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Very noisey rabbit and i dont know what to do!

miss c

Young Bun
Hi i hope ive posted this in the right place this is my 1st post on this forum so hi :wave:
My problem is i got a frech lop off pre loved a while ago he was about 6months old he wasnt very tame but i can get his to eat out my hand and have a fuss now you just cant hold him. I had him neutered and bonded his with one of my female rabbits very easily but now we have a major problem!
We have a fox coming in at night i think and it sets him off banging his feet so loud that he wakes the neighbours and us up and once hes started he doesnt stop! The hutches are secure so im not worries about their saftey at all but hes so noisy im actually getting really worried about complaining neighbours theese are all rented houses off one company and i dont want us getting thrown out! The other rabbits bang sometimes as well but its no where near as loud probably because their smaller in size and havnt got the same stregnth in their back legs.
Yesterday i tried sort of sound proofing the part where he bangs with 3layers of thick towel and covered it over with a vynil floor covering, but it made no difference. I love him to bits but its turning into a nightmare im 26weeks pregnant and got no sleep last night with his thumping and me going outside 2try quiet him. Hes as quiet as a mouse in the day!!! And my partners working 8-9 all week plus driving time on top so he needs sleep to im at a loss! I thought i may try cover the hutch tonight so they cant see out but im thinking he will still smell and here mr fox and start thumping anyway :roll:!

Does anyone have suggestiong that might help please im desperate??
If not them im going to have to look at rehomeing him, but then im going to have to break the bond with the other bun she has bad behaviour issues so i wouldnt be happy letting her go really shes actually quite :evil: lol. And how would i find the perfect home for him, ive heard so many horror stories about rabbits that have been given awayand rescues are allway full!

Sorry for the very long 1st post but any help would be really appreciated, :)
 
You shouldn't rehome a rabbit just because it is scared of foxes, I hope you can find a solution as it would be so sad and stressful to split up a bonded pair.

I agree with putting him in a shed, so he feels more safe and cant see the fox. No doubt the fox has been coming right up to the mesh, probably even scratching at the mesh. Poor rabbit is probably beside himself with terror at the time - they are recognising the predator and think they are about to be killed. Beware that foxes can open those twiddly bits usually used on hutches - you need strong bolts to keep them out.

Another option (and probably a better one) would be to bring the rabbits indoors and have them as house bunnies. That way the fox cant get to them, and if they do make a noise it likely wouldnt travel as much.

If you move them into a shed, I'd lino the floor, and then put down thick foam tiles, possibly doubling them up, so that if the bunny thumps because he can smell/hear the fox, it won't be as loud. Foam tiles really help dampen noise from thumping. It shouldn't be as loud anyway in a shed because the floor should be more sturdy. Even better, you could put them in a garage/outbuilding that isn't used for a car - the sound shouldn't travel at all out of the garage.
 
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Do you have anything over the mesh of the hutch? I used to put a tarpaulin over the front to keep in some heat and also to stop them from being able to see the foxes. Is that an option?
 
You shouldn't rehome a rabbit just because it is scared of foxes, I hope you can find a solution as it would be so sad and stressful to split up a bonded pair.

I agree with putting him in a shed, so he feels more safe and cant see the fox. No doubt the fox has been coming right up to the mesh, probably even scratching at the mesh. Poor rabbit is probably beside himself with terror at the time - they are recognising the predator and think they are about to be killed. Beware that foxes can open those twiddly bits usually used on hutches - you need strong bolts to keep them out.

Another option (and probably a better one) would be to bring the rabbits indoors and have them as house bunnies. That way the fox cant get to them, and if they do make a noise it likely wouldnt travel as much.

If you move them into a shed, I'd lino the floor, and then put down thick foam tiles, possibly doubling them up, so that if the bunny thumps because he can smell/hear the fox, it won't be as loud. Foam tiles really help dampen noise from thumping. It shouldn't be as loud anyway in a shed because the floor should be more sturdy. Even better, you could put them in a garage/outbuilding that isn't used for a car - the sound should travel at all out of the garage.

you will never stop him from thumping or muffle the noise.

you need to cover the hutch at night so the rabbit cant see the fox and put some sort of barrier around the hutch to stop the fox getting too close , like building a rabbit run ect. If the mesh on your hutch is chicken wire , the fox will chew the wire, foxes are very clever and very wiley and he WILL work out a way of getting to the rabbit, foxes in this area have turned hutches over and bitten through the base or back.

your rabbit will probably die of a heart attack first . , could you get a cheap puppy cage and bring the bunny in at night until you get a better set up outside
 
I agree about getting a shed rather than a hutch.
Poor bunny must be so scared.
I know it's difficult in rented houses but have you got an unheated utility or somewhere the bunnies can go on a night till you can get new accommodation? He'll have his winter coat now but if you keep the heating off in that room it should be ok.
 
Thanks for all your replys.
We tryed him in the house when we 1st got him we thought it would be nice with him being a larger bun to make him a house rabbit but firstly hes a very distructive boy and secondly he would not settel in. He was constantly thumping and grunting while in the house and these are small 2up 2down houses and were short for space so theirs no quiet corners or spair room we could put him in i think it was to noisy household with us my 6year old and small dog and it just stressed him out indoors especially with him not being tame when we got him.
As for out buildings i would of used it as a home 4them if i had one but these modern houses dont have them.
I was thinking if sheds but then i wasnt sure if it would solve the noise issue and i vynaled the floor of their hutch yesterday and even nailed it down all round the edges and it has been pulled up allready!!!!!

Dont worry they are safe in their hutch &run its home made with very thick shiplap wood which takes two adults to move! And i dont use mesh i allways use thick wire with the small suquares and bolts on my hutches and runs.

Dont get me wrong i dont want to get rid of him, and im not wanting getting rid of him just because hes afraid but he is causing a major issue with noise and if this carries on i cant be left with a 6year old a new baby and no home. It also wouldnt be good for the other 2girly buns and my elderly guineapigs either. Thats why im trying to find a soloution 1st rarther than just getting rid of him to anyone, and splitting the bonded pair up!
 
I always put my thumpers in the shed or playhouse and they only rarely thump then, some never again. Even if they do it is much more muffled. You can get a small shed for around £100. Is he neutered as that calms them down a bit but doesn't stop them thumping altogether. I have asked all my neighbours if they could hear them over the years and they all said No! But it is worrying I agree. Hope you find a solution soon.
 
Hes still thumping!!!!

Hi yes he and is other half are both done but i dont think it made much of a difference, though it did stop his wife spraying at me for no reason lol :lol: i learnt to jump very quick!!!!!!!!!!
I actually have a shead lined up if i can get a man with a van cheap, it needs varnishing and re roofing but i cant do it and my parntners working crazy hours at the mo and wont be able to sort it for me till a week or so into jan when he has a bit of time off.

So what can i do to keep his noise down till then??? Seriously ive not heard a bun make noise like him, i can only presume its cause hes so big and strong though hes not the biggest french lop ive seen!
Ive been covering them over at about 11pm and uncovering them 8am ish and i thought it was working cause i havnt heard them but im 29weeks gone now and so tired ive been shutting the bedroom door and putting the duvet over my head which obviously makes for great sound inslulation cause ive not heard a thing till my parner goes to me this evening do you know how much noise the rabbits been making at night?? Err no? Hes been putting the outside light on for a few mins and he said the noise stopped after that.

So any1 any suggestions what will dampen put the noise for a month or so till im sorted? Im not bothered about stopping noise totally if i could half it i would be happy, the others thump on occations and while you can here them i dont think their lound enough to complain about.
But as for him I can more than understand peoples problem, seriously ITS LOUD :evil:
 
foam matting on the floor of the hutch, covered in thick layer of megazorb and hay too. But mainly the foam matting, at least a cm thick, 2cm would be better.

make sure the hutch floor is attached, not just lying there so it can moved - as this will increase the noise dramatically.
 
Well just been out to attend to the noisey little! I think the fox has been as the dog flew out and ran round growling, so hes quiet for now and im hoping the dog will have frightened the fox off for 2night so hopefully he will be quiet for tonight anyway :roll:

thanks for your reply do you know the cheapest place to get matting from and what type i want as i dont want to spend to much if im getting rid of the hutch soon and ive been putting a thick layer of bedding down but they currently think its great fun to drag it all out into their run and mess it all up soon as i let them back in after their free run!!!!!!! BAD RABBITS :lol:
 
Well just been out to attend to the noisey little! I think the fox has been as the dog flew out and ran round growling, so hes quiet for now and im hoping the dog will have frightened the fox off for 2night so hopefully he will be quiet for tonight anyway :roll:

thanks for your reply do you know the cheapest place to get matting from and what type i want as i dont want to spend to much if im getting rid of the hutch soon and ive been putting a thick layer of bedding down but they currently think its great fun to drag it all out into their run and mess it all up soon as i let them back in after their free run!!!!!!! BAD RABBITS :lol:

I bought them off ebay, but not sure about how economical it would be for just a few...
 
you will never stop him from thumping or muffle the noise.

you need to cover the hutch at night so the rabbit cant see the fox and put some sort of barrier around the hutch to stop the fox getting too close , like building a rabbit run ect. If the mesh on your hutch is chicken wire , the fox will chew the wire, foxes are very clever and very wiley and he WILL work out a way of getting to the rabbit, foxes in this area have turned hutches over and bitten through the base or back.

your rabbit will probably die of a heart attack first . , could you get a cheap puppy cage and bring the bunny in at night until you get a better set up outside

If your rabbit comes in, he must stay in - not be brought inside at night and then put out again during the day because of the change in temperature.
 
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