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Cage Rattling! Help!

Inlé-rah

Inlé-rah

Warren Scout
My mini lop has started cage rattling now, and I'm not quite sure how to stop the behaviour, I want to "nip it in the bud" before it develops into a bad habit.
His cage is open nearly all day so he has access to his playroom and he has plenty of toys, tunnels, cardboard boxes, tubes, chews, shop bought toys ect. But when I lock him up at night the rattling starts... :roll:
I've tried ignoring him but it's not working. I was wondering if anybody has any tips to prevent the behaviour as I don't want my hare learning this naughty behaviour too!
 
How small is his cage? If he doesn't have permanent space to run around in he may be getting frustrated and bored, and bar-biting gives him something to do. Could you not leave the cage open overnight? Or if that's not safe then maybe put a puppy pen around the cage so he has space to run and play?

Mine get angry and stamp/scrabble if I shut them in one room or close off their run to clean up - I think they get annoyed that an area that is usually open to them is suddenly off-limits!
 
Lucy-Lou said:
How small is his cage? If he doesn't have permanent space to run around in he may be getting frustrated and bored, and bar-biting gives him something to do. Could you not leave the cage open overnight? Or if that's not safe then maybe put a puppy pen around the cage so he has space to run and play?

Mine get angry and stamp/scrabble if I shut them in one room or close off their run to clean up - I think they get annoyed that an area that is usually open to them is suddenly off-limits!
Click to expand...

He has a large dog crate, he is only a tiny bun as he is still young, so he has plenty of room.
I don't feel safe leaving him free-roaming over night as he gets into a lot of mischeif, luckily I can keep a close eye on him throughout the day but I'd rather he was safe and sound at night.
The room he is in is long/big but very narrow (I only live in a small flat), so not sure how I could attach a play pen to the cage as it would be difficult for us to access the room. I really want to find a solution though, the rattling is really annoying and frustrating. Is it possible he is doing it for attention? He is a single bunny, I will be bonding him once neutered.
I've bought him a treat ball online and was thinking of putting his a few pellets in and giving him that at night inside of his cage to keep him occupied as he is a greedy boy and would do anything for food.
 
Inlé-rah said:
He has a large dog crate, he is only a tiny bun as he is still young, so he has plenty of room.
I don't feel safe leaving him free-roaming over night as he gets into a lot of mischeif, luckily I can keep a close eye on him throughout the day but I'd rather he was safe and sound at night.
The room he is in is long/big but very narrow (I only live in a small flat), so not sure how I could attach a play pen to the cage as it would be difficult for us to access the room. I really want to find a solution though, the rattling is really annoying and frustrating. Is it possible he is doing it for attention? He is a single bunny, I will be bonding him once neutered.
I've bought him a treat ball online and was thinking of putting his a few pellets in and giving him that at night inside of his cage to keep him occupied as he is a greedy boy and would do anything for food.
Click to expand...

The treat ball is a good idea, at least it will distract him for a while! :)

I didn't realise he wasn't neutered yet - hopefully he'll calm a bit down once he's been done (although my boys are neutered and still very naughty :lol:)
 
Lucy-Lou said:
The treat ball is a good idea, at least it will distract him for a while! :)

I didn't realise he wasn't neutered yet - hopefully he'll calm a bit down once he's been done (although my boys are neutered and still very naughty :lol:)
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm hoping he calms down once he is neutered! He only started rattling a couple of days ago and it's been driving me crazy lol he's the type of rabbit who LOVES getting into mischief and trouble, such a comical little rabbit though :lol:
Fingers crossed the treat ball idea works!
 
Feebs' cage rattled a lot more prior to being neutered but once we bought him a new bigger cage he calmed down.

I attached a gnawing stone to his cage near his food bowl and he seems to get at that instead now.
 
camerajuan said:
Feebs' cage rattled a lot more prior to being neutered but once we bought him a new bigger cage he calmed down.

I attached a gnawing stone to his cage near his food bowl and he seems to get at that instead now.
Click to expand...

I'll have to see what he's like once neutered, hopefully he will calm down! I keep buying more and more toys to keep him occupied, hopefully I will find something soon that he loves to play with more than the cage rattling :lol:
 
Puppy panels would be a great idea. Night time is when rabbits are really active so he could be frustrated and wide awake ready to play!!!

You can make the pens any shape you want. I use them to put all round the walls for my indoor set ups. Something to gnaw on is good too. Apple wood or willow for example.

My lot love treat balls and go crazy chasing them round! Loo roll middles with hay and treats in are good too.

How you find a good solution so you can get a good night's rest.
 
tulsi said:
Puppy panels would be a great idea. Night time is when rabbits are really active so he could be frustrated and wide awake ready to play!!!

You can make the pens any shape you want. I use them to put all round the walls for my indoor set ups. Something to gnaw on is good too. Apple wood or willow for example.

My lot love treat balls and go crazy chasing them round! Loo roll middles with hay and treats in are good too.

How you find a good solution so you can get a good night's rest.
Click to expand...

I might get both bunnies really large x-pens when they've been neutered and are better at using the litter boxes. At the moment dog crates are convenient for cleaning up accidents. Although their crates are large I can see the problem with my lop not being impressed with me shutting him in. I suppose he likes the freedom of being able to come out when he pleases!
I tried the loo rolls stuffed with hay, he didn't even touch it! He's not huge on toys for some reason. He has loads of shop bought toys and chews but doesn't use them. I have tried making home-made toys too which he has no interest for! I will get hold of some apple/willow wood at some point for him to try, bet he ignores it though :roll: :lol:
 
rabbits are cleverer than you think. if they want something, they'll make a noise to get your attention. mine rattle the water bottles, and if that doesn't work, they bang the litter trays about. your rabbit wants something. probably space to run around and some autonomy, if he's used to that during the day.
 
happybun said:
rabbits are cleverer than you think. if they want something, they'll make a noise to get your attention. mine rattle the water bottles, and if that doesn't work, they bang the litter trays about. your rabbit wants something. probably space to run around and some autonomy, if he's used to that during the day.
Click to expand...

He's used to getting attention in the day so I suppose he wants that at night too, I'm going to look at getting him an x-pen for extended space
 
Inlé-rah said:
My mini lop has started cage rattling now, and I'm not quite sure how to stop the behaviour, I want to "nip it in the bud" before it develops into a bad habit.
His cage is open nearly all day so he has access to his playroom and he has plenty of toys, tunnels, cardboard boxes, tubes, chews, shop bought toys ect. But when I lock him up at night the rattling starts... :roll:
I've tried ignoring him but it's not working. I was wondering if anybody has any tips to prevent the behaviour as I don't want my hare learning this naughty behaviour too!
Click to expand...

He wants company!

If you can't be his constant companion, he would like another bunny friend ..... :D
 
MightyMax said:
He wants company!

If you can't be his constant companion, he would like another bunny friend ..... :D
Click to expand...

I'm getting him neutered soon and will be bonding him with another rabbit. I'm at home all day so I'm a constant companion for him in the day, but obviously it's night time that's the problem :)
 
Inlé-rah said:
I'm getting him neutered soon and will be bonding him with another rabbit. I'm at home all day so I'm a constant companion for him in the day, but obviously it's night time that's the problem :)
Click to expand...

Lucky boy! I won't suggest he sleeps on your bed at night, but I did have one that did just that! When he was bonded with a girl he stayed with her instead ....
 
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