Just don't know!

So, I currently live with my fiance and his folks. I bought my beautiful Boy back in June/August from Pets at home and at first he was obviously shaken up and scared of every moving thing. I settled him in and everything seemed to be going great, everyone loved him ( except the parrot ).

He's currently an indoor/outdoor rabbit. During the day while I am at work he goes out into his pen and hutch and then when i come home ( usually 5ish ) i get him in let him run around the house. At the weekends and days off he stays in so I can bond with him.

He's got this obsession with going behind our sofa and biting all the cables, which i am assuming is because its safe and no one can really get him. We've managed to block off both sides of the sofa, but he is super persistent. He gets shooed away all the time. I don't really like telling him off because i have read that they remember things like that and can resent you? I also put him in his indoor cage or put him outside but i also read that he wont understand that he has done anything wrong? He does get told off by my fiances dad which makes him go all scared and off.

At the moment, i think he's stressed because all he wants to do is go hide behind the sofa, gets told off, goes and skulks somewhere and doesn't interact with anyone. Sometimes i take him to our bedroom and hes brilliant, he jumps on the bed, flops on the floor. So, is it because he doesn't feel comfortable downstairs?

We are hoping to move out in the new year into our own place, but for now i just want to make him comfortable and safe. I also thought it might be because hes lonely? That is another issue that should be resolved when we get our own place. I will always be on my boys side, because hes just a rabbit and his instinct is to chew and be mischievous.

What do i do to make him more comfortable and social?
He is also a MASSIVE fan of cardboard ( surely that isnt good for digestion? ) so he chews literally everything.

Could you get him a puppy pen so he has his own space. You could give him a litter tray filled with hay to offset boredom and maybe allow him to free range when you are there. Also it is not good for bunnies to go in and out in the winter as they don't cope well with the change in temperature. It can give them respiratory problems. Rabbits do like to have an area that they can call their own, where they can feel safe and relax as they are quite often nervous animals. Cardboard isn't very good for their digestive system but a good supply of hay could help to prevent him from chewing other things. Not completely because rabbits do chew things.

I see! Cardboard is the only thing he likes to eat. I have bought him loads of stuff for him to nibble on but nothing works. I do want to leave him outside, but as soon as it gets dark I feel bad because he'll sit in the corner of his pen and wait to come in If he is used to coming in from the cold is it still a bad thing? He's more inside than out. When he is out, his hutch is full of Hay to keep him warm.

Is he neutered? He sounds a tad hormonal to me!

Being behind the sofa will be like a warren to him and will feel like his safe place, if he has that taken away he will likely feel unsettled and be more wary. Could you give him a new safe place? ,aye a carrier covered in a blanket or a cardboard box with 2 entrances/exits?

Just as a side note at this time of year it's not really very good for rabbits to be spending time in warm heated houses and being outside. They really need to be kept at a constant temperature as just like in humans the frequent temperature changes can lead to the snuffles. But unlike with humans in rabbits the snuffles is really quite nasty and can stay with them for life.

Eta- completely missed that tonibun had already given you that information.... Basically I agree with her!

They shouldn't really be moved inside and out in winter. It can cause respiratory problems. If he's more inside than out I think I would keep him in until spring.

Eta - Sorry, i didn't see that either. As above!

Yes he is neutered, he didn't have a very good start. When we bought him he was kept out back because the other bunnies he was with beat him up - I think this is why i want to make him extra happy!
I might try and put him out side all day and night, he cant stay in constantly because he chews almost everything and my fiances parents wont be too impressed haha!

Hi, could you make your room his home instead of having him outside and downstairs, you say he seems happiest there, you could pen off an area so he could have some exercise space while your at work, then free range in the evenings and at weekends when your around. You could put a cheap rug down to protect the floor/carpet (just incase). I'm worried he may be very lonely if you put him outside all the time as your unlikely to spend too much time outdoors with him in these dark nights and bad weather.
Hope you find a solution that works for you :wave:

Penning off an area inside seems like a good idea. It sounds like he's so persistent he'd be a Houdini though and spend his time trying to escape it, so it would have to be very secure.

I'm not sure if he's sleeping outside overnight at the moment (sorry if I missed that). If not, then it wouldn't be wise to put him out now with this cold weather.

Or if you had a large dog crate with lots of hay and things for him to nibble you could let him out when you were around. Perhaps put the cables behind the sofa into hose pipe?

Apart from temp change of indoor/outdoor (not recommended), I wonder if being 'here, there and everywhere' could be unsettling for him.

I think, but I might be wrong, that a proper base and familiarity might be more settling rather than not knowing quite where he will be from one moment to the next. It would scare me!

Dare I also say, I am not entirely convinced that 'telling him off' is going to help - he is a rabbit, not a dog :lol: Rabbits are going to instinctively do things that we as humans do not like I am afraid, so it is preferable to provide an environment that is suited to their basic instincts rather than expect them to respect our furniture and environment

Behind sofas is very similar to a warren which rabbits love, they are good sleeping places and good hiding places. Chewing the wires is just their way of tidying up the tunnel as they would clear roots in a real warren.

You could try running a tunnel behind the sofa so he can use the space safely.

Does he actually ingest the cardboard or just shred it?

I'd suggest introducing more general enrichment toys/activities, that way you'll give him more to occupy his brain - food related stuff will probably work best eg a treat ball.

I would happily keep him in my bedroom, but there just isn't any room
I personally think getting a puppy pen is the best option, but again finding the space is tricky. I want him to feel comfortable enough to sleep inside, but with him going under the sofa and getting shooed out ( by fiance parents ) i just want him to be happy. This is the reason i take him outside, so he can get him own space and feel safe. I'm sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I think he actually eats the cardboard, but i have taken all cardboard away from him now. He doesn't seem to be interested in any toys though :?

Cara - I think you might be right, moving him around might not be the best thing. I completely understand that he is going to do what he wants, he already does. He's already chewed the wires to our electric reclining chairs (which were turned off at the time ), USB cables and nearly the cable to the TV :shock:

He has grown his winter fur and seems to be used to going out during the day and coming in at night (not too late so that its freezing, normally 5ish). If i change this routine, would it be worse for him? Normally the house isn't too different in temp to be honest haha.
When it starts to snow and when the temp does get really bad, that is when ill bring him in.

When me and my fiance move out, it's going to be so much easier as he'll just be inside but until then, its a pain in the butt.

I really appreciate everyone's help and suggestions