbit and she only stamps her feet when cross / angry with something. She has a cage but just uses this for doing wee's & poo's and otherwise has the run of the house. At night we close her in the kitchen where her cage is and she has lots of toys & tubes, current favourite toy being a big carboard box.
 
ste told me that alvin and pearl stamp feet at about 3am.... house is quiet, heating is usually off.... i wonder what bunnies have to fear at that time in the morning....
 
You could try shutting them in a large indoor cage inside their enclosure at bed time and covering them up, it makes some buns feel more secure and less exposed to 'shadows' and noises. Put vetbed or fold up a large easy-to-wash blanket on the floor of the cage along with a pile of hay to munch on, that should help too.

My bun Smokey used to thump occasionally, he had his own room, I'd go down to see what the matter was and it was usually a fly, or a daddy longlegs, or an insect of some sort :roll::lol:
 
I guess a two pronged attack is probably best. Reducing the impact of the thumbing they do and stopping the thumbing. So sound proofing would help with the sleeping. Make sure the doors between rooms are closed. What's on the flooring their cage? Polystyrene under the cage should help absorb noise. You can buy sheets of this in fish shops for going under tanks. In the bottom of the cage you could try vet bed. This should make the thumbing less loud. Ear plugs for you might help as a temporary solution.

For the thumping there could be several reasons, either they are attention seeking - when they thump you go see them, bored or scared of something. Moving house and having the problem at the same time still implies there probably isn't a specific trigger scaring them.

I would try providing more things to occupy them. Try feeding before you go to bed so they have the night to eat. Use a treat ball for their dry food and hide their veggies so they have to search for them. Make sure you're not feeding to much dry food too so they have to spend time eating lots of hay.

Tamsin
 
You could try shutting them in a large indoor cage inside their enclosure at bed time and covering them up, it makes some buns feel more secure and less exposed to 'shadows' and noises. Put vetbed or fold up a large easy-to-wash blanket on the floor of the cage along with a pile of hay to munch on, that should help too.

My bun Smokey used to thump occasionally, he had his own room, I'd go down to see what the matter was and it was usually a fly, or a daddy longlegs, or an insect of some sort :roll::lol:

haha dont blame him, id thump at daddy long legs too if i had a big foot like a bunny :lol::lol::lol::lol: instead i scream and run till someone comes to rescue me :oops:
 
it really is them daddy long legs for me, they fly at me and then someone comes and the durty little :censored: hide until they have gone.... i hate to admit it but it is the only creature i need to see die :oops::oops:
 
Oh we know that they're crane flies but 'a rose by any other name' and all that, they're still Daddy Longlegs or even spiders with wings :shock::shock::shock::lol:
 
I always run away from them or smack them with Tv magazine! They do seem to always fly after you! Spiders our my worst fear, I have an excessive fear of them and at times it runs my life! Little S*ds
 
I always run away from them or smack them with Tv magazine! They do seem to always fly after you! Spiders our my worst fear, I have an excessive fear of them and at times it runs my life! Little S*ds

i can quite happily leave spiders be, the really big ones if they are running accross the floor will get caught and put outside but if they are in a corner they can stay... its in the bedroom i start to fear them, i really dont want a spider making a nest in my ears as i sleep... ewwwwwwwww


i really am a wuss :lol::lol::lol:
 
I would try to sound proof a bit more as Tamsin suggested. Carpet and vet bed might help to muffle the noise otherwise gets some ear plugs!!
 
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