I'm the proud owner of a Dwarf Hotot rabbit. He is very loving, licks you when you hold him, and runs around like a little kid. I'm pretty sure he's reached adulthood by now. For the past two months or so he's picked up this odd habbit of biting the metal bars of his cage. It only used to be once in a while, but now he does it all the time ot the point where he chews off the paint. I'm worried about him. What does he need?
2006-12-22 18:45:16 · 12 answers · asked by Alula 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
I've raised rabbits all my life. He is wanting something to gnaw on. Rabbits teeth continue to grow and need to be worn down by chewing course things. In the wild, rabbits eat some woody plants, vines, low lying or broken off branches, and so on. You can give him things like small branches (say sections of about four or five inches), from fruit trees, willow, white oak, ash, pin oak, hackberry (a.k.a. sugarberry). (Don't give him branches from plants with a milky sap, like tallow tree or chinaberry.)
2006-12-23 08:49:16 · answer #1 · answered by The Invisible Man 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He needs more CHEW BLOCKS! Go to the pet store, buy a lot of rabbit chew blocks! Or break off several sticks of apple tree branches. They need to chew constantly! If they don't have something to chew, then they'll just chew what they have. Their teeth grow constantly, and without a real chewing source, they'll just chew whatever. Put in an old phone book, several apple twigs, pet store chew blocks, and block of untreated wood, cardboard boxes! He'll appreciate it!
Also, he might need more freedom too. Let him out of his cage once a day for 4 or more hours a day and just let him run around in your house.
Good luck!
2006-12-23 09:43:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its quite obvious hes telling you that he doesn't like the cage and he wants to be let out.
My suggestion is let him out for 2-3 hours a day.
If he still chews the metal bars I suggest call a vet or one of those 'Animal Therapists"
2006-12-23 04:17:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you shouldn't change the amount of food you give your rabbit. Your bunny's teeth is itchy. Rabbits tend to like to bite things. It's normal. But i'm not sure about the part where it's swallowing the paint.
2006-12-23 03:51:35 · answer #4 · answered by captian underpants 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
he needs something hard and not that easy to bend or brake maybe ask the people who work at the pet stores to show you were you can get something like that or you can make something for him i have a bunny 1 year old and he's just chewing everything two he likes to chew on wood well carots that look like wood so maybe you can try that to well good luck
2006-12-23 03:24:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have the same problem about my 2 rabbits. We just do nothing about it but sometimes we just give them some food and water so they would stop.(I think they just desperate for food and/or water)
don't worry about if they eat small amounts of paint because ours is worse they gnaw their plastic food container, ate a bird feather when i put my brother's bird near her and maybe ate a small amount of rust. don't worry they can poop it all that is what my teacher told me. maybe you can't see it but it isin thier poop. so just feed it and let it poop.
hope helps
2006-12-23 02:53:26 · answer #6 · answered by Rubber Shoes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the paint used on these cages are non-toxic. your bunny simply wants out to play and run around
2006-12-23 12:34:17 · answer #7 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe he is growing some new teeth..when my ferret started grewing his new teeth he started doing the same thing..even if that is the case u should try to find a plastic cage or take him to the vet to have his teeth check out
2006-12-23 02:52:38 · answer #8 · answered by Dub Zero 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i think maybe he wants to run around loose a little. Maybe a little more attention. He sounds affectionate.
2006-12-23 04:59:08 · answer #9 · answered by Annmaree 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He needs more room. Freedom perhaps. That, or a proper way to develop his teeth.
2006-12-23 02:52:36 · answer #10 · answered by Answerer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋