behavior help!!! (destroying, chewing)

[crowcrane]

Our sweet flemish/california bunny Mush has been displaying a HUGE amount of destructive behavior recently and we cannot for the life of us figure out why! He has been tearing his cage to shreds, we have foam floor mats on the ground and he has basically decimated them. He throws his litter box and food around, the works. After looking it up we found that destructive behavior is usually caused by under-stimulation, lack of toys, lack of things to chew on- he has plenty of toys and chewing sticks and hay and a hideaway house etc-
we tried leaving music on for him while we are not in the room, and my partner, his main parent, has spent hours sitting on the floor near his enclosure to try to calm him-


he has continued to do things like move EVERYTHING to the center of his pen, his food, his litter box, his toys, and then proceeds to rip up the floor mats and his cardboard house, and poop in the corner where his litter box WAS before he started throwing it around.. We put all this things back where they were and clean up and make sure he has food near his litter box, plenty of toys, places to hide, we gave him a blanket over his house so he could hide in the dark if he gets stressed-

We thought he was having issues with attachment, but he has started to rip things up even while we are in the room with him. The only time he really stops is when we are actively petting him or when he is worn out. We thought maybe if we kept another small animal in the room with him to keep him company (in a separate pen) it would help calm him down, so we have been pet-sitting a friend's guinea pigs and keeping them nearby, but it hasn't helped at all. We can't spend 24/7 petting him to make sure he doesn't absolutely wreck his space! We aren't sure what else to do, aside from getting another bunny to bond him with and that will keep him company, which is something we are looking into. He really is pretty spoiled and there is nothing that we can think of that would be provoking this, help!!!

 

[crowcrane]

His previous household was pretty loud (multiple small children running around and screaming) and we know he is sued to that, but I don't know if it being a bit quieter here is the problem? we have chickens and ducks that he can pretty much always hear, so it is never silent, and he was fine here for the first week or so.

 

[JBun]

How long have you had him? What is his current set up like(photo if possible) and what was his set up/living situation in his previous home(eg. cage, pen, free roam)? It's not unusual for a rabbit to be better behaved in their first week or two in a new home, as they are still getting used to their new environment and mapping everything out. It's later when they feel at home and comfortable that their true personality emerges.

Actually introducing anything new, especially a new pet, can increase territorial and destructive behavior, at least initially for the first few weeks. As can changing areas or anything that upsets a rabbits environment.

 

[Blue eyes]

Is he neutered?

The foam mats don't work for some rabbits because they like to chew them. Please understand that chewing and ripping things like mats and cardboard are simply a rabbit's way of playing. He isn't purposefully "being destructive." He's just being a lively rabbit. So please don't see this as "naughty" behavior.

Throwing the litter box and food is also play. The litterbox should be large enough that it can't be tossed. The food bowl can be switched to one of those bowls that twists onto a clamp so that it can't be moved.

Does he get loads of hay?

A photo of the setup would really help us offer suggestions on ways to create a space for an active bun like you have.

 

[allenstacy74]

My bunny was the exact same, he completely tore my room apart; my furniture, wires, skirtingboard, his cage everything! Until I got him neutered, it really really helped!