How much do bunnies sleep?

[loveyoutothemoon]

Hi everyone, just curious really. When it's dark and quiet and I go to bed just wondering if they do the same? And for how long? I'd hate for them to be bored all night! They don't seem to sleep much in the day, I see them with their eyes half closed several times.

Bunnies are crepuscular so they are most active at dawn and dusk, which is why they make good house pets for people who are at work all day. Ours mostly sleep in the day time, they are most active early evening through to about midnight. We can quite often hear them playing with their toys in the night too. We call one our guard-bunny as he will stamp if he hears anything unusual in the night

If their eyes are half closed they are napping - bunnies are prey animals so often sleep with their eyes open, or ours do anyway!

Thanks for the replies.

You say Millie that yours play with toys! I can't get mine interested in toys! And I bought them nice snuggly beds but don't bother with them either!

I use the word 'toys' loosely! We bought snuggly beds, tents, all sorts, all of which they ignored completely. They like their balls; they've got a bell inside and they've worked out that if they smash the ball into their ceramic food bowls then it's really loud and we go running to see what the problem is so they usually end up getting a treat. They like scrunched up newspaper to play with, and the inside of kitchen rolls stuffed with the readygrass stuff. They love cardboard boxes and those tunnel things that you can join together to make a warren! The more money spent on it, the less interested they are.

Wow tents?!! Lol. And that is really clever with the ball. They've got one of those but not bothered! I agree, they prefer the cardboard and paper.

Bunny-sized tent! It connected to the tunnels. How old are your buns? Ours are 5 and 6, we've just lost our 9 year old bun When they were young 'uns they didn't play so much.

Oh OK! About 5 months. Oh they are a good age. And I'm sorry for your loss, they are lovely pets aren't they. One of ours, his ears are going a lot darker-didn't realise they do that! We've had them 2 months now, they are starting to get much tamer now. Do you have other pets? :)

Yes they're the best pets, such lovely characters. No other pets, just the bunnies. One thinks he's a dog and the other is permanently confused by things, she's a bit dozy!

The one we lost was our first bunny, such a lovely old boy. He would always do anything for food, he was more person than bunny really. He was a white dwarf lop but his ears and around his nose went darker as he got older. He was a loyal friend and we miss him so much, can't quite believe he's gone. He only passed on Monday evening. We had to have him pts; it was the hardest decision ever but he had been struggling with illness for 6 months and let us know he'd had enough. The house feels so different without him. He's now reunited with his bunny wife who we lost 6 years ago.

Dog-bun is a grey and black dwarf lop and dozy-girl is a black and white Dutch with near-perfect markings.

What breeds are yours? Are they bonded? Are they house buns?

It's so lovely watching them grow and getting to know their personalities

Like a dog aww! Why's that?!

It's a terrible shame for you, yes must've been a really tough decision but it sounds like he was really suffering and miserable with it. Do you have children? Hopefully you can all focus on the happy memories you had with them.
Mine are both mixed lop eared. One white and grey and the other light brown-beautiful colourings. Brown one has adapted to us more, and he likes to throw around cardboard tubes, really makes us laugh. The other one is a bit edgy, mischievous and more physically inquisitive (sp). No they are not house bunnies, they live in the extension and outside. We bought them as a couple and loved eachother for the first month, snuggled up etc, but then one morning they started violently fighting. I separated them that day then had them neutured. I've tried to reunite them but it was too soon. Are yours together?

I don't have rabbits but we have guineas (who have similar sleep patterns to rabbits I reckon)

Occasionally, in the middle of the day, I see our boar half-in half-out the hay box (they have a Pighouse with an airvent in the door to spy through). He'll be sleeping while pretending to keep guard
Or in the run in Summer, if we creep up on them.

In Winter when the sleep indoors (and they'll come inside for Guy Fawkes then we'll see what the weather is like) they are noisy little bu**ers at 3am. I often need to tell them off

"Sleep , Hogs"

"But She Devil, the food has gone" they chorus.

We put a duvet over them to insulate them (and shut them up, like parrots)

Aww guinea pigs! Do you insulate them inside? Just wondering if I need to insulate my bunnies in the extension (that's without heating).

Dog-bun likes to run around with things in his mouth, like a dog with a toy. He'll also sit on our feet and just generally reminds us of a dog. He's quite vocal as well, he will grunt and harrumph at us and he headbutts our ankles to say hello. He will also wedge his head under my hand if he wants his head stroked. He also answers to his name (which is that of a famous, naughty dog!).

They aren't totally bonded, now we just have the two of them we are going to try and bond them properly. They've been out together for about 1/2 an hour tonight and seem fine so far. Dog-bun keeps mounting dozy-girl and she doesn't seem to mind. He's being much less territorial than I was expecting.

Yes we have a DS who's 4. We had all the bunnies before we had him and only dozy-girl is remotely interested in him. Dog-bun and bunny boy (the one we've just lost) both avoid DS totally.

Not a clue about insulating bunnies but guinea-pigs are Exotic and Fragile (they tell me)

They are vunerable to damp and changes in temperature so they need 'constant'
They have heating in their Pighouse (at night currently) and inside they have a coolish bedroom.

My quieter bunny just goes under a bush when he's outside. I'm worried he's not getting enough exercise. Any ideas?

I insulated our pig house. First, polystyrene all round save for the wire at the front. Next, an old eiderdown. Next an old blanket, finally a tarpaulin. Some protection at the bottom of the wire against draughts. Finally, masses of hay in the house itself. Didn't heat it, on the basis that warrens in Latin America aren't heated.

They survived.

Maybe I should get a tunnel.

Thanks for the replies :)

warrens in Latin America aren't heated

but the climate is cold/dry not damp and clammy like the UK.

And the native South American cavy is a rangy little rodent who probably doesn't have the lifespan of the domestic guinea.
They don't eat root veg in their natural environment. See the YouTube videos where they run round the kitchen floors and eat whatever is tossed to them. Handy to pick up and cook a few.
Or live in quite artificial set ups (you wouldn't get adult boar pairs for example)
Or these new coat types. A good solid smooth is my preferred hog, as they become 'fancier' the risk of health issues increases.

Hay is the best insulator for them, but it flattens and gets peed on. We change it daily.
I got worried about my GP2 when he sort of 'rolled' instead of walking. Turned out he'd been snuggled in the hay and his muscles were stiff. If he was kept at an ambient temp, he was more mobile.

We domesticated the guinea. We changed the guinea. We have to allow for the adaptations.

They are prey animals so naturally wary of things. They prefer to be low to the ground and not exposed. Ours will race round the living room like mad things but when they are lying down, it's always under the table or chairs, or up against something. Maybe try shelters or things for them to run under? The tunnels are good, ours love theirs.

Thanks Millie, think I might buy one. These rabbits aren't cheap! I've seen them in Pets At Home but might try eBay.

Look on Gumtree or eBay , you can get brand new tunnels etc
We got some HopInn tunnels (but not the cube) they fasten with toggles so you need to make sure they don't eat them

We got a plastic concertina type tunnel (they do med or large size) about £8-£10. Though they sit inside and pee/poo which is just LOVELY when you put your hand in

Boxes- cheap, disposable. It gives them a hidey space, you can vary them to keep them busy. (Take off tape/staples)

Or if you have a carpet shop, ask for the inner rolls from the carpet. Check the diameter first.
I was looking for a plastic drainpipe in B&Q too. I had a terracotta pipe left over from some building work, really cool in summer.

And yes, the actual animal is the least expensive bit It's the food , bedding, boarding,vets, neutering and vaccines (for rabbits) that adds up.

Off on a tangent here but also make sure you have a rabbit savvy vet. Bunnies are still treated as exotic animals so there are many vets who just don't treat them correctly. We are lucky to live near to a vets surgery that has two wonderful rabbit specialists. Some of their patients come from 2-3 hours away for treatment.