Felix Showing Perplexing Behavior

[Happi Bun]

I could really use some help figuring out what is behind this behavior and how I can help Felix. It doesn't bother me really, but obviously stresses him out. I'm even considering an animal communicator if nothing helps. This behavior, more like an obsessive habit, came up probably a week or two after bringing him home.

In case you don't know Felix's background, he came from a breeder. She was not reputable. Felix was a cull, unshowable and unfit as breeding stock. He needed a pet quality home which she was having a hard time finding, hence him being 10 weeks old when I got him. He was the runt of a litter of 5 and not expected to survive, she called him a 'fader' baby. I became curious of this term and researched it when I got home. Breeders will label a baby as a 'fader' when it begins to just fade away to nothing (stops eating and drinking, just sits cuddled to mom or siblings) until it ultimately dies. The cause is unknown. She claimed he pulled through it. I haven't had any issues up until now. Felix is a very affectionate rabbit and will groom you like no other.

Back to the perplexing behavior. So first it started with him deciding he longer liked having play time out on the couch, which used to be his favorite spot. He would race around and binky like crazy. He discovered the top of the couch and would race up and down. Then one day he jumped down onto the floor, after that he no longer liked the couch and just wanted to jump down on the floor. Around this time I also caught him peeing on the couch. No problem, I would just set-up a small animal play pen with a pee proof bottom seeing as he couldn't just run around on carpet peeing everywhere.

It just got worse from there. From day one of putting him in the play pen all he wanted to do was get out. Most rabbit's when you put them in a pen to play they will will hop around for a bit then binky and maybe do some bunny 500's. Felix almost automatically discovered he could jump out of the 4ft tall play pen. He became completely obsessed and would only focus on escaping. Okay, no worries I thought. Maybe it was too small, right? I tried a puppy x-pen, they provide much more space and the bars are farther apart so he can't get footing to jump over. He was fine for about an hour and actually playing. Then he became obsessed with one corner and since the bar width on puppy pen's are larger than 1 inch he squeezed right on through. Running out of options now.

Now whatever I put him in for play he is obsessed with escaping. The really unsettling part? He has started the behavior in his cage. Pacing and bar chewing while literally searching for a way out. I don't how how to get him the exercise he needs now because all he does is look for a way out, he doesn't play any. It's also dangerous for him to be trying to squeeze through things and leaping over gates because sometimes he doesn't make it.

Here is the video, towards the end you can really see what I mean.

http://s572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/LionCalie/?action=view&current=2c5c7996.flv

 

[undergunfire]

Honestly? Don't waste anytime wondering....contact an animal communicator (I, as well as some others on here, would refer you to Arlene - she works with rats a lot too!). You will learn a lot and better understand things once you've had a session...its the only way to really figure such odd behavior without worrying & wondering .

 

[LV426]

I don't know your rabbit but maybe he just wants someone to interact with him. Mine doesn't stay in a cage but is set up permanently in a playpen with a litter box but when I come home he's set up on the bed with me (I put his litter box on the bed so he doesn't have accidents), or we play tag on the couch or he will even sit on the desk beside me when I'm on the computer and just cuddle and lick me.

Since he's all alone in his cage maybe he just wants something or someone to interact with and you putting him in his playpen isn't really socializing with him it's just letting him run around. Try going into the pen with him and playing with him. Toss some toys around, maybe play tag with him, or even work with him by teaching him little tricks and offering yummy treats. Maybe that will redirect his desire to get out because he will be too busy having fun to want to get out.

 

[hartleybun]

putting myself in Felix's paws it seems like he's missing his freedom. i m only guessing but it's likely the breeder had him confined to a cage. when he came to live with you he's suddenly gotten some space - as his confidence has grown he's left the couch to explore. now he's finding himself back in a "cage". i dont think he's able to distinguish between a playpen and a cage. he wants the run of the place

bars do not have happy memories for this little bun

 

[dazsgeo]

He is beautiful! He looks like he has a lot of energy for a little guy.

What kind of things do you usually give him to play with when he's in his pen? I can make out a stool and ball in the second pen, but it's hard to tell what is in the first one because of the view. I would try adding some different toys and see what he likes to play with. Since he chews on the bars, a cardboard box might get him away from the obsessive bar chewing and be a good way to use up some of that bunny energy. My E-lop, Glee, loves tearing up a phone book.

Hiding treats in the blanket that is in the bottom of the pen will keep him busy using his little mind to find them. Hay stuffed into toilet paper rolls or paper lunchbags are fun too. You can alternating things so he doesn't have the same toys everyday. I'm sure other people have great ideas for things you can do that will keep him busy and distract him from wanting to be out running in the big world.

 

[Happi Bun]

LV426- Thanks for the input, but I do interact with him daily. I know how important it is when having any animal companion, especially when they don't have their own kind as company. Obviously I couldn't while trying to take video of his behavior. I sit in the pen, play with him, and give him lots of lovin'. I have also harness trained him and take him on car rides.

Donna - I think you are right, way to put yourself in Felix's paws in a way I couldn't! I do think he has bad memories about being locked behind bars with no out time. That would explain his desperation to get out now that he has actually tasted freedom.

Dawn - Thank you. Oh he is so full of energy! Netherland Dwarf for ya. Which is why it's so important I find a way for him to release his energy safely without peeing all over the house. Of course I would have no problem letting him run freely in a room like my bonded pair for exercise, but he is not litter box trained. We are working on it.

In his cage he has a toy ball that he used to love but now ignores along with a hanging toy which he also shows no interest in. My bonded pair have lots of toys because they actually play with them. I didn't want pointless toys to take up running space in his cage. I'm going to try some of your suggestions on different fun toys. The hiding treats in his blanket is excellent. I do the same thing with hiding treats in my hamsters cage to provide mental stimulation.

I also have an idea of an area of the house where it doesn't matter if he pee's that I can Felix proof; The kitchen. I'm excited to give it a go because it's very large, giving him a full room to play in. There will also be plenty of room for me to sit with him so I can stay in with him longer.

I will let you all know how it goes. I also noticed today he gets really hyper in his cage whenever I enter the living room. He is very attention seeking, I'm not used to it but definitely will be changing myself to suit his needs better.

 

[hartleybun]

Happi Bun wrote:

I will let you all know how it goes. I also noticed today he gets really hyper in his cage whenever I enter the living room. He is very attention seeking, I'm not used to it but definitely will be changing myself to suit his needs better.

very wise! - could be that he's found a way to get attention im also stating the obvious here - apologies - but are you considering having him neutered? im guessing he's too young at the moment!what do amber and dunkin make of him!

 

[Happi Bun]

Actually, he is almost 4 months old and his testicles have started to drop. We will be getting him neutered but we are waiting until he is 6 months old. This is due to his small size and considering his past, being the runt. I want to make sure he has grown a bit and gained some weight, also that his testicles are fully dropped.

Dunkin is afraid of Felix. One day I was being walked by Felix around the house in his harness and he went in my bedroom. Dunkin had a mini freak out and ran to the other end of the cage like Felix had just beamed down from mars. It was silly, yet so adorable. Amber just starred the whole time probably wondering why Dunkin was so scared and what the heck Felix was. I'm not sure they even realized he is a rabbit.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

hartleybun wrote:

putting myself in Felix's paws it seems like he's missing his freedom. i m only guessing but it's likely the breeder had him confined to a cage. when he came to live with you he's suddenly gotten some space - as his confidence has grown he's left the couch to explore. now he's finding himself back in a "cage". i dont think he's able to distinguish between a playpen and a cage. he wants the run of the place

bars do not have happy memories for this little bun

As a breeder, I have to add that cage confinement is actually comfortable for rabbits. Small spaces (reasonably speaking) are natural to them, and I find that even when I let my rabbits out to run, they end up hopping back in their cage or under a sofa and relaxing. They seem a lot more nervous when they're out in the open and "exposed", like in the case of a playpen. When they're outside, my rabbits often play under or close to bushes, rocks, etc., that will keep them "safe". So it's rather unrealistic to blame this behavior on what some would imagine to be a horrible breeder situation. Caging rabbits isn't abusive, and memories are probably not what is causing the bunny to act that way.

The behavior actually looks very normal to me, especially for a young buck. It looks very similar to the behavior of my unaltered bucks- is Felix neutered? Bucks who are intact will often pace their cage or try to figure out ways to escape when they think there might be a doe somewhere beyond them. Even if there are not other rabbits or animals in the house, hormones can get the best of them and you may notice a decrease in this behavior after the rabbit is neutered.

I've also had rabbits who are just naturally curious. Some are content in their xpen to play, while others make it their goal to escape. It becomes a thrill for them and they just really enjoy running all over- they're not content with a confined area. In this case, I try to place the playpen somewhere in my house where the rabbit has things to sniff. Maybe around the leg of a table or just use the playpen to block off a certain part of the room. Some rabbits would rather sniff the things around them than run in circles...although others like running in circles.

Either way, it really doesn't seem like odd behavior to me, it seems pretty normal, especially for bucks. I don't think you have much to worry about, just make sure he gets to run once in awhile.

 

[hartleybun]

Happi Bun wrote:

. One day I was being walked by Felix around the house in his harness

:biggrin2:this made me laugh - bunny takes servant for a walk! this cute little bunny is definitely getting his own way should settle down when he's neutered tho':big wink:

 

[Happi Bun]

I just made a long post and hit reply but it's blank... Lovely. :?

 

[pamnock]

I don't think there's any big mystery here. Rabbits are social animals and some don't take well to being confined. You've got your hands full with this little guy!

 

[Happi Bun]

Ugh! :grumpy: I went to post again but I waited too long I guess because when I hit reply I lost the whole post because I got signed out. Normally this wouldn't bother me but I'm really cranky right now, not because of this thread by the way, something unrelated.

Okay so I'm honestly still not convinced this is normal behavior, not just because I have never seen it before. If he keeps this up he is going to seriously injure himself. I didn't make this thread just to be dramatic, this is a serious problem that puts him in danger. Not to mention it may send me to the hospital with a major panic attack. :shock:

New video, again please watch and let me know what you think. How I can help him?

The story behind the new cage in the video; I got it for free from the rescue. Since it didn't cost anything and has a grate as the bottom I thought it would be good for litter box training him. In his old cage he just pee's all over (including litter box) but since it's a solid bottom it puddles which is unsanitary. He started the same behavior I've been talking about right after putting him in the brand new cage. It was even filled with brand news toys and orchard grass which he has never had. Lot of help all that did.

http://s572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/LionCalie/?action=view&current=f746f0f1.flv

 

[SnowyShiloh]

He is SO cute! I was practically squealing with joy watching him. I showed the videos to Paul and he thinks he's adorable too. I'm in love :inlove:

Okay, sorry. I know you didn't post the videos for people to coo over. I have to agree with the others that his behavior doesn't seem unusual, but I understand why you're afraid of him hurting himself. I'm worried about him getting stuck between the bars, a foot getting caught between the bars when he jumps up and him breaking a leg, him getting a limb (or even his head!) stuck in one of those hanging toys in the cage, and him falling on things in the cage. I wonder if it would be helpful to put hardware cloth up inside the cage? This is hardware cloth:
http://community.9wsyr.com/blogs/plugged_in_the_dtv_switch/archive/2008/05/21/3028355.aspx

It's very stiff wire coated with plastic, the squares are 1/2 inch. You can find it at home improvement stores for about $10 per roll. Rat owners use it often to make cages with large bar spacing safe for their little ratties. What you do is cut it to fit the insides of the cage (inside so they can't get body parts stuck between the hardware cloth and the cage bars), then use zip ties to secure it in place. If you put up the hardware cloth, Felix wouldn't be able to squeeze out of the cage and you wouldn't have to worry about him getting his foot caught between the cage bars.

As for the hanging toys, I'd just say take them down. At least the one with the circles. He could get his head stuck in there (mine have gotten stuck in things I never would have suspected!) or get a leg caught in it when he's jumping around. I'd consider taking out the carrot too, just in case he falls on it or against it. You could actually just detatch it from the side of the cage and place it on the floor. I'd take down the hay rack too because he could get his foot stuck between the bars or hurt his back falling on it. You can just put the hay in his litter box, that's what I do with my bunnies I wouldn't have anything in there that he could fall against and hurt himself on.

Please note that I'm not trying to say his cage is unsafe, it would be quite safe for less active bunnies (though I would worry about the hanging ring toy with any bunny). Just trying to think of ways to Felix proof it. I'll bet that once he gets neutered he'll knock it off with some of that behavior!

Give him a smoochie from me!

 

[Happi Bun]

Thanks Shiloh.

Felix wont be too thrilled though, haha. Making his cage as safe as possible is my number one priority though. I will take the carrot out or leave it on the cage floor (just bought that toy today actually), take out his hay rack and those rings. My bonded pair has some in their cage, it has never been a problem. That's because their heads are too big to fit through and they are no where near as hyper as Felix, so no rings for him.

I'm still surprised this behavior is normal, don't get me wrong it's a relief for sure. I just have never seen a rabbit like him and I see a lot too with my volunteer work. He is a lot of bunny in a tiny package.

Edit to add- Thanks for the idea of hardware cloth too!

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I watched the 2nd video and it's still looking quite normal although not THE norm, if you know what I mean. I haven't seen many rabbits go to the extent that he does to escape, especially in his cage. But it still appears to be a more hormonal/territorial behavior than a behavioral issue.

I haven't had many of them, but I have heard that Dwarfs can be fiesty little things and have a lot of life in them. I think he may be a very outgoing bunny to begin with, but I think that after he is neutered, this behavior will cease a bit. And if nothing else, at least his litterbox skills should improve so that he can have run of the room.

In the meantime, I agree with taking down the hanging toys. Toys on the floor should be fine, you just don't want him to get stuck on anything on the side of the cage.

I know this is getting to be a million random thoughts, but I also wanted to mention that behavior like this isn't uncommon for younger babies either. I haven't had any *quite* so spastic, but I do have babies who will jump in their feeders and nap there and such, so younger rabbits can be a lot more interested in heights than older ones.

I really don't think you have much to worry about, and the behavior will probably cease after surgery.

 

[pamnock]

Happi Bun wrote:

Okay so I'm honestly still not convinced this is normal behavior, not just because I have never seen it before.

I've seen many rabbits exhibit this type of behavior. It occasionally results in injury - most common is tooth injury.

Just like some dogs don't like to be crated, some rabbits don't like to be confined. We have one dog that's fine, but another that tries to escape the entire time. It doesn't even help to put him in a large room for the day - he simply does not want to be confined in any way. (Neutering did not help this behavior)

It may be very difficult to break your rabbit of this obsessive behavior. As already pointed out, this is well within the realm of normal. There's really nothing wrong or perplexing about it - just the way his little brain is wired.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Oh, Erika, I forgot to say that Tallulah used to do! I made a NIC barrier around the food and bunny supplies, and she would try her darnedest to leap over the 28 inch tall wall. Sometimes she made it, but sometimes she ended up stuck on top with her front half hanging on one side and her butt on the other, and sometimes she bounced off of it. It was rather nerve wracking. I added another row of panels so she couldn't jump over or get stuck on top, and a couple of times I found her actually climbing it... Bunnies can be tenacious little things!

 

[elrohwen]

Can you give him a large room to run in? It doesn't seem that unusual - some rabbits just do not like to be caged. It sounds like he's very hyperactive and needs a lot of stimulation and he's not getting it in even the largest cage.

I wanted to describe Hannah a bit, since she sounds very similar to your boy (though she's 3, so hopefully she's got over most of her baby energy at this point). My girl used to live in a fairly small cage. She had a lot of exercise time, but towards the end of her time with her old owner, she had to be caged often (because of work schedules). The owner realized this wasn't good for her and so we took Hannah home. Now, she is very very resistant to being in a cage. I don't think this is because of her old life, I think it's just in her personality to dislike being caged and her old owner realized it. Even in a 4'x4' xpen, she will go nuts pushing the panels around (at least she doesn't jump) and throwing everything she can get her mouth on. She mostly settles down in her 4'x8' enclosure, but she really needs to have free roam of at least a room, many hours a day, preferably more. Nothing less than that satisfies her. SSome bunnies just aren't satisfied with being caged and want to explore everything in their environment.

Last weekend we visited family and the bunnies had to stay in an xpen in a bedroom. We let them out for a few hours a day to run around, but after a day of this Hannah became obsessed with going in the closet and trying to get out the door of the room. It's just her personality to figure out her surroundings and always try to get where she's not supposed to go.

I do think age and neutering will probably help your guy. Hannah is 3 and has been spayed since 5 months and she still has some of these tendencies, but once she gets comfortable in a new location she isn't nearly as frantic about it.

 

[irishbunny]

Is it not possible that it was because he was always caged at the breeders, and now that he has had a taste of freedom he wants out all the time? Plus he is going through that naughty, annoying teenage bunny stage, I think? I know when I first got bunnies, they were never let out of their cage and their cages were small. When I got them I let them out in a run, and wow they went crazy, never seen so many binkies in such a short space of time. They were not happy at all to be put back in their cages, but once they got used to the fact that they could have outdoor time and be in their cages. They got more calm in their cages and were a lot more calmer when out for a run since the ''novelty had worn off''.