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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Destructive chewing

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    • Rae
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        Impetuous was a bit of a chewing fanatic before he got neutered (4 days ago), but now I can’t even keep up with him. We have him sectioned off in a bedroom with a baby-gate and it worked for a while but now he’s gnawed a hole almost all the way through. I’ve tried just keeping him in his hutch but then he just rattles the bars nonstop, I’ve tried directing his attention elsewhere, I’ve tried to play with him and give him chewing toys, I’ve tried giving him a lot of attention when he’s not chewing, I’ve tried bitter flavors on the gate, I’ve put a slick surface infront of the gate to try and deter him from walking there, I’ve tried squirting him with water (which works, but waking up every half hour or so to squirt him is becoming very annoying). The only thing that works is shutting the bedroom door and even then he goes after the carpet for ~20 minutes before he gives up. I’m running out of ideas. I’ve spoken with my vet about the problem too. She said he’ll calm down in about a month, but I’m afraid he’s going to hurt himself chewing on all this plastic/metal stuff. My boyfriend asked about maybe putting lemon juice or vinegar in the spray bottle and/or on the gate. Is that safe? I don’t want to upset his stomach since he just got back to eating normally after surgery. Is there something else I can do to set him off chewing?


      • kinggoblin
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          I spray stuff with vinegar to deter my rabbit from chewing/digging at the carpet during his supervised time out of his x-pen but it only lasts until the vinegar dries and the smell is gone.

          My rabbit really likes to chew on willow baskets/tunnels/balls/etc. Sometimes I give him rabbit safe chews soaked in apple/cranberry/blueberry juice too, he loves that.


        • Rae
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            He has a willow tunnel that he chews on every once in a while and a couple of pinecones he rolls around, but other than that he’s not a playful rabbit. :/ I think that’s partly why I’m having such a hard time getting him to chew on something bunny safe: he’s just not interested. I do have a few block chews that I can soak in juice, though, so I’ll give that a try.


          • Stickerbunny
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              The willow tunnel I have is not very popular, but unpeeled willow balls… oh boy, gone in about an hour!

              But their hormones do go nuts when you neuter them sometimes, it settles down after about a month. You can try lime bitter sprays and such to deter him… but trying to find something he really likes is the best thing. Stickers destroyed a fair share of carpet from her hormones, I gave her phone books, dig boxes, put wood down over the carpet and various other things to try to move her to something safer.


            • Elrohwen
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                Does he have cardboard boxes? I find that mine like to destroy those more than anything else and have gradually learned to leave other things alone and just chew on the cardboard.

                I think his hormones probably have a lot to do with it too. He’s young (I assume) and energetic and his hormones are going crazy right now. Give him a month or two and I bet he’ll settle down on the chewing a bit. For now all you can do is manage it and block off areas completely (NIC grids are great for this) so he just can’t chew anything he’s not allowed to chew.


              • Rae
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                  Well, we tried vinegar and juice flavored chews and willow, but it was cardboard that worked like a charm! We actually ended up fitting a piece over the gate and it was like magic. He went back to his normal self, not even caring that there was a room he couldn’t get into, and started nibbling on hay. It was amazing! Thanks to everyone for the answers.


                • Sam and Lady's Human
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                    Something else, I have cardboard tunnels from the hardware store (cement forms). They are cheap, and its the only cardboard my Samson bunny will chew.


                  • Rae
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                      Thanks, I’ll definitely try to get some.

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                  Forum BEHAVIOR Destructive chewing