How can I make an enclosure quieter

[Chaos34]

Hi everyone I'm new on here.

I have 2 mini rex rabbits who are 10 weeks old. Lovely little bunnies. They are outdoor bunnies mainly but we do have a huge playpen that we put in the garden or in the house twice a day for a few hours at a time.

My neighbours have told me they can hear the rabbits at night amd disturbing their kids sleep. This made me really anxious, although during the day my neighbours are very very loud but clearly don't see a problem with this. I do understand sleep disturbance is worse than during so I'm willing to do something if I can.

I'm quite an anxious person at best and hate confrontation. Since I've had my rabbits my neighbours have become louder in the day. They currently have friends over and constantly banging, so I'm guessing it's payback.

My children's bedroom is above the hutch and they've heard them twice. The first night they were unsettled. The third night I heard thumping and came downstairs to see a cat in the garden. Now my neighbours aren't reasonable so will not understand why rabbits thump, even if I tell them why they won't care.

The best thing to do is to try and prevent it and if I can't ill have to move the enclosure which I don't want to do because it's by my door where I can see straight through to the rabbits and it's easier to get to.

I've brought vetbed so I'm waiting for that to come but is there anything else I can use to dampen the sound of them scooting around at night. Something that I can clean easily. I'll try what I can but I don't want them making my life hell because they can hear my rabbits at night. I've mentioned I'm sick of hearing their dog bark but I just get well that's in the day not night when everyone's asleep. Anyone any tips? Thankyou

 

[InspectorMorse]

Rubber stable mats are good at reducing sound from thumping BUT that isn’t addressing the problem that the Rabbits are thumping because they are scared.

It would appear that you need to rethink whether their accommodation is suitable. Rabbits should never be confined to just a hutch. There are some examples of suitable outdoor accommodation here

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/outdoor-housing/

Rex Rabbits are very prone to ulcerative pododermatitis AKA ‘sore hocks’. It is best to house Rexes on a substrate of deep soft hay. This can be put down over rubber stable mats.

I don’t know if you are new to keeping Rabbits, but if so I suggest having a thorough read of all of the information provided on the RWAF website. Especially relating to the importance of neutering and vaccinating. I would get a Vet to confirm the genders of your Rabbits too to avoid the chance of an accidental litter if you think you have two same sex Rabbits only to find out that you have a Buck and a Doe.

 

[a reader of books]

Gosh, your neighbours don't seem very reasonable, considering how much noise they themselves make... Can you tell us a bit more about the enclosure you have? Do they only have a hutch, or a shed, and do they have an attached run? Are they on straw, blankets, just wood, paving...? Are your neighbours only hearing thumping or other noises, too? Some layers of vetbed should help in the hutch, at least, but I'm afraid that no matter what you do, your neighbours might still hear them in the night. Bunnies make noise when they're active and playing, which they do at night as much as in the day. You can take away one reason why they thump, at least, by making your garden cat-proof. Helping your bunnies feel safe will make them less likely to thump, though they might still thump because they're having a disagreement or heard a noise or some other reason, so you can't eliminate it completely, I'm sorry to say.

 

[Chaos34]

Thanks for your replies. We have a 3 story hutch/she'd 6ft by 6ft plus a run at the side. We also have a playpen we bring in twice a day for a good few hours morning and evening. We are in the middle of attempting to catproof the garden. That's the only night I've heard them thump when I cat was near and the cat ran away. They also have a cover over their enclosure. Lots of soft toys, blankets, 2 hideouts, litter tray and plenty of hay and straw. We also have a camera in our garden which triggers a notification to our phone if a cat is there along with an outdoor floodlight which comes on. The enclosure is their fence but I only put it there because its near our backdoor, in view of camera and light and I can get to them easier.

The neighbours are the type where one rule for one and another for someone else. A few months ago she was on about having guinea pigs and that didn't bother me at all. My son's room is above the enclosure and he barley hears them.

Our rabbits are now getting used to noise etc and are now showing their characters. Their kids were screaming yesterday and the rabbits weren't bothered at all they were just laying down enjoying the sun.

I'll try a few soundproofing techniques but if that doesn't work I'll have to move them which I don't want to do really. Every night I'm now panicking what noise they are making but if they're anything like they are in the day, they have a few binkie moments (I love those), chew lots of hay, toys and then nap. Unless my dogs go our for a wee and they run to their window to greet them.

 

[a reader of books]

I'm glad you're loving their binkies. Those are really the best, aren't they? To be honest, I don't have any ideas about what you could do to soundproof more, aside from the vetbed you've gotten them. I was thinking if they had a hutch with a thin bottom and no bedding, that could be kind of echo-y and amplify any thumping, you know? But from the size of your hutch/shed I'm guessing it's really solid, and it's full of fun stuff and blankets and bedding, so that's not the case. I was thinking about a cover, too, to minimise the chances of them getting spooked during the night, but you already have that, too. I'm glad you're already in the middle of cat-proofing the garden as well. It sounds like your bunnies aren't easily bothered, either, if they're fine with screaming kids! I hope you won't have to move their enclosure, as it sounds like it's in a really convenient, safe place right now. Your setup sounds really great, by the way, and I'm glad your bunnies are enjoying themselves.

I'm sorry you're panicking every night about what noises they might be making. That's awful... Your neighbours seem very stressful to live next to. I hope someone else will reply to your thread with some ideas you can try.

 

[Chaos34]

Thankyou for your lovely message. I'm am still waiting on my vetbed to be delivered but I have noticed the most noise comes from the stairs they have to get from one floor to another as this isn't covered at the moment because the hay just slides down and they also eat most of their hay from around their food bowl so it's leaves a big empty patch so when they are playing, you can hear them scoot around on the empty parts. As they don't tend to wee near their food bowl I will stick the vetbed down with some adhesive and apple some to the stairs.

I was going to buy some foam squares (those that kids use to play on) and stick them on the floor but I won't bebable to clean them as the wee will soak straight through.

Yes they can be loud at times but they are not overly loud. I actually slept downstairs lastnight and didn't hear them. My neighbours are not the reasonable type and if they can say they can hear them then that's what they'll stick to. They would not be happy unless I rehomed the bunnies! Which is not happening. Their dog has been barking since 7am and they've now started diy so they're obviously trying to prove a point but I'm not going to show I'm bothered because that's obviously what they want. I just can't believe 2 little bunnies are causing them so much annoyance. They haven't actually told me to my face they have a problem, I've only overheard them talking and noticed they've ramped up their noise.

 

[Shimmer]

You don't always need ramps. Sometimes they can be removed completely if the rabbits are still able to access the different levels by jumping up and down. If they need a boost, you can use a block, platform or solid box as a halfway point. The ramps can be turned into a platform on a couple of bricks.

Large litter trays with hay in can provide additional beds, toilets, etc, as well as sound insulation.

Vetbed will need to be washed regularly so needs to be easily removeable. Some versions have a non-slip rubber backing, or you could sew on some rug non-slip matting / rug grip. That will help on the main floor areas.

 

[tonibun]

I would be careful if you use adhesive as it could be toxic if/when the Rabbits chew the Vetbed. They would feel safer and not make hardly any noise if you could buy them aPlayhouse. You can find reasonably priced ones on EBay. I know how worrying it is if you don't want to upset the neighbours.

 

[a reader of books]

Thankyou for your lovely message. I'm am still waiting on my vetbed to be delivered but I have noticed the most noise comes from the stairs they have to get from one floor to another as this isn't covered at the moment because the hay just slides down and they also eat most of their hay from around their food bowl so it's leaves a big empty patch so when they are playing, you can hear them scoot around on the empty parts. As they don't tend to wee near their food bowl I will stick the vetbed down with some adhesive and apple some to the stairs.

I was going to buy some foam squares (those that kids use to play on) and stick them on the floor but I won't bebable to clean them as the wee will soak straight through.

Yes they can be loud at times but they are not overly loud. I actually slept downstairs lastnight and didn't hear them. My neighbours are not the reasonable type and if they can say they can hear them then that's what they'll stick to. They would not be happy unless I rehomed the bunnies! Which is not happening. Their dog has been barking since 7am and they've now started diy so they're obviously trying to prove a point but I'm not going to show I'm bothered because that's obviously what they want. I just can't believe 2 little bunnies are causing them so much annoyance. They haven't actually told me to my face they have a problem, I've only overheard them talking and noticed they've ramped up their noise.

I agree with Shimmer and tonibun that sticking the vetbed down with adhesive is not the best idea. It'd be better to just put stuff like litter trays and water bowls on top of it so they can't move it. Then you can easily take it out when it needs to be washed, which it will, even if they don't pee on it. For the stairs, you can just wrap some vetbed around it. It will provide the bunnies with enough of a grip.

I think the foam squares could work nicely if you put something waterproof like vinyl over it. It would still dampen the sound that way, but would be easy to clean. You'd just have to make sure the bunnies don't chew the vinyl or the foam tiles.

I do find it hard to imagine that two small 10-week old bunnies could cause a huge amount of noise, I agree. :?

 

[InspectorMorse]

Maybe you could use something like these as flooring

https://www.soundreduction.co.uk/pr...MI0L-E5sXagAMVhiytBh1QdwiDEAAYAiAAEgJ0i_D_BwE

 

[Chaos34]

Some great suggestions to look into. The vetbed hasn't arrived yet but I did get the non slip one. I do have another question. Upon googling I found some information that says you should put a rabbits litter tray near their food bowl as they like to eat and poop close together (lovely) . At the moment their litter tray is at the bottom of the enclosure in a corner and their food bowl is at the top of the enclosure in a corner. Im wandering if this may be making noise as theyre eating then running down the steps to their litter tray. The rabbits do like to lie where their food bowl is currently, though im not sure if its bevause their bowl is there or they just like that little spot. I've popped a blanket there as the hay tends to fall down the gap where their little stairs are, therefore making the floor hollow. Do you think I should move the food bowl to where their litter tray is? If I do move the food bowl, will they be OK with that or will they tey to move it back? It is a ceramic food bowl and I can't see tiny bunnies moving it but as my neighbour thinks I have some sort of mighty bunnies, you never know

They have a hideout behind the door where they cannot see out and a hideout where they can. They are very nosey bunnies and do like to see out, which is another reason i popped the blanket there which they love to lie on now and nosey out of the window, legs stretched the lot.

 

[HouseOfRabbit]

Sounds like you might have room for a deep underbed storage box which could be used as a litter tray. If you put the hay in there on top of whatever substrate you use and mix the pellets through it will add enrichment alongside allowing for getting rid of the pellet bowl and possibly keeping the hay restricted to a smaller area.

 

[tonibun]

Sounds like you might have room for a deep underbed storage box which could be used as a litter tray. If you put the hay in there on top of whatever substrate you use and mix the pellets through it will add enrichment alongside allowing for getting rid of the pellet bowl and possibly keeping the hay restricted to a smaller area.

I second this!

 

[uniquefat]

Welcome to the forum! It's great that you're considerate of your neighbors and their kids' sleep. If you're looking to minimize the noise from your rabbits at night, you could try adding some additional insulation around their hutch area. Something like foam panels or blankets could help absorb some of the sounds of them moving around. It's also good that you've ordered vetbed, as it can help dampen the noise. Just make sure it's easy to clean, as you mentioned.
Balancing the needs of your rabbits and being considerate to your neighbors can be tricky, but it sounds like you're trying your best. Keep communicating with your neighbors, and hopefully, you can find a solution that works for everyone.