Lacking in sleep...

[maherwoman]

Ok, guys...I'm dyin' here!! Maisie hasbeen playing VERY loudly every night for three nights straightnow. The first night (which was the third night in her newcage), she was busy redecorating (which I created a postabout). The past couple nights have been all about fun (whichI don't want to discourage...but we need SLEEP!).

Any advice on how to solve this? I don't want to take hertoys away, but at the same time, can't handle the lack ofsleep! I had to stay home instead of helping my husband atwork like he needs because I couldn't even stay awake!

Now, granted, she sleeps for a couple hours at a time, but when sheplays it's very loud and keeps us awake. Her playing mostlyconsists of throwing small toys around and ripping up or moving aroundlarge cardboard pieces. Last night she was just obsessed withdigging and chewing on her litterbox (not digging in the litter, mindyou, but on the hard plastic bottom...VERY loud). As far asthe litterbox was concerned, my husband and I didn't want to keep"shooing" her out of it, as we don't want to discourage the fact thatshe uses it so well. I feel bad about thinking of taking hertoys away, but I feel I have no choice!

Another thing...we would put her cage in another room, but her and thecats aren't quite getting along (they are still pawing at her in hercage and seem to be thinking a bit toward the predatory when they'rearound her...so I don't trust them at all to be alone with her), andwhen we move in a couple days, she won't have another room to gointo. So, I find myself having to come up with something todo about this.

We were considering creating a plywood base to go under her cage (whichhas a wire bottom and a sheet underneath...so she won't be hoppingaround directly on the plywood) and attaching some sort of castorwheels to it, so we can wheel it into the bathroom at night.I just feel bad about her not being able to be around us during thattime.

Any ideas? I feel so bad that I have to change anything abouther environment and what she loves to do, but we just aren't gettingany sleep this way, so something has to change.

Thanks, guys!

Rosanna

 

[Pipp]

How much free run time does she get during theday? Rabbits sleep more than they play, maybe it's just amatter of wearing her out before you go to bed, and yes, taking hertoys away at night -- or at least try a quietertoy. Mine love digging andrearrangingtowels, which is pretty quiet. (Theychew, but rarely swallow).

You can also put her in with the cats but with an x-pen or two tiers of NIC cubes around her cage to keep the cats away.

Guess I'm lucky. My hours are all over the place, but Pippjust seems to wake up when I wake up. (She sits and watchesme sleep until I make eye contact, then she's all over me).

sas and pipp :bunnydance:

 

[maherwoman]

As far as free time during the day...it'stough to say. We aren't home most of the time, so we give heran hour or two in the evenings. When I'm home I'll let herrun around for another hour or two. (The time she's out istotaly dependant on when she goes back into her cage, and doesn't comeback out. She lets us know when she's done for the timebeing.) I can see what you mean, though. We haven'thad much time to let her run around lately, and have also had theproblem that her new cage sits right where she used to be totally freeto run around. (The rest of the room isn't bunny-proofenough, so we sit and direct her back into her play area.

It's also difficult, because we're getting ready to move, and it's hard to have her running around right now...know what I mean?

So, if we're careful to at least give her plenty of time to run aroundin the evenings, will that tire her out for the night? I'vebeen fairly diligent thus far in giving her that time, but the pastcouple days, we haven't been able to (due to coming home exhausted fromapartment searches, working, and the likes, and not feeling like we cangive her the attention she needs if we let her out). That'sprobably the problem.

Thank you! We'll be sure to give her that time...it wouldprobably make all the difference. That and taking out noisytoys at night...lol!

P.S. She is quite content to dig around and eat her grassmats all night, as well as digging around on her bottom floor, andthey're things that don't bother us. We don't mind herrunning around her cage, either...it's just when she does things likethe digging and biting her litterbox that wake us up.

Pipp wrote:

How much free run time doesshe get during the day? Rabbits sleep more than they play,maybe it's just a matter of wearing her out before you go to bed, andyes, taking her toys away at night -- or at least try a quietertoy. Mine love digging andrearrangingtowels, which is pretty quiet. (Theychew, but rarely swallow).

You can also put her in with the cats but with an x-pen or two tiers of NIC cubes around her cage to keep the cats away.

Guess I'm lucky. My hours are all over the place, but Pippjust seems to wake up when I wake up. (She sits and watchesme sleep until I make eye contact, then she's all over me).

sas and pipp :bunnydance:

 

[Spring]

I had the same problem and I haven't slept in(except today woot)with Pebbles since I got her. At around6:00 she starts running around like a lunitic and sliding her teethacross teh bars and chewing tehm until I have to get up out my nicecozy bed and give her pellets. Then she continues to fling her hayaround and thump around her cage so I just get up.

:bed:

I've just bought a new clip and put a few on her cage so it wouldn'trattle to much and that cut the noise in half. I agree with the towels.Yesterday I had ehr run around in the morning for an hour and at around10:00 I let her run around until 12:00 while I was reading. She sleptlike a baby last night and didn't start making noise until around 9:00!Maybe try having her out just before you go to bed? It worked for me!

 

[Maureen Las]

I have always had a problem sleeping if there isthe slightest sound..so I used to use earplugs all the time and thathelped to some extent..(at one time in my life I had 6 hamster wheelsgoing all night.) Then about 10 years ago I bought one ofthose sleep machines that play sounds like "the surf" or "a train" or"the ocean"....that worked great if I played the train sound reallyloud as it was very rhythmical. Then after I got married I was in homedepot with my husband and saw a pair of ear protectors (likeconstruction workers wear when they are drilling). I have never goneone night without putting those things on. i don't think that manypeople would find them comfortable but it works so well that I hearabsolutely nothing. Could any of these things help you?

 

[naturestee]

I just turn on the air purifier or afan. I can't fall asleep without one anyway. Then Ican't here the racket from the bunny room!

 

[maherwoman]

Wow...six hamster wheels...I can'timagine. When I had three gerbils as a teen, I took the wheelout at night. They didn't run in it, as much as bury thebottom or move it around so they could bang it on the side of theirhome (which was a glass aquarium) all night. Lol...

Anyway, I would get earplugs, or some such, but we have a six year olddaughter. I just wouldn't be comfortable with neither of usbeing able to hear if she had a nightmare and was calling us, or somesuch.

Tonight we're making a considerable effort at letting her run aroundlike a mad-bunny, so she can get out all her crazies beforebedtime. Hope it works!!

angieluv wrote:

I have always had aproblem sleeping if there is the slightest sound..so I used to useearplugs all the time and that helped to some extent..(at one time inmy life I had 6 hamster wheels going all night.) Then about10 years ago I bought one of those sleep machines that play sounds like"the surf" or "a train" or "the ocean"....that worked great if I playedthe train sound really loud as it was very rhythmical. Then after I gotmarried I was in home depot with my husband and saw a pair of earprotectors (like construction workers wear when they are drilling). Ihave never gone one night without putting those things on. i don'tthink that many people would find them comfortable but it works so wellthat I hear absolutely nothing. Could any of these things helpyou?

 

[maherwoman]

I was actually considering getting a fan forour room, for white noise purposes. It might be the key(combined with getting her to run around like crazy before bed).

naturestee wrote:

I just turn on the airpurifier or a fan. I can't fall asleep without oneanyway. Then I can't here the racket from the bunny room!

 

[Maureen Las]

If I had small children I woudn't useearplugs either....maybe youco uld try taking out her noisytoys before bed or (I'm sure that you would have probably done this ifyou could) maybe you could put the cats in your room and put herwherever the cats are now. I feel for you as I can't stand being tiredand losing sleep :?

 

[maherwoman]

Lol...I think we would lose MUCH MORE sleepif I made the cats suffer the loss of having two floors to play in, andmake them be in just the one room. They're only about twoyears old (bday April 30th), so they're not quite calm enough yet forthat. They chase each other and play all nightlong. Thanks for the idea, though!

We did, however, take out any toys that she could make good noise with,and she's had a good amount of running around time tonight.We let her out earlier, and she decided after about 45mins that she wasdone, and went back into her cage and laid down. When we cameback upstairs after spending our nightly alone-time with the cats, weopened the cage back up for her to have more running-around time, butshe didn't really want to. Guess it's a sign of a good cage,huh?

Well, we're about to go to bed...I'll let you guys know how tonight goes!

angieluv wrote:

If I had smallchildren I woudn't use earplugs either....maybe youco uld trytaking out her noisy toys before bed or (I'm sure that you would haveprobably done this if you could) maybe you could put the cats in yourroom and put her wherever the cats are now. I feel for you as I can'tstand being tired and losing sleep :?

 

[Nadezhda]

Consider that last night was a fullmoon. I know some people don't believe in things like that,but I know that I usually don't sleep as well during a fullmoon. It could be a natural cycle, that in the weeksurrounding a full moon, your bunny, and my bunnies, are little moreactive at night. I don't know if that's true for my bunniesyet, as I haven't even had them a week but I think it'sthe case. Fred usually snuggles into his towels and quietsdown, but last night I heard him shredding cardboard. Zorrowas a little more bouncy last than usual too. Hopefully theywill calm down as the week goes by, especially since Zorro is gettingneutered on Monday!

 

[Spring]

How was your sleep maher? Good luck Zorro! Hoepfulyl he has a quick speedy recovery

 

[maherwoman]

Last night was great! We downloadedsome white noise from the web, and had it playing all night...I barelyheard Maisie chewing!!

 

[Spring]

What's white noise?onder:

Is it like a sound that's sort of there but it's not noticable? Like when music plays in a store or something?

Glad to here you've ahd a good night rest!

 

[maherwoman]

White noise is hard to describe.It's kinda like a "shhhhhhhhh" kinda sound that blocks out other noise,but is soothing enough to sleep with. When your tv'sreception is out, and you've got "white snow" on the screen, the soundthat comes with it is a form of white noise. Another goodwhite noise example is ocean waves crashing on a beach.That's one of the reasons it makes such a good sound to sleep to...itblocks out other sounds, and is soothing at the same time.

Spring wrote:

What's white noise?onder:

Is it like a sound that's sort of there but it's not noticable? Like when music plays in a store or something?

Glad to here you've ahd a good night rest!

 

[Spring]

Oooh ok thanks!

 

[Nadezhda]

Where did you get the white noise? I'dlove to try it out, as I've got two bunnies ripping things apart in twocages in my room When Zorro is neutered, Fred willprobably sleep in the hall, but since my room is mainly outside walls,and we use a pellet stove downstairs instead of the furnace system, mydoor has to stay wide open. Annoying when the puppy decidesnot to sleep, and instead whines and howls all night.

 

[maherwoman]

My husband says he got it here...

http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk/testwavs/

We went for the "violet", personally...not as noisy, but still enoughto drown out a good amount of noise. The first night, we justkonked!! It's really great! I think which one youuse is solely based on preference, really. If you don't likethe site, all my husband did to find it was do a google search of"white noise WAV". We suspect it might be calming for Maisieto have the white noise, too.

Enjoy!

Nadezhda wrote:

Where did you get thewhite noise? I'd love to try it out, as I've got two bunniesripping things apart in two cages in my room When Zorro isneutered, Fred will probably sleep in the hall, but since my room ismainly outside walls, and we use a pellet stove downstairs instead ofthe furnace system, my door has to stay wide open. Annoyingwhen the puppy decides not to sleep, and instead whines and howls allnight.