Our rabbit is chewing everything in sight...HELP?

Question

My kids have this rabbit that we got about a month ago. Here lately she has been chewing on just about anything she can get her teeth on. She is litter box trained so we let her have run of the house and for the past several days she is chewing on everything. Last night I left a book I was reading on the bed and when I went to another room for a few minutes I came back and half the cover was chewed off--and swallowed. I have no idea why she is doing this. She has salt and mineral blocks in her cage along with wood chew toys and her feed. So if you have heard of this or if you have had this happen any help would be greatly appreciated.....

Answer 1

I think this link on Bunny chewing will explain it much better then I can. http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/chewing.html It is very concise accurate information from the House Rabbit Society (HRS).

From my experience, bunnies need to be in pens when you can not watch them especially when they are young. As rabbits enter there teenage years (3 months - 9 months of age) they can get very destructive trying their teeth out on everything. It can be a very trying time. Here is a link to age related behavior http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-3/age-related-behavior.html and how to handle it.

I promise you will get thru it!!! Once a bunny reaches adult hood they can become a wonderful pet. During the trying teenage time, you just need to learn to speak ~Bunny~. Once you learn what their behaviors mean you will be able to share your home with your Bunny and really enjoy it.
Just like kids, teenagers are a pain!

Be very careful about letting your bunny eat everything that is (not bunny food) in sight. It can cause GI disturbances and you may find yourself at the vet. Its like a human baby putting everything in its mouth.

I have had good success using a pet product called 'Bitter Apple', it is safe for bunnies and can be found at most pet stores. It tastes nasty and can save your furniture. I have only had one bunny that liked the flavor.

Toys Toys Toys... a must. Give bunny many things that he can tear up. Cardboard tubes are wonderful like the kind you get on paper towel rolls.

Please remove the salt and mineral block form your bunnies pen. They don’t need them ever.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Our rabbit is chewing everything in sight...HELP?
My kids have this rabbit that we got about a month ago. Here lately she has been chewing on just about anything she can get her teeth on. She is litter box trained so we let her have run of the house and for the past several days she is chewing on everything. Last night I left a book I was...

Answer 3

How To Stop Rabbits Chewing

Answer 4

This is natural for a rabbit, and VERY hard to break them of. A rabbit's teeth never stop growing, so they have to chew in order to wear them down.

You can try giving them things that they like to chew (mine especially like birch twigs) but if the rabbit is loose all the time then sooner or later they will chew something they aren't supposed to.

To discourage this you can try spraying wooden objects in your house (such as table legs) with a hot pepper sauce or mustard sauce. Make sure that the "ok to chew" toys are always put in the same spot, and eventually the rabbit will get the hint.

This has never worked for me.

The problem is that you can't spray everything. Table legs, door frames, etc, that's all fine, but what about books and electrical wires? Sooner or later the rabbit will chew something it's not supposed to. This is especially annoying (and dangerous) when it starts chewing wires. Plus you are trying to break your rabbit of an instinct that comes naturally to it. It's like trying to train a dog not to chase cats, after it's already started doing so.

So you can either a) learn to live with it or b) restrict your rabbit's movements. Have one room that's been rabbit proofed and keep the rabbit in there unless supervised.

Answer 5

Rabbits are very curious critters. First off, treat them like kids and child proof their play space. Next, TOYS, TOYS, TOYS. They do enjoy toys and certain things to chew on as it helps keep their teeth properly warn down. Different toys that rabbit people have come up with is hard plastic balls, weebles wobble (yes, the little kid toys), a chain of plastic shower curtain rings, wood items (old sewing spools, a block of wood,...) basically anything that rolls and rattles. You can get pretty creative. Also, giving him a cage for those times that you can't directly supervise him would be OK... just put toys in there too. :-) I hope these ideas start you out with some good ideas to help you enjoy your rabbit and keep him entertained.

Answer 6

This is normal rabbit behavior and you can't train her not to chew. Keep her supervised when outside the cage, and when you can't watch her, cage her. Rabbits left loose in the house will get into a lot of trouble--they cause damage to the house and they could eat something that could hurt them.

Answer 7

Rabbits chew instinctively in order to wear down their teeth. (Unlike us, their teeth just keep growing.)

Unfortunately in addition to doing damage, they can also kill themselves by chewing through live wires.

So keep her confined, and only let her out in places where your stuff, and she is safe.

Answer 8

Rabbits tend to do that, despite the salt and wood blocks. It is best to leave it i it's cage and if you have to let it out let it out outdoors. But when it is not supervised, keep it caged.

Answer 9

rodents sometimes need to have their teeth cut back like our fingernails.....vets do this for you. You can get actual gnaw bones for them just like for a dog. Also you should get a bitter apple spray (sold at any pet store) to spray on such items as electrical cords and corners of furniture.

Answer 10

Her teeth may be too long. If you take her to the vet and they are, they can cut them down.