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Carrying hay in his mouth

mollyjoker

Mama Doe
My Smokey ,lost his partner Molly 3 weeks ago.
I am on the look out for another friend for him.
He has been ok eating and happy to free range and he loves a fuss.
I was away at the w/e and my partner rang to say he was running around with hay in his mouth and digging in
his hay.
Not sure if this is what females do when nest building.?
He was neutered when we got him and was told he was male.
I m sure my vet has checked to see if he was.
Touch wood he is a healthy bun who loves his hay and only visits
the vet annually for vaccinations after 4 years.
Not sure if males display this behaviour .
He is a big digger in the garden.
Any opinions I would be grateful.
 
Joey did this once, he looked super cute, took a big mouthful of hay (looked like he had a hay tash ) & carried it upstairs. No idea why & no repercussions either (this was 2 years ago)
 
My girls do this, Coco more so than Thumper though, to make their beds more comfy. We put a bag of hay in the shed and a bag of hay in the run. The majority of the hay is now in the run with only a sparse covering in the shed :lol: no wonder they run the risk of sore hocks :roll: and end up eating the hay in the hay racks instead of what's on the floor!
 
This (nesting behaviour) can happen with neutered bucks. It's mentioned on medirabbit.com
I seem to remember hearing somewhere that it can be triggered by a bit of stress, so that would fit with his losing his mate.

I'm sorry for your loss.
 
Lopsy used to do this at his old home, before he was neutered (he's a bit of a weirdo). Has done some digging post-neuter (always in the 'wrong' place, git) but no hay-placing in the scrapes. It certainly never amounted to anything or seemed indicative of any underlying problems, although stress could be a factor as jerseygirl suggests :) And I think he's got good cause to be a little stressed, but try not to worry yourself too much!

Good luck finding him a wifebun, although it will be no Molly replacement, I'm sure :)
 
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