Bunny fighting to get out of cage

[lilliesmomma]

Hi All,
I have a sweet mini rex "Puppy", but lately he fights NOT to be in his cage (See my pic's - He lives in a palace). I have plenty of toys that he likes playing with. I'm adding a hand towel and probably a phone book for him to tear at. Whenever we are at home, I keep the cage open and he is free to come and go. The last few days, as soon as I close the door he races over and starts tugging at it and digging at the floor. He's never done this before. I know he prefers being out of his cage... who wouldn't! I never force him to come in or out of his cage, I don't close the door unless he has voluntarily gone in himself... it's his safe place and his territory.

(FYI: The cage has been reconfigured, since I took these pic's, on the left side so it is opened to 2 stories high so he can stand up)

I noticed in a piggy picture that someone had a mirror along one side of their cage. Do you think that might help him? or confuse him? I was going to adopt another rabbit in a few months, perhaps I should do it now? He is not neutered so I will need to do that first - he is only 7mos.

Is this normal behavior for male bunnies at this age? Especially if they are not neutered?

[bunnyluv17]

Unneutered male rabbits can become quite hormonal, and I would get him neutered soon. You should probably wait at least a month after neutering before introducing him to possible mates.

If he is excessively biting and pulling at the cage bars, he could actually pull his teeth out of alignment. First get him neutered and wait a couple of months; if he does not stop, then you may have to connect a puppy exercise pen to the cage so he can have some more room. Or you may have to come up with another solution.

[DocDolittle]

First of all, I absolutely love him. He's so adorable! Now, I'm not a bunny expert, but after reading about them I think I'll speak up. Definitely try to find a good vet to neuter him as soon as he's old enough/weighs enough. I would also wait a while before finding a friend, because I'm not sure if this is the same for bunnies, but for pigs the sperm takes a while to die off. I agree, you may have to find some sort of pen to temporarily attach to his cage so he isn't as antsy.