Naughty Bun

Question
Hi Dana,
I have 2 female unsapyed buns. latley my dwarf rabbit (who is about 1 yr.) is on a mission to destoy everything in my aparmtnet! My bunnys have their own bunny proofed bedroom that they get free roam in, and she has been tearing up the carpet,  throwing the litter box around (they both are litter trained and do use the box, she now wants to move it   out of the corner and use the bathroom in corner.) and when she gets let out of the room to run around the house, she wants to tear up the couch, ect.  I want to let them roam around when I am home, but because she is destorying things they don't get let out of their room as often. Tearing the carpet is normal, but its extreme now. She is usually the rule-breaker of the two, but not this bad before. Nothing has really changed in their lives except their move into this room, but  I thought she would have been adjusted by now since it has been about 3 months. She is still eating/drinking the same, no changes in behavior except this. Any insight on why she might be acting this way?  I have been putting them in the cage at night when i go to sleep because she makes a rucus at night!   How long is too long for cage time? They MAYBE spend 7-8 in there at night, if that.
Also, is it better to keep my rabbits on a feeding schedule like half of the days serving in the morning and half later in the day?

Answer
Dear Kelly,

The only word in your post that I needed to read to know the problem was this one:  "unspayed."

Having the girls spayed will markedly reduce their hormone-based digging and nesting behaviors and calm them down.  It's also important to remove their very high risk of uterine cancer.  Please read:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

for complete details about this.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

At her age, the bunny is also going through her "terrible teens"--a time of willful destruction that only a hurricane can rival.  This may go on for a few months, but spaying will really help, and time is the best cure.

Provide her with lots of cardboard boxes with holes cut in so she can tear up and destroy those.  Rabbits also love phone books with the covers removed.  The more distractions you provide, the better for your carpet and furniture.

The tips here might also help:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/rabbit-proofing.html

Hope this helps.

Dana