Bunny proofing.. help needed.

[allenstacy74]

I would love for your ideas on how to stop my bunnies from going under my bed. I have 2 bunnies and one (Eugene) is sooooo destructive and I can’t seem to work out why, he is neutered and has no end of toys, and access to enriching activities (such as a digging sand box etc) yet he would just rather destroy everything that I own. I have tried putting mesh (kind of like chicken wire) to block the gaps.. but they pulled it down, and I’ve tried wood, fabrics and everything. They just tear it all down. The gap under the bed isn’t big enough to put boxes or anything under there, I wouldn’t mind them going under there except my bunny (Eugene) sits under my bed (RIGHT WHERE MY HEAD IS WHEN IM ASLEEP) and he scratches at the floor and skirting board.. I don’t know why he does this, there isn’t anything there… any ideas on how to get him to stop or what to block the gap with. I currently don’t have the funds to just go out and buy a new bed.. what do I do? Or does anyone know why he is so insanely destructive?

 

[White Rabbit]

You could use a baby gate to keep them out. If you don't want to use plastic which i understand another thing is, use wood but actually screw it and secure it down to the bed frame.(im guessing you just laid it there last time? They shouldnt be able to get through wood) They wont be able to move it then. A 1inch thick, 6 inch wide by 8 foot long piece of wood is less then 7 bucks at home depot, ill post a link below. Cut it to your length needed, or get another size if you need it more then 6 inches wide(dont know how tall your bed is) It's also Kiln dried so it's rabbit safe.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-in-x-...8zS3MqYTpzFdcznlZORoCXJUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[allenstacy74]

You could use a baby gate to keep them out. If you don't want to use plastic which i understand another thing is, use wood but actually screw it and secure it down to the bed frame.(im guessing you just laid it there last time? They shouldnt be able to get through wood) They wont be able to move it then. A 1inch thick, 6 inch wide by 8 foot long piece of wood is less then 7 bucks at home depot, ill post a link below. Cut it to your length needed, or get another size if you need it more then 6 inches wide(dont know how tall your bed is) It's also Kiln dried so it's rabbit safe.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-in-x-...8zS3MqYTpzFdcznlZORoCXJUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had mesh wrapped around the frame if the bed (tied to the posts) and they managed to tear it down, I will have the try the wood! And just drill it into the bed thank you!

 

[White Rabbit]

I had mesh wrapped around the frame if the bed (tied to the posts) and they managed to tear it down, I will have the try the wood! And just drill it into the bed thank you!

Anytime hope it all works out

 

[Diane R]

You could use a baby gate to keep them out. If you don't want to use plastic which i understand another thing is, use wood but actually screw it and secure it down to the bed frame.(im guessing you just laid it there last time? They shouldnt be able to get through wood) They wont be able to move it then. A 1inch thick, 6 inch wide by 8 foot long piece of wood is less then 7 bucks at home depot, ill post a link below. Cut it to your length needed, or get another size if you need it more then 6 inches wide(dont know how tall your bed is) It's also Kiln dried so it's rabbit safe.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-in-x-...8zS3MqYTpzFdcznlZORoCXJUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

This is a good idea, you don't actually have to attach it to the bed, you can use L-shaped metal connectors to make a rectangle that just fits around the bed.

 

[allenstacy74]

This is a good idea, you don't actually have to attach it to the bed, you can use L-shaped metal connectors to make a rectangle that just fits around the bed.

This is a good idea, you don't actually have to attach it to the bed, you can use L-shaped metal connectors to make a rectangle that just fits around the bed.

so temporarily I have mesh wrapped and stapled around the frame (there are no exposed areas that they could hurt them self on) and so far it is seeming to work, but if anyone has ideas as to why he is being so destructive would be great, he has been like this since I adopted him and no matter how many toys or enrichment I get him, he is never satisfied and I got him neutered as -everyone- told me it’d calm him down… it didn’t, I’m beginning to think he has become aware that I don’t like him ruining my stuff and he does it to spite me (joking obviously)

 

[JBun]

How old is he and what breed(and weight)? What's the exact diet he's fed(type and amounts of each food)? Rabbits are all different. Some are more energetic than others, even neutered. So it becomes a matter of redirecting that energy. Also, altering diet can sometimes make a difference.

 

[allenstacy74]

How old is he and what breed(and weight)? What's the exact diet he's fed(type and amounts of each food)? Rabbits are all different. Some are more energetic than others, even neutered. So it becomes a matter of redirecting that energy. Also, altering diet can sometimes make a difference.

He is a year and 6 months old. A mini lip mix (don’t know the second breed) his weight is 2.5 kg. He eats a different variety of veggies every day and around 5pm for his dinner and he gets nuggets ( the brand being Science Selective) at around 9am for his breakfast and always has hay to eat. (I’m not 100% sure if this is not enough food or too much food but that’s how my vet told me to feed him as when I adopted him a year ago he was very underweight) he has always been energetic, he does have moments where he calms down and wants cuddles but most of the time he’s bouncing off the walls haha.

 

[allenstacy74]

So the mesh was a fail. AGAIN. This is what I caught my rabbits red handed doing.

 

[BunLover]

So the mesh was a fail. AGAIN. This is what I caught my rabbits red handed doing.

Try an x pen

 

[Blue eyes]

So the mesh was a fail. AGAIN. This is what I caught my rabbits red handed doing.

Actually it looks like the mesh worked. It kept bunny from going under your bed, yes? Now you'll need to find something to block off that tempting cushy fabric on the side. Perhaps blocking it with coroplast somehow?

 

[JBun]

How much of the pellets do you feed each day? Is the hay on the softer(leafy) or coarser(stems) side, or mix of both? And is he eating the hay well, at least a pile the size of his body per day? Do you have access to any foraging, for rabbit safe branches like willow, apple, hawthorn, bramble, etc?

Is his weight ok now(no longer underweight)?

 

[samoth]

My buck claimed underneath my bed as his territory. I put a large cheap rug under the entire bed to prevent him from chewing carpet -- he's not destructive underneath there otherwise.

If I try to block off my bedroom, he will dig & chew to no end to get back into his territory. In my case, it was easier for me to adapt what he wanted than to prevent him from getting there.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We used cardboard boxes to blockade areas we didn't want them in. They will chew and dig on the boxes, but they are easy and cheap to replace--our main source now is Amazon.

 

[allenstacy74]

How much of the pellets do you feed each day? Is the hay on the softer(leafy) or coarser(stems) side, or mix of both? And is he eating the hay well, at least a pile the size of his body per day? Do you have access to any foraging, for rabbit safe branches like willow, apple, hawthorn, bramble, etc?

Is his weight ok now(no longer underweight)?

My buck claimed underneath my bed as his territory. I put a large cheap rug under the entire bed to prevent him from chewing carpet -- he's not destructive underneath there otherwise.

If I try to block off my bedroom, he will dig & chew to no end to get back into his territory. In my case, it was easier for me to adapt what he wanted than to prevent him from getting there.

I would love to do that but if I let him under there, he won’t let me sleep, whether I put a rug down, block the skirting board or anything he will still find a way to dig the floor, and I can’t find any other way to sto him so I’ve had to block it off

 

[allenstacy74]

How much of the pellets do you feed each day? Is the hay on the softer(leafy) or coarser(stems) side, or mix of both? And is he eating the hay well, at least a pile the size of his body per day? Do you have access to any foraging, for rabbit safe branches like willow, apple, hawthorn, bramble, etc?

Is his weight ok now(no longer underweight)?

He has a little scoop in the morning (not sure on how much it is as the scoop isn’t measured), his hay is mixed, some bits are leafy, some are coarse etc, he eats Timothy or meadow hay depending on what my shop has in (mainly Timothy) he eats so much hay, he spends most of his day in his hay box, yes he gets more than enough hay, I re fill it 2-3 times a day to keep it stocked up and yes I have a foraging mix that I put in the hay box and I have a foraging mat that I put some hay treats in for him. According to my vet he is the “perfect” weight for his size

 

[allenstacy74]

He has a little scoop in the morning (not sure on how much it is as the scoop isn’t measured), his hay is mixed, some bits are leafy, some are coarse etc, he eats Timothy or meadow hay depending on what my shop has in (mainly Timothy) he eats so much hay, he spends most of his day in his hay box, yes he gets more than enough hay, I re fill it 2-3 times a day to keep it stocked up and yes I have a foraging mix that I put in the hay box and I have a foraging mat that I put some hay treats in for him

It’s when it comes to night time he becomes so noisy and destructive though he does do it during the day, it is worse at night

 

[JBun]

So is the feeding at night different than morning? You don't feed pellets at night? Do you feed any high calorie foods(eg. oats, grains, fruit, carrots, etc) at night?

 

[JBun]

So these diet questions I'm asking about, have to do with how diet can affect a rabbits energy levels, and also boredom levels.

Sometimes a rabbit that's getting too much concentrated food or high calorie foods(eg. grains, sugars), can fill up on these, then they don't have anything better to do with their time, so find ways to exhibit normal rabbit behaviors such as chewing and being destructive. The solution to this is lowering the amount of pellets and high calorie foods, so that the bun spends more of its free time eating hay. They have less time to get bored, so less time to be destructive.

But therre can also be kind of the opposite effect of a concentrated high calorie diet. Some buns on a low pellet/low calorie diet, can get kind of anxious about feeling hungry, and so will obsessively look for food or find other ways of acting out. like being desctructive. So adding more pellets to the diet, when the rabbit doesn't have digestive issues or obesity problems that excess pellets might aggravate, can help fill them up faster and help them relax more.

It's diifferent with every bun, so it's finding if your bun is affected by diet and in what way he might be. It might be worthwhile to experiment a little with your rabbits diet, to see if it changes his destructive behavior at all. You can try feeding his pellets in the evening instead of the morning to see if filling up on pellets in the evening helps him settle down better. You can try increased pellet amounts to see if he's being destructive because he's feeling hungry. Though increasing pellet amounts will depend on if your rabbit has digestive or weight issues that would limit pellet amounts he gets each day. You can try decreasing pellet amounts so he spends even more time eating hay and has less time to be bored and destructive. Diet may not alter his behavior at all, or it could impact it significantly. I've had some rabbits that it made a big difference with their activity levels and what they spent their time doing.

You can also try different distraction activities. If your bun doesn't have a carboard/paper eating issue, you can try things like a new cardboard box to explore and destroy. Old phone books can also be fun for them to shred up. If you have access to rabbit safe tree branches/bushes, branches can also be a good distracting activity for buns.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Toys_and_games

 

[allenstacy74]

He has a little scoop in the morning (not sure on how much it is as the scoop isn’t measured), his hay is mixed, some bits are leafy, some are coarse etc, he eats Timothy or meadow hay depending on what my shop has in (mainly Timothy) he eats so much hay, he spends most of his day in his hay box, yes he gets more than enough hay, I re fill it 2-3 times a day to keep it stocked up and yes I have a foraging mix that I put in the hay box and I have a foraging mat that I put some hay treats in for him

So these diet questions I'm asking about, have to do with how diet can affect a rabbits energy levels, and also boredom levels.

Sometimes a rabbit that's getting too much concentrated food or high calorie foods(eg. grains, sugars), can fill up on these, then they don't have anything better to do with their time, so find ways to exhibit normal rabbit behaviors such as chewing and being destructive. The solution to this is lowering the amount of pellets and high calorie foods, so that the bun spends more of its free time eating hay. They have less time to get bored, so less time to be destructive.

But therre can also be kind of the opposite effect of a concentrated high calorie diet. Some buns on a low pellet/low calorie diet, can get kind of anxious about feeling hungry, and so will obsessively look for food or find other ways of acting out. like being desctructive. So adding more pellets to the diet, when the rabbit doesn't have digestive issues or obesity problems that excess pellets might aggravate, can help fill them up faster and help them relax more.

It's diifferent with every bun, so it's finding if your bun is affected by diet and in what way he might be. It might be worthwhile to experiment a little with your rabbits diet, to see if it changes his destructive behavior at all. You can try feeding his pellets in the evening instead of the morning to see if filling up on pellets in the evening helps him settle down better. You can try increased pellet amounts to see if he's being destructive because he's feeling hungry. Though increasing pellet amounts will depend on if your rabbit has digestive or weight issues that would limit pellet amounts he gets each day. You can try decreasing pellet amounts so he spends even more time eating hay and has less time to be bored and destructive. Diet may not alter his behavior at all, or it could impact it significantly. I've had some rabbits that it made a big difference with their activity levels and what they spent their time doing.

You can also try different distraction activities. If your bun doesn't have a carboard/paper eating issue, you can try things like a new cardboard box to explore and destroy. Old phone books can also be fun for them to shred up. If you have access to rabbit safe tree branches/bushes, branches can also be a good distracting activity for buns.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Toys_and_games

yes so he eats pellets in the morning and veg in the evening, I can try flipping that to see if there is any difference, he has a lot of toys to play with, my other bunny plays normally but he chooses to “play” or destroy my furniture haha, thank you for the info, I will try altering his diet as he has no medical or dietary issues in regards to eating certain foods or cardboard etc, he does not have any sugary or grained food, the pellets he eats are the science selective pellets and I only give him hay treats etc nothing with oats or high sugar etc.