Rabbit Burrowing

Sully

Hey,
Minding a friends rabbit for a week and in the last two days he keeps digging holes to try and get out. He does it around the door, but we have pots up against it so he never manages to get far. Iv moved the run already but he keeps it up and I fear he might pick an area where he can get out!

Apparently he used to do it the odd time and they filled the hole, but I think he can dig it up easily enough again if he wants. The rabbit is very friendly and well behaved. Walks in and out of the run to be picked up and brought to his hutch. Often let him eat grass while I stand over him and never makes a run for it.

Any suggestions? They told me to give out to him and cut down the amount of hours he has outside in the run and it normally works (im used to telling a dog that, but not a rabbit )

kerrysgold

Sorry I don't know what he's doing that for but you're friend shouldn't keep him on his own, rabbits are sociable and need a companion.

carwash_2006

but you're friend shouldn't keep him on his own, rabbits are sociable and need a companion.

In theory you are right. But as I don't believe you have ever kept rabbits or have any first hand experience you really should stop nagging people on this one. An older rabbit that is used to living on it's own does not necessarily accept a friend easily. If the introductions are done badly you could end up with 2 horrifically injured rabbits on your hands.

So unless you are going to back up this kind of advice with personal experience and tell people everything they should and shouldn't do regarding introductions of older buns you really should just back off and leave this sort of thing to people who can give personal advice and experience.

hadook

Rabbits can indeed be fiercely territorial and will kill or maim an "intruder" rabbit, especially those rabbits that have been kept alone for a number of years. Anyone introducing a new rabbit to an existing pet should research it thoroughly before starting down this path.

hadook

With regard to the digging - some rabbits do it and some don't.

Is he in your house or theirs? Some things to try would be covering the bottom of the run with chicken wire or get some small blocks to line around the inside of the run to stop him digging there and getting out?

The other thing you could do is try to introduce toys to keep him occupied. My rabbits get cabbage and carrots tied off the top of the run (makes them work harder to eat it) and I stuff treats into balls of hay and stuff that into cardboard tubes. They love destroying the tubes to get to the nice things inside.

animalcrazy

Hi I keep rabbits, they burrow whether they have a companion or not. Sometimes they do it when they are bored but they usually only dig a few inches and give up, then you should fill it in. I wouldn't be too worried about him digging out it's not likely to happen. Extra playtime or toys will help sort that out but keeping an eye on him will be fine since you don't have him that long there isn't much point covering the bottom so he can't get out.

to the person who suggested getting a companion, it can take a long time to bond two rabbits and you should never just throw in another rabbit with him. Rabbits can be very territorial and could seriously hurt the other rabbit. It takes a lot of supervised meetings in a strange place where neither feel at home to stop them being territorial over that area and sometimes they will never bond.

bernard0368

rabbits - burrows never!:D

Sully

Rabbit is currently in the friends house. Gets an awful lot of attention from the owner - they love him! Hes a very affecnitate and friendly rabbit and is about a year old (IIRC). Has a nice spacious run which they keep moving a up / down to give him area where there is plenty of grass. As regards to toys, he has a little tunnel he runs (we bought it in a pet shop) in and out of, everything else he destroys but ill get him some more! Gets fed twice daily with a mixture of carrots, parsnip, turnip or lettuce. Sometimes they give him rabbit food and treats.

They are considering getting him a friend, and have got advise from the vet, but because they give it so much attention I think they are a bit hessitant!

Sigma Force

The bottom of the run should be wired regardless of burrowing. Have the bottom of the run wires with aviary wire. Then to keep bunny busy just fill a large cat litter tray (weigh down with a brick if needed) and fill with peat moss and use as a digging box.

Keeping the bun busy like providing the rabbit with rabbit treat balls where you fill the plastic ball with food and they have to roll it around to get the food out.

Kitchen roll inserts stuffed with grass or hay,veggies safe herbs etc will also keep bun busy.

Kerrysgold is right rabbits do need company of another bun but you cannot just go about this lightly you have to be prepared to spay/neuter and introduce them carefully this is something that has to be mentioned in the same breath as rabbits need companions.

animalcrazy

Since you are only sitting though and obviously don't want to spend the money and time on wiring the bottom then just keep an eye on him. If is was long term though it should have wire at the bottom but that should also be covered by hay or whatever bedding you use because they don't have pads like cats and dogs so it hurts their feet.

Sigma Force

When pet sitting the animals safety is your responsibility, although the owners didn't provide a secure run it would be their fault if the rabbit went missing. Your main worry isn't wether the rabbit will burrow out it's an animal digging their way in. I would contact the owners and tell them about this and ask if they give you the money back would it be ok to wire the bottom of the run.

As long as the rabbit has a shelter attached there should be no problems with sore feet. I have had rabbits and guineas in runs with wire with no problems to their feet. They would have access to a hutch throughout the time in the run. You can always place a plank of wood over part of the run if worried about their feet.

Any animal I sit for if outside during the day is provided with a secure run which is wired throughout I discuss the housing arrangements before hand so if they ended up coming in unsecure housing they would be transferred into secure housing. Luckily that hasn't happened so far.

I know this is a friends bun so you're not going to be setting up for this kind of thing long term so if you cannot wire the bottom then planks of wood across the sides of the run could help.

In short the planks and a diggy box would help.

animalcrazy

I always cover the bottom of my hutch with bedding because it does hurt their hurt their feet, since you only have a day of sitting left then I wouldn't worry about wiring since you only have that short time. If it is really worrying you though you should use planks like the last poster said.

If you do sitting alot like me then it is very important that you secure everything.

Sully

Having spoke to the owner, they dont want to put down any wire on the ground as it will be moved a bit to give him grass. The blocks around the edges she asked me not to do because they have had a rabbit before and was killed by burrowing under, block falling and breaking his neck. They think the rabbit is doing it to get attention.

There in a secure area, so the odds of anything burrowing in would be unusual. Hes only out during the day and in his hutch at night.

animalcrazy

I'm sure he will be fine just keep a close eye on him, it would take him awhile to dig out anyway.

Sully

animalcrazy wrote: »

I'm sure he will be fine just keep a close eye on him, it would take him awhile to dig out anyway.

Not that long... Put him out at 2pm, checked a few hours later and was fine, then at 7pm he had a hole just about outside the permited of the run. He was in the hole at the time. Hes now back in his hutch.

Owners think hes doing it to get attention and are shocked.. asked that I leave him out for a half an hour or so if I can and look over him. Tbh, I dunno. I can fill the hole in again, but its annoying!!

animalcrazy

well 2pm-7pm is a long time! You should check on him every hour, I check on my own rabbits every hour and the ones I petsit, keep a closer eye on him, I'm afraid you will just have to keep filling it in or try giving him something else to distract him.

Sigma Force

For his safety I would ask again if it is ok to put wire on the bottom, you can say that it can be taken off when they get back. It's a simple enough job, he will still be able to nibble at the grass in fact the wire will keep him busy because he can't just mow through the grass.

Hey just thought of another option which would suit your situation perfectly, get a sheet or two of aviary wire, or however much you need, and place it under the rabbit run without nailing it to the run itself. Then place a couple of bricks on the top of the run that will weigh the entire run down so even if the ground isn't even it will stop any movement. Ensure the wire is wider than the run itself.

That would solve the digging totally and wouldn't bother the owners because it's not attached.

I'm a genius lol I really think this would work well for your situation.

Also to keep the rabbit busy get a plain plastic bag remove any handles and fill it with hay and grass and some veggies scrunch it up real tights and pop it in the run. The bun will have great fun with it.

animalcrazy

guineapigrescue has given a couple of good suggestions there.

Sully

I didnt have time to do some work on the run, I just left it in the run while I did the flowers and stuff.

Since the owners came back he has been out all day and hasnt even attempted to burrow! Strange!

Sigma Force

lol poor fella must of been missing them. Do advise the owners to wire the bottom it's cheap and easy to do for saftey sake, heard too many horror stories.

Sully

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

lol poor fella must of been missing them. Do advise the owners to wire the bottom it's cheap and easy to do for saftey sake, heard too many horror stories.

The reason they wont do the wire at the bottom is because they move the run a lot to give him more grass. Plus, they don't want him running around on the wire.

They keep a close eye on him when he is out on the run anyway.

animalcrazy

Ya the wire can cause problems with their feet if they don't have a flat area to stand. They should have a small shelter in the run anyway in case he gets scared, it rains, it's hot etc. It should have a flat bottom, so he could stand there if they put wire at the bottom when his feet are uncomfortable.

Sigma Force

Wiring the bottom will not effect the rabbits feet as long as the bun has a hutch and plank of wood to sit on. I have had rabbits and pigs in fully wired runs with no problems with their feet.
Moving around the run on the grass with wire is no harder than without wire.
The only difference is they can't eat the grass right down to the soil.

I have had pigs and buns in these types of runs for years with no problems.

Up to them what they want to do in the end though.

Sully

They have a sheltered area at the bottom where he goes sometimes (like if its raining or watever). They are re-buidling the run so his hutch is in it, and he can move in and out as feels. The wire at the bottom they never did, with any rabbit, as they dont want them to hurt their feet!

Sigma Force

A run always has to have a shelter area in it. He wouldn't hurt his feet as long as they didn't use cheap wire and used something like a 1/4 inch aviary wire. Bumble foot only happens to animals that are kept on nothing but wire the grass usually also cushions the feet esp. if they move the run often.

animalcrazy

It will hurt their feet if they don't have an un-wired area to stand on, they don't have pads on their feet like dogs and cats.

Sigma Force

I have said a number of times as long as they have a hutch they will be fine, if people want to add a plank of timber as well in the run esp. if it's a large run that helps but other than a hutch and a plank of wood you do not need anything else unless using cheap rough wire.
I use aviary wire guinea pigs feet are very delicate and yet never had any problems with their feet on aviary wire.

You should never have a rabbit or pig in a run without a hutch anyway they require access to shelter at all times so they would always have somewhere to rest their feet.