Rabbits are an increasingly popular pet and are sought after for their docile temperament and affectionate natures. They are fairly low maintenance though they do have some special needs when compared to other mammalian house pets.
One common problem owners often encounter with their pet rabbits is the noise they make at all hours of the night. So how can you keep a rabbit from making too much noise while you’re trying to get some shut-eye?
Here are six simple ways to keep your rabbit quiet at night:
- Play With Your Rabbit Before Bedtime
- Change Up Your Rabbits Daily Routine
- Cover Your Rabbit’s Cage or Darken It’s Sleeping Area
- Remove Noisy Items From Your Rabbits Sleeping Space
- Give Your Rabbit Night Toys and Day Toys
- Use Earplugs, Some White Noise, Or A Different Room
There are a few reasons why your pet rabbit may be making noise well into the night, and fortunately, some really simple solutions to help you keep your sanity at night! Let’s explore six simple ways you can keep your rabbit a bit quieter at night.
1. Play With Your Rabbit Before Bedtime
If Rabbits have too much energy when bedtime comes around, they just won’t sleep. If you have a rabbit that gets rambunctious when you put them in their cage or sleeping area for the night, it could be that he or she still has some energy to burn.
Rabbits tend to burn that energy with a lot of frustrated noise making and annoying behaviors in their cage. They can even get destructive, turning over food bowls and flinging hay. The solution is simple, give them a chance to get more exercise before bed.
The solution could be something as simple as letting your rabbit run around and play for a few hours before bedtime. Try encouraging your rabbit to run around the house or visit the rabbit run to burn off excess energy before putting your rabbit in their cage for the night.
2. Change Up Your Rabbit’s Daily Routine
Many of us are spending more time at home than ever with our pets. This is great fun for us and our furry friends, but it can have the downside of creating spoiled pets that develop needy behaviors and keep owners up at night.
Some ideas to change up your rabbits daily routine include:
- Try placing your rabbit in their enclosure for a chunk of the day, leaving them to their own devices. Then make sure to leave the room. Giving your rabbit more time to explore and play can wear him or her out without having to supervise every moment of the day.
- Change the time of the day your rabbit gets to play or run freely around the house. If rabbits have unlimited freedom all day long, they are going to have a harder time separating themselves from the fun – and you – when it comes time to go to bed.
- Focus most of their playtime and exercise towards the end of the day so that they are beginning to get tired once the night falls. Try to shoot for at least four hours of time during the day where they get good exercise.
It might not be the most fun option, but rabbits do well with structure and routine, and having some alone time during the day could help them settle down better at night.
3. Cover Your Rabbit’s Cage or Sleeping Area
A common misconception about pet rabbits is that they are nocturnal. Actually, Rabbits are crepuscular animals, meaning that they are most active at dawn and at dusk. So you may ask “why is my rabbit so active at night if they aren’t nocturnal?”
That crepuscular cycle means that rabbits are very active at dusk. Sometimes a rabbit’s activity level can extend past the end of dusk and trail on into the evening. This could be especially problematic if you go to bed early and are trying to get your rabbit to do the same.
One way to help your rabbit calm down at night is to cover their cage. Something like a blanket, towel, or sheet that can darken the light that they receive in their enclosure. This can send them the signal that night has come and it is time to settle down.
This may result in some displeasure and protesting at first. Your rabbit may take a few days to adjust, but having a darker environment should eventually prompt them into a better sleep cycle.
4. Remove Noisy Items From Your Rabbits Sleeping Space
Does your rabbit make a bunch of noise with their water bottle? Constantly fiddling with the metal bead and knocking the plastic bottle and its wires against the side of their cage? Does your rabbit have a glass bowl that he or she loves to knock around with little claws? How about digging into the bottom of the cage, scratching plastic, or throwing hay?
Most clamorous items in your rabbit’s sleeping area can be replaced with less noisy versions. Even if your rabbit is not being particularly rowdy, these items can still be loud enough to wake a light sleeper.
Perhaps you can switch the water bottle to a water dish, the glass bowl to stone, or place carpet on the floor of their cage. If your rabbit really loves a specific water bottle or a special bowl, you can always switch these bowls back in the morning.
5. Give Your Rabbit Night Toys and Day Toys
Just like switching out the noisy objects in your rabbit’s cage, you could switch out the toys that your rabbit has access to at night. You don’t have to be the bad guy either, just have two different sets.
Your rabbit’s day time toys can be whatever you want and as loud and annoying as you and your bun can handle. Nighttime toys are usually soft, things like stuffed animals, blankets, or other soft toys that don’t make a lot of racket.
When it comes time to lock your rabbit into their cage for the night, you switch out the day toys for the night. This way you aren’t stealing your pet’s precious toys and causing them to throw an even larger tantrum. The increased novelty of the toy switch can be fun for them as well. Any new type of novelty or variation in their day is very conducive to their overall happiness.
6. Use Earplugs, Some White Noise, Or A Different Room
Like we stated previously, rabbits are crepuscular creatures, active at dusk and dawn. That can mean that no matter what you do, and no matter how well behaved and well exercise your bunny is, they are still going to be active around 4 am – 7 am. Unfortunately, we can’t change biology, as much as we try.
If you haven’t tried them already, earplugs are a great option to drown out the noises of the world and they are dirt cheap.
Another option is white noise. Something as simple as a white noise app on a phone or computer, or a fan, can do a lot to drown out the noise in your room. It might even help calm your rabbit down too.
Sometimes, nothing is enough to stop a noisome bun from playing loudly at night. He or she is just going to get up early and do what rabbits do. You may be loath to kick your pet out of the bedroom, but sometimes your rabbit might just have to sleep elsewhere in the house. If your rabbit protests and is still noisy, it may take a few days to adjust to the new sleeping arrangement.
Rabbits are not typically known for being loud animals, so usually with a small change in schedule, routine, or toys, rabbits will continue to live quiet lives. If you’ve tried everything, you might just have to take things into your own hands and plug your ears or drown out all that bunny noise with a loud box fan.
