How to Keep Your Rabbit Quiet at Night

Is your rabbit keeping you up at night with constant thumping, chewing, and running laps around their enclosure? Are you bleary-eyed and yawning as your energetic bunny begs for playtime just as you’re heading to bed? Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they are wired to be most active at dawn and dusk. This natural rhythm doesn’t always sync with our human sleep schedules. But have no fear, fellow exhausted rabbit owner! In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn expert-backed tips and tricks for encouraging your rambunctious rabbit to settle down and snooze while you slumber. From strategic litter-box placement to stuffed toy distraction methods, we have the secrets you need to finally get some zzzzzs while your rabbit snores away too! Keep reading for the scoop on how to transform your energetic night owl bunny into a peaceful sleeper. Say goodbye to dark circles and grumpy mornings!

Understanding natural rabbit activity levels

Rabbits are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active during twilight hours at dawn and dusk. In the wild, rabbits need to be most active during these times to avoid predators that are hunting. As prey animals, rabbits want to be awake and alert when potential predators are out. This means that pet rabbits tend to be most energetic right before humans go to sleep and right after humans wake up. It’s important to understand this natural rhythm if you want to keep your rabbit quiet at night.

Rabbits are not nocturnal animals. They prefer to sleep at night just like humans do. However, pet rabbits don’t always adhere to this schedule. There are some things you can do to help encourage your rabbit to be more active during the day and sleepier at night. With time and consistency, you can shift your rabbit’s schedule so they are quieter when you are trying to sleep.

Some rabbits, especially young rabbits and larger rabbit breeds, are simply more energetic than others. Higher energy rabbits may never be completely silent at night, but you can still encourage them to engage in calmer activities once it gets late. Make sure your rabbit is getting adequate exercise and enrichment during its natural active periods. A bored rabbit with pent up energy is more likely to stay awake and make noise at night.

While rabbits do sleep at night, they only sleep for short periods of time. Rabbits enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and then quickly wake up again. This means they are unlikely to ever sleep through the entire night without waking up several times. It’s normal for rabbits to be occasionally active at night, as long as they are otherwise quiet and calm.

Young rabbits

Young rabbits, especially unfixed rabbits under 1 year of age, are often more energetic than adult rabbits. They play more and can be very active at night. Getting your rabbit fixed can help calm them down tremendously. But even after fixing, young rabbits may still stay up later and wake up earlier than older rabbits.

Give your young rabbit lots of exercise, social interaction, and mental stimulation during the daylight hours. Make sure they have a large enough enclosure where they can run and play. Try to tire them out so they are more likely to sleep at night. Provide them with chew toys and puzzle toys that will keep them occupied.

You may need to gradually shape their schedule by limiting food and activity at night. Slowly make the nighttime environment less stimulating over time. For example, you can cover parts of their enclosure and restrict access to toys at night. Make sure they still have access to litter, water, and hay.

Be patient and consistent. Young rabbits are still developing routines and habits. With time, they can learn to sleep more at night as they grow older. But expect that a young rambunctious rabbit may continue being fairly active into the late evenings for the first year or two.

1. Give your rabbit a consistent routine

Rabbits thrive on regular routines. They are most comfortable when they know what to expect throughout the day. Try to keep their schedule as consistent as possible, especially when it comes to sleep and wake times.

Feed your rabbit at the same times each morning and evening. Make sure your rabbit has access to hay around the clock.
Wake up and go to sleep at consistent times. The lights going out can signal to your rabbit it's time to settle down.
Let your rabbit out for exercise at consistent times each day. Try to avoid loud activities late at night when rabbits want to sleep.
Be consistent with training cues and your responses to undesirable behavior like thumping or chewing at night. This teaches the rabbit these behaviors won't get rewarded with your attention.

Rabbits like predictability. A steady routine makes it more likely your rabbit will learn when it's time to be quiet and sleepy.

2. Learn how to tell when a rabbit is thumping for attention

It’s common for rabbits to thump their back feet when they want your attention. However, rabbits also thump for other reasons. If you respond to every thump, you may inadvertently reinforce unwanted behavior and make the rabbit more likely to keep thumping at night.

Pay attention to context so you can tell when your rabbit is thumping for attention versus other reasons:

Attention-seeking thumps often come in clusters. The rabbit may thump repeatedly until you respond.
Rabbits may run up to you and thump to get you to follow them somewhere specific, like their food bowl.
If the rabbit stops thumping as soon as you verbally respond, the thumps were likely for attention.
Thumps during or right after being handled are more likely due to displeasure, anxiety, or pain.
Thumps that occur when the rabbit is alone in an enclosed area are less likely to be for attention.

Learning to identify attention-seeking thumps can prevent reinforcing thumping at night. You can verbally soothe the rabbit when needed without actually going to them and rewarding the behavior.

3. Give your rabbit lots of space

Make sure your rabbit has enough room to move around, especially if you plan to restrict their area at night. Rabbits kept in spaces too small for their needs are more likely to develop boredom behaviors like excessive chewing, digging, and thumping.

The House Rabbit Society recommends at least 8 square feet of enclosure space per 6 lbs of rabbit. Go even bigger if possible. The more space you can provide, the happier your rabbit will be.

Ideally rabbits should get exercise in a rabbit-proofed room or other large pen for at least 5 hours per day. Access to areas for running and playing helps satisfy their needs so they are calmer when in their enclosure.

If your rabbit is thumping and active at night, take a look at whether their daily living space may be too small and limiting. Give them more room to be a rabbit!

4. Provide your rabbit with a variety of quiet toys

Boredom is one of the main reasons a rabbit may act up at night. Be sure to provide a variety of toys so your rabbit stays engaged and comforted while you sleep.

Good quiet rabbit toys include:

Chew toys like untreated wood blocks, loofahs, and compressed grass toys. These satisfy chewing urges and are quiet.
Boxes, tunnels, and paper towel tubes to crawl through and hide in.
Natural grass mats or rugs for digging and bunching.
Low-noise bell balls or small plush toys.
Food puzzles and treat dispensing toys. These engage your rabbit's mind and natural foraging instincts.

Rotate toys so there is always something new and interesting for nighttime. Food puzzles with veggies or hay will also encourage natural foraging behavior until your rabbit gets sleepy.

5. Help your rabbit feel safe

Thumping and other active behaviors at night can indicate your rabbit feels unsafe. Rabbits are prey animals, so anything that startles them or triggers a fear response can lead to nighttime anxiety.

Try the following to help your rabbit relax:

Make sure their enclosure is in a quiet, peaceful area of your home.
Dim lights, curtain windows, and reduce noise from appliances and screens near your rabbit's space before bed.
Speak softly and move slowly when approaching your rabbit at night.
Ensure they have places to hide in their enclosure, like a box or tunnel.
Place a shirt you've worn in their enclosure so they can snuggle up to your scent.
Consider playing soft music to mask startling noises.

A more secure nighttime environment can help make your rabbit feel relaxed and ready for sleep.

6. Give your rabbit time to exercise before bed

Pent up energy is one reason your rabbit may stay up late and be noisy at night. Make sure you let them out for exercise and play time several hours before bedtime.

Ideally, give your rabbit at least an hour of active playtime somewhere they can run and jump freely. This could be a hallway, bedroom, or secure rabbit pen. Supervise them during this time and engage with safe toys.

You want your rabbit to work out their energy until they are tired. Try to end play sessions at least 2-3 hours before bed so they can get settled. A tired, well-exercised rabbit is more likely to sleep peacefully through the night.

7. Give your rabbit plenty of hay

Chewing hay is both a mental and physical activity for rabbits. Provide unlimited timothy, orchard grass, or oat hay in your rabbit's enclosure to give them something comforting and familiar to do.

Hay in a rack near sleeping areas naturally encourages a rabbit to nibble until tired. The physical act of chewing and digesting all that fiber also contributes to sleepiness.

Make sure hay racks are securely attached and designed to minimize noise. Avoid crinkly hay balls. Place hay racks on protective mats so dropped hay doesn't rustle at night.

8. Give your rabbit lots of attention

Some nighttime activity is simply due to wanting your attention. Rabbits are highly social and can get lonely, especially if left alone all day while you work.

Make time to play with, pet, and interact with your rabbit during their natural active hours in the morning and evening. Giving them this positive focused attention makes them less likely to beg for it at night.

Spend time with your rabbit before bed doing calm activities like brushing and gentle petting. Speak softly and give them affection so they feel comforted before you leave them to sleep.

Lonely rabbits act out more. Ensuring your rabbit feels loved and bonded with you leads to better behavior when you are sleeping.

Tips to help you sleep if your rabbit won’t stay quiet

Despite your best efforts, some rabbits are determined to stay awake and make noise at night. Here are some additional tips to help you get the sleep you need even with a rambunctious rabbit:

Use earplugs and sleep masks to muffle noise and light from your rabbit's activity.
Place your rabbit's enclosure in another room and close doors to reduce disturbances.
White noise from a fan, sound machine, or app can help mask thumping and other rabbit noises.
Ensure your bedroom is comfortable for sleeping in case your rabbit wakes you up. Keep it cool, dark, and quiet without distractions.
Talk to your vet if chronic nighttime noise indicates your rabbit may have underlying health issues impacting their sleep.
Consider getting a second rabbit as a bonded companion if yours seems to have excess energy and need social interaction at night.
Rehome especially energetic rabbits to a home better suited for their activity levels if no other solutions work.

While rabbits can learn to be quieter at night, some are simply too energetic to stop their active behavior completely. Try to have reasonable expectations of your rabbit's temperament and make environment modifications so you can still sleep peacefully.

Understanding natural rabbit activity levels

Young rabbits