Can't sleep... Bunny is very loud at night!

[taylor_wt]

Where I'm currently living I have to have my bunny in my room with me. He also has to be in the cage overnight or he'll eat carpet, etc. He is very hyperactive at night and loves to destroy his cage. He literally pulls his litter box off the side of the cage (not even sure how he manages that), pushes his food bowl around, runs back and forth, etc. I have an air purifier going and a white noise machine to try and block the sounds out but I can still hear him. I love my bunny so much and by no means am I complaining but I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or suggestions that could help. Thank you in advance. Also I should note that he gets plenty of exercise and time outside of his cage throughout the day. And I give him stuff to chew on and keep him busy. I was thinking about putting a towel down so his nails aren't as loud on the cage floor but I think he would chew/eat it. Thoughts?

 

[taylor_wt]

He is a 7 month old holland lop and is getting neutered very soon. Maybe it's a hormone thing?

 

[zuppa]

Maybe. One of my rabbits keeps rattling his cage too, what you can do is to

1. cover his cage with a blanket, works for me he stops chewing his cage
2. remove his bowl, wooden toys and other things that he moves and it causes noise at night
3. I like what you said you could definitely put a towel or something into his cage, if he will chew it great it will keep him busy, mine loves his towel! I also give him a smaller cardboard box he destroys it overnight he's very worky
4. you can fix his litter box so he cannot move it, just make two small holes and tie it to the bars with a wire
5. exhaust him before your bedtime
6. give him plenty of hay for the night and a toilet roll tube so he can chew it over night
7. get yourself ear plugs

 

[Hermelin]

When my indoor rabbit go into cage, he have a specific rutin. He will play in the cage for one hour and then be quiet until morning when I wake up.

That’s when he will start throwing toys, tipping his hide house and so on. Messing up the whole cage, but that only starts when I’m awake.

You can use fleece blankets or hemp mats in the cage, so it doesn’t sound that much. If he chew bars you can cover them with fleece blankets until he learned to stop chewing them.

Try to activate the rabbit before cage, maybe use a bigger litter box in the cage filled with hay in, you can also sprinkle pellets or some treats hidden in the hay.

At least my rabbits will always sleep after eating and be calm a couple of hours.

how many hours is your rabbit out during the day?

What time do you close him into the cage?

 

[Imbrium]

1. cover his cage with a blanket, works for me he stops chewing his cage
2. remove his bowl, wooden toys and other things that he moves and it causes noise at night
3. I like what you said you could definitely put a towel or something into his cage, if he will chew it great it will keep him busy, mine loves his towel! I also give him a smaller cardboard box he destroys it overnight he's very worky
4. you can fix his litter box so he cannot move it, just make two small holes and tie it to the bars with a wire
5. exhaust him before your bedtime
6. give him plenty of hay for the night and a toilet roll tube so he can chew it over night
7. get yourself ear plugs

I agree with almost all of this... the tying down the litter box suggestion is one I've used myself with great success. Zip ties also work great for tying down the litter box (though you have to snip/replace them to clean it) or if the holes are big enough, carabiners.

The "almost" is the towel suggestion. A towel could be quite dangerous if chewed and the fibers are swallowed. The only safe fabric for rabbits is fleece, because it lacks long fibers and won't clog up their digestive system if some is swallowed.

Also, do you have a computer in your room? Hubby got me totally hooked on sleep sounds. Train + rain (without thunder or whistles) is our favorite combo but youtube has seemingly infinite choices! It's a lot easier to sleep through cats and rabbits screwing around in the middle of the night with good white noise lulling your brain .

 

[DiamondRose]

I found someone who had some vinyl flooring left over from a house project and I put that down over the carpet. I then placed a puppy playpen around it and the cage and just leave the cage open so my bunny can hop in and out as he wants. I then give him toys to play with and keep his mind busy. Just be sure that the fence stays inside the edges of the vinyl so the bunny can't chew the vinyl. If they do start chewing the vinyl, then you will have to remove or replace it. This also makes cleaning a lot easier and quicker for me.

 

[Miffythebun]

I have the same problems with my bun he is so noisy through the night but it is easier to keep him out then in his cage as he will make much more noise rattling the bars to get out than he would in my room.
The most annoying thing he does is jump on my head or lick my face but I have gotten used to that now so it does not really bother me so much. He likes to bite my walls and carpets but I have found putting sellotape over skirting boards and wall corners is really effective for stopping him bitting them and I put towels and blankets down on the floor where he he likes to bite the carpet. He normally makes a lot of noise running and jumping around the floor and I am still trying to combat this. However if he irritates me in the night I normally just pick him up and stroke him next to me until he flops and we both sleep. I think you would find leaving him out and making sure the room is fully bunny-proofed and you distract him destroying things by giving him cardboard and chew toys ect. will really help! give it a try and then if he wakes you, you can always place him back in his cage in the night and he will hopefully be calmer and worn out by then!
Hope this helps!