Is this odd behaviour?

[jeanluc_pippen_merry]

For the past couple of days, Merry has been ripping all the newspaper in her hutch to shreds, including the ones that line her litter tray as well as throwing the hay and newspaper that's in her tray, out of it, or pushing it all to one side.

I have a big dog carrier which comes in 2 halves so i use that for their "zomg must dig" needs. I line it with newspaper and fill it with hay so they can play inside it. She likes to dig around in there, but yesterday she literally pushed all the hay out of it onto the floor! I was even watching her do it and she LITERALLY pushed it all out lol.

What IS she doing? She still digs in it even though i don't think she realises she can't dig a hole through it, but is determined none the less. AND she keeps trying to eat the walls!

Halp! Is this normal? Is it typical doe behaviour? Pippin doesn't do it, but he's a much more relaxed bunny whereas Merry can be really hypo sometimes.

 

[Steph16]

My Bunn does it too. He digs his litter pan and in his hay bin. Pushes the hay out of the bin and all across the top shelf of his cage. Then he sits down and eats it. He throws around his pellet dish and throws it out of the cage, if I leave it open.

So I am hoping it's normal behaviour. But my little Jacob is a spazattackcrazybunny, so I just blame it on his personality.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Runnig, chewing, shredding, jupming out of cages, general trouble...Ahh yes, my bunnies have done all of the above. I'd consider it normal. Although, when my buns have done it, they're usually annoyed and trying to get my attention.

 

[tamsin]

It's normal bunny behaviour, rabbits love to dig and the carrier is just like the entrance to a burrow, she just thinks it need extending. Once rabbits have excavated the 'dirt' they will turn around and push it out of the way with their front feet. Is that what she was doing?

It's good for bunnies to give them the opportunity to take part in activities they enjoy in a fun and safe way so let her get on with it. You might also find she'll enjoy cardboard boxes and card tunnels as they are similarly burrow like but she can chew in new entrances/exits.

 

[MiniLopHop]

My one pair love to dig so I set up a good space for that. I gave them a 10 gallon fish tank with multch (much less dusty than dirt or sand). It's about half full and they will dig and dig and dig. It's fun to watch because they are clearly having so much fun! The sides are high enough that there's no mess. The buns just hop in and out as they feel the urge.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

sounds just like all of ours. Nikki like to push everything out of her pan too.

 

[jeanluc_pippen_merry]

Tamsin, yes! That's exactly what she does! It's so cute to watch. xD

But i am concerned about the digging and tossing of her litter tray contents. 1 because she makes a huge mess but mainly because it's full of her poo a urine. When i say full, it's only from the night before (i clean and give them fresh hay every morning and night before bed time). So rather than having 1 or 2 spots in the corners of the litter tray where her poo and urine usually is, it's now all mixed together and all over the tray and mixed with the hay. I'm using a hay rack now but i still put hay inside the tray because they didn't seem to like the rack but im going to look for a different one and see how they like it.

Brandy, the fish tank is a great idea! I was actually thinking of doing something similar but with a big toy tub. I don't know where to find mulch though... garden store maybe?

 

[tamsin]

My bunny does the same move but with the toys in his way on the floor. Scoots them all backwards then spins around and pushes. If it is such an odd motion but yes very cute

You might find if you provide an alternate digging spot the litter tray will be safe. I don't think it's going to cause he any harm, it's just more difficult to clean up. Rabbits do like to eat while they poop so if you can arrange it so the rack hangs directly next to the tray that may work. A hanging basket over the tray is another option.