my bunny digs!!!

Question
I have a house rabbit she is a little holland lop ear and for the most part she is litter box trained...however lately she has been digging in her litter box and cage ALL THE TIME...she digs for hours and doesnt get tired. we have her on her own carpet area on a leash and she doesnt dig on her carpet but she will go in her litter box and dig..I dont know what I should do to get her to stop. If you could think of anything I would really appreciate getting some sleep.     Sincerely Christina.

Answer
Dear Christina,

This is normal rabbit behavior, especially for a female who isn't spayed.  Spaying will calm her down over the course of a few weeks, and this is important as unspayed females have a very high risk of uterine cancer.

Please read:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

Once she's spayed, it will take some time for this behavior to subside. But it's normal, so try o provide her with places she can dig and play.  Some bunnies just love to do this more than others!  

If she's keeping you awake at night with her digging, try replacing the litterbox at night with piles of soft cloths or chenille mats of 100% cotton.  Be sure they don't have holes or strings that could catch on a paw (or worse) and cause injury, but she will have lots of fun digging and rearranging a pile of soft material, and it won't be as noisy.

Hope that helps!

Dana