Peanut butter?

[rhianna]

Hi again! I’ve come to the realization that I only ever post on the forum when I need advice with something… oops 

Anyways, on to the topic. Bear does not chew at all – he did chew on his kabob toy when I first got him, but that diminished quickly. He’ll sometimes chew the bark off of willow sticks but I can’t seem to find them very often, so it’s hard to keep a steady supply of them. I’ve  tried apple and pear branches to no avail. He has tons of wood, vine, loofa, and cardboard chews, but ignores them all. So I heard on a hamster forum that you can rub a small amount of peanut butter on wood chews to encourage chewing. Would this be safe for rabbits? I did it for my hamster, and it’s a teenie bit of peanut butter, like maybe the size of my pinky nail slathered very thinly over a whole medium wood chew. I’d love to give some of the peanut butter flavored chews to Bear because I’m sure he’d love them (he loves everything and anything with a flavor). Also if anyone can recommend other types of chews, if there are any, or other ways to encourage him to chew, it’d be greatly appreciated

[LBJ10]

A rabbit might like peanut butter, but I don’t think it would be good for them to eat. Too high in fat. A hamster is a rodent and they special in eating fatty foods (i.e. seeds) so it would be different for them. I would avoid using the peanut butter on Bear’s toys.

Can I ask why you are so desperate to get him to chew on these wood toys? If he is eating plenty of hay, then you wouldn’t need to worry about his teeth. Rabbits aren’t really gnawers like rodents are. They wear their teeth down by eating hay.

[Author]

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