Routine??....

Question
Hi again...Really sorry to bother you again,you answered my question about my sulky rabbit and it has got me thinking....He is not 'sulky 'all the time,but for the past 5 weeks we have had my mother-in-law staying with us,she has now left,she arrived about 1 week after he was neutered.He never appeared to dislike her,but we had had to move the living room around,and the household routine was changed,do you think maybe it unsettled him?It does coincide with his behaviour,whenI think about it.She left 2 days ago.I know he really does not like his cage,although it is plenty big enough & he is only in there over night.I have told him that I am happy knowing he is safe at night,so he must go in there.It's 4ft by 2 ft in size.The other thing is when he is in the garden in the day & if he comes out for a 'bob'during the day,he will let himself be stroked,but when it is time to be brought indoors he hates it,I battle to get near him.Once he is in the house & lounging I can sit on the floor & give him a good stroke & brush,if he is in the mood ,if not he just bobs off.It is just like him being a teenager.He had boxes & toilet roll tubes,but I think he prefers the dvds...I will try a phone book though...Will the ink be poisonous to him?? Rabbits are definately more switched on than they are given credit for..Maybe it is just a case of me getting to know Stanley a bit better...Our other rabbit I could tell what mood he was in by just being around him,I'm probably being impatient.I'm hoping that now all is back to 'normal'(?) in the house that we will bond better...Thanks again for you time...

Answer
Oh, it never ceases to amaze me the contrasts in rabbits.  Out of all the small animals I've been around, they are the only ones that truly understand their place in the food chain, and a lot of their behavior is around the fact they are prey animals.  But at the same time, can be quite demanding about their likes and dislikes. Especially when they have great homes, they can turn into little divas.

Some rabbits really do change behavior when their routine changes or when another person enters their household.  I had a very nice rabbit who turned into a snorty beast when my sister visited.  My rabbit behaved that way because he and I had a particular place in his bunny social hierarchy.  When my sister came, she upset the balance.  It's quite possible that either the change in routine did unsettled him or just the presence of another person staying.  He'll probably settle down after she's been gone awhile.

And he is just like a teenager.  He really enjoys his time and his garden and just does not want to go back in even though it's safest for him to do so.  As long as he gets to spend time in the garden, he'll probably be upset when it's time to go back in.  It's just too much fun for him.

As long as you don't mind him chucking the DVDs, it's sounds like he really likes tossing them around.
As for the phonebooks, where I live, the ink is made out of soybeans. Hopefully, where you live it's a similar situation.  Phonebooks are really great for digging and tearing into things.  Hopefully when he's inside he'll transfer some of his garden digging to phonebook digging.

You really are providing a great, happy home for your rabbit.  I think some of his behavior will improve once he realizes your mother-in-law is gone and not coming back right away.  It can take some time learning the behaviors and styles of each individual rabbit.  I think you and Stanley will be good friends in the long run. You're doing such a nice job providing him with such happy things to do.