# Urgent - Rabbit thumping advice needed!!



## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

As it says on tin!!

I have 2 (sometimes 3) rabbits who are thumping for the slightest reason and it is driving the neighbours mad!!

At first it was just my buck following mating but he only does it when something makes him jump and until he stopped I stuffed clothes under his hutch to deaden the sound. Now another pair (bro and sis) are doing it and I am not sure what to do! I am trying to rearrange them so that they are close to the floor so i can stuff things under or put breeze blocks under but other than that is there any suggestions?

I have the main culprit in a double hutch with the old cuprit underneath him (seperated of course). The other bunny (the main culprits sister) is in a seperate hutch and just thumps whenever she feels like it!!

Any suggestions? Like I say I have thought of breezeblocks under the hutch and thought maybe polystyrene sandwiched between the floor and a piece of plywood... Help please!! Our old neighbours have complained but we have just moved and I dont want the new neighbours complaining too!!!


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

there is nothing you can do to stop them thumping my rabbit has learnt if he thumps i get him out for a run around he bounces round the garden for an hour or so and does not thump again until the next day for "playtime" are they getting enough exercise? and fresh food it may be just a bordom thing have you tried puttin a ball in with them and making it more fun? chew sticks hanging from the ceiling etc... even little tubes try and given tehm more to do ad you may find the thumping will stop


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Can you not attach a run they can access whenever they feel like it? Thumping is a form of communication so I would imagine its very hard to stop.The only other thing would be to put polystyrene sandwiched on the floor with thin plyboard over it like you said. Surely they cant make that much noise.Silly neighbours bet your glad you have moved


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

Thank you for the replies...

I know I cant stop them thumping I just need ideas on damping down the noise...

I wll try some of the ideas re: toys etc. I do give them chew sticks etc but I have been on the look out for the ball thingies... I will try hanging the sticks from the ceiling too!!:2thumb:


Oh and they make one hell of a noise!!! They thump to each other and you can hear it a street away!!! We hear it inbed with all the windows closed and they are out the back and we are in the front bedrooms.

Will see what I can get sorted tonight. Breezeblocks are looking favourite for the ones on the floor!!!:bash:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

:lol2:What kind of Buns are they?


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

ok, I can't hear my rabbits anymore but I used to have about 12 rabbits in custom units in a bedroom of my house. When danger is perceived, only one rabbit thumps to warn all the others. I find it is one thump with quite big gaps between.

The only other time my rabbits thump is when a mating has occured and the buck starts thumping over and over again. This buck is now the dominant buck in the herd as he has 'mating rights' (he doesnt know 'I' determine who has mating rights!). The buck who last thought he was king of the herd then starts thumping in protest. They answer one another with thumps for ages.

Seeing as you have two bucks, neither of whom I presume get to mate, they obviously cannot agree on who is boss and thumping is their only way to communicate to find out! If there was no female around, this might not happen.

God this all sounds like a load of crap but stay with me ere... Do your bucks have playtime together or ever meet? 

If not it might be worth just putting yours bucks together on neutral ground and supervise them. It is not likely they will fight immeditaley but 5 - 10 mins together will give them the opportunity to sort out a heirachy. You must grab one as soon as you see any biting/boxing but mounting and a bit of chasing is good.

The thumping sounds more like a dominance struggle than danger alerting anyhow, so it could be worth a go.


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

The one which seems to have stopped thumping is my English lop - Buggerlugs - he is a Biiiiiig dude!!!:lol2:

I have used him for mating with Molly. He has calmed down now and so I assume it was a studmuffin thing!

The one which thuds the most and his sister are both English Lops crossed with English Giants. I didnt breed them and was given them. They were kept together and were really close but I had to seperate them when they got near breeding age. I plan on having them "done" as soon as they are 6 months, which aint long...). Hopefully then I will put them back together but if not, they have their own hutches. 

It is amazing how they can go off each other when seperated for just a day or 2! I seperated my 2 young female english lops for a week then decided to see if they would share the rabbit run but fur was flying within seconds!!! Lesson learned!!:blush:


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

I forgot to say, the bro and sis are 22 weeks so they will be able to have their "op's" in 4 weeks... I dont think he will much feel like thumping when his bits are sore!!: victory:


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## Chazybabe (Jul 14, 2008)

Good point! My rabbit lives in my room and made the mistake of buying the greedy bugger choccie drops for small pets.. everytime he hears a rustle of a packet wether it be crisps or a bag to clean him out with he gos nuts in his cage and if he doesnt get what he wants he stomps at me! Does it in the night to if i havnt givin him a choccie! Unfortunatly its easier to cave in than put up with him throwing his toys at the bars and thumping even if it means crawling out of bed to ram a choc down his throat to shut him up! (not litrally!!) lol there more intelligent (most of the time) than people give them credit for!


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

Ratface said:


> The one which seems to have stopped thumping is my English lop - Buggerlugs - he is a Biiiiiig dude!!!:lol2:
> 
> I have used him for mating with Molly. He has calmed down now and so I assume it was a studmuffin thing!
> 
> ...


yup any separation at all means they have to re-establish their heirachy. I split littermates before then when their buyer let them down I tried to put them back together after just one day and they fought. They werent even mature yet!!!

Rabbits are complex :crazy:


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

They are indeed!!

I have just rang the vets and they are going to let them have their ops tomorow!!! :Na_Na_Na_Na:

They are booked in so it will kill 2 birds with 1 stone... It will give me a bit of time to sort out their hutches to soundproof them. Phew - what a relief!!

Thanks for all the words of wisdom guys : victory:


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

Ratface said:


> Thanks for all the words of wisdom guys : victory:


 
:lol2:


good luck with the ops


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

Well the ops themselves went ok...


The following day, I went out to check on them, all was well. Then I went out again later and Mopsy was on her back pushing herself around in circles. She was having a seizure. She then went unconscious.

My other half rushed her to the vets (I was crying too much to drive) but she never made it. The vet said that her bowel had swollen etc etc. and that it is quiite common. Most people wake to find their bunny hasnt made it through the night but I was unfortunate and saw it happening.

I still keep crying about it now. 


RIP Mopsy


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

eace:

sorry to hear that ratface thats awful. 

thankyou for sharing though as i breed rabbits and didnt know that was a common risk of the op


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

Yeah it was pretty awful. I keep picturing her before she went off in th care as that is the last I saw of her...


I am really scared of having any of my others in for an op now!! I guess they will be used for breeding evenutally though so it probs wont happen anyway... Am hoping to have myself a nice English lop to show next year, dont want her to have a 2nd litter this year though, we have just moved so I want to give them time to settle etc.

Thank you for the kind words...


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## Roewammi (Mar 23, 2008)

sorry to hear about your loss

eace:


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## basil (Jul 29, 2008)

sorry to hear you lost your bun after her op. It is not common if you have a good rabbit savvy vet. When i was running a rescue i had over 700 rabbits neutered and never lost one, but my vet was brill and only used gas to put them out.

regarding the noise from thumping, i used carpets in the hutches and a litter tray of hay, they did all the business in the litter tray and the carpet cushioned the noise.
theres more info on my website www.deanforestrabbithaven.com


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

That is awful. Im so sorry.At the rescue we have dozens of rabbits spayed and have never lost one yet. All we do is keep them indoors for a few days so we can observe them. Our vet uses gas too.


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

Oh right, I am just going on what i was told. I guess he may have meant that when there is a problem, that is the usual cause. I dont know...


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## Angi (Nov 12, 2005)

Thats very sad, I am sorry you lost one of your rabbits.

We keep ours outside - is this not an option?


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## Ratface (Mar 1, 2008)

Hiya,

He seems to have stopped since the op and he is already outside.


Thanks for the advice.


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