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Forum DIET & CARE Okay to chew a book?

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    • Rob
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      6 posts Send Private Message

        Hey,

        I was just wondering whether it was okay for rabbits to chew books and paper and stuff like that.  I’ve seen mixed reviews, some saying its fine and others saying it’s dangereous to their digestive tracks and should be avoided at all costs.  I’ve been making sure Chloe doesn’t get any books for toys just to be sure, but I know she would love them considering she leaps on my lap just to chew the book I’m reading.  I only ask this now becuase the forum topic on bunny proofing your house suggested a phonebook chew toy.

        Any help is greatly appreciated and thanks!

        -Rob

         


      • Barbie
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          Yes, chewing on papers, cardboard etc is fine (as long as it’s not a paper you have to give to someone else… say bills or homework! ) However, there are two things to be cautious of… [1] the chemicals in some of the inks are posionous, so you should avoid giving your bunny any of that. Soy based inks are ok, and I believe most phone books are now printed with soy ink – you can always call the phonebook company and ask.  Also, some newspapers are printed with soy ink.  [2] Watch that the bunny isn’t eating so much paper that he creates a blockage in his tummy and/or that he fills up on the paper and then doesn’t eat his hay and veggies. Eating a bit is ok, but not tons of it.


        • Jenna, Chubs & Comet
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            My bun occasionally eats a piece of his carefresh litter…and they both love to get my books on the bottom sheld of my book shelf and nibble on it/rip pages out. Naughty rabbits.


          • BinkyBunny
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              Paper that does not have regular ink is normally okay and digest okay. It really only becomes a problem if your bunny fills up on paper/cardboard and forgoes high fiber hay and nutrition from regular food sources. Now that can cause digestive upsets, but normally paper breaks down okay.

              So what Barbie said about the the two things to be cautious of – the inks and “filling up” on paper are what I ditto!

              As far as regular books, unless you know for sure about the paper and the ink, then I’d keep my bunny away. Also, some book covers have that string texture when it is torn up. Stick to newspaper, phonebooks and cardboard without ink or with safe ink.

              One of the people we also like to refer to is a rabbit-savvy biologist, Dana Krempels from allexperts.com. Here is her answer about this subject:
              http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/eating-paper-2.htm


            • Beka27
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                And besides… books are expensive! Much better to use something “disposable” like newspaper or phone books, that you don’t really care about! I’ve put an entire newspaper in the bunny room before (removed the glossy ads) but left all the sections together and folded up. They spent forever trying to “free” each section of paper.


              • Barbie
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                  I gave my two a phone book – a regular sized one, not the mini ones you sometimes find… They decided it was a major construction project and happily set about trying to pull each page out. Hehe. After about a week I had to take it away because it looked like a paper bomb exploded in my apartment! They had strewn the paper EVERYWHERE and it was just too messy for me to ignore any longer. And they had completely shredded some of it, so there were little bits ground into the carpet, lol. It was fun to watch them go at it though.


                • robinsrabbitsorg
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                    This, is actually not true. People are told and often think that soy based ink is safe to ingest. Far from the truth. Soy based ink still has all of the same other chemicals as well as actual ink, as found in ‘regular’ ink. I urge you all to google soy based ink and READ. NO ink is safe for your bunny to ingest. We do not recommend newspaper or any kind of printed paper in your rabbits habitat.

                    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_ink

                    Production[edit]
                    To make soy ink, soybean oil is slightly refined and then blended with pigment, resins, and waxes. Even though soybean oil is an edible vegetable oil, soy ink is not edible or 100% biodegradable because the pigments and other additives that are mixed with the oil are the same as those used in petroleum-based inks. Degradability studies conducted by Erhan and Bagby concluded that the pigment carrier in 100-percent soy ink degrades almost twice as completely as ink made from soy oil and petroleum resins, and more than four times as completely as standard petroleum inks.[8][9] Soy ink is a helpful component in paper recycling because the soy ink can be removed more easily than regular ink from paper during the de-inking process.


                  • Boing
                    Participant
                    253 posts Send Private Message

                      I would say not. Daisy tries to eat library books. :0


                    • Bam
                      Moderator
                      16835 posts Send Private Message

                        This thread is really old, from 2010. We ask members not to revive really old threads because it can create confusion. Please start a new thread on the same topic if you like, it can be done via this link: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/afv/post/aff/1/Default.aspx

                        There is a difference between chewers and eaters (I realize this kind of sounds like something from a zombie-movie), chewers just chew and tear cardboard and paper apart, and that’s ok. But the eaters, those that ingest paper and cardboard, must be given very limited access to those materials not just because ink might not be safe, but because too much cellulose can cause an intestinal blockage.

                        I’m locking this thread now.

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                    Forum DIET & CARE Okay to chew a book?