Chewing Training Question

[Syberchick]

Hi all! I’ve owned several rabbits when I was growing up, but this is the first time we’ve decided to go ‘house rabbit’ (I originally planned to keep the bunny outdoors, but she seems like such a good bunny, we’re giving this a shot).

Ok, so we just bought a young mini Lop a couple of days ago, she seems to be doing really well, is friendly and absolutely LOVES having the freedom to run around in the room we have her in (where we spend the most time during the day, it’s the back room of my computer repair shop where I do my work and where my homeschooled son hangs out). Anyway, she seems to be doing great so far, hardly EVER poops in the floor, I’ve not seen her pee in the floor (yet). We’ve fixed it so she can hop in and out of her cage, which she seems to do just for the joy of it! lol 

Now the question… the room has carpet. It’s not thick carpet or anything and just today she’s started trying to nibble it and scratch it. I clap my hands and say “No!” when she does it, and she kind of startles and stops chewing, then she’ll try again a few times (stopping her each time) and then she’ll just kind of flop down and go in ‘relaxed bunny’ pose. Is it possible to actually train a bunny not to chew/dig the carpet? Am I doing it right?

We don’t plan to leave her out unattended, she goes back in the cage when we’re not here. I just got her a fresh branch from an apple tree to chew on. I’m not sure how old she is (pet store didn’t even know whether it was a girl or a boy), but I would GUESS she’s maybe 2 or 3 months old??? Anyway, I’m sure I’ll have questions. Thanks for the help!

[{Alli}]

Have you tried giving her more chew toys than just a apple stick? Bunnies love to chew and need it to prevent boredom. Try different chew toys, hay mats, etc. Also, maybe have a box with blankets or shredded paper or something so she can dig in that instead?

[Syberchick]

Thanks! That’s a good idea. I’ll find her a box to dig and play in. I think I’ll try some kind of treat ball for her too… do bunnies like to play with those? I mean like, a ball with treats inside it? We’re a little nervous about giving her much in the way of fresh veggies/fruit right now. We’re afraid to overdo it and upset her tummy since she’s not used to them. I’m also nervous about overfeeding her with the bunny food. =p Not sure how much to give her. She has hay to eat though.

[litheandgraphic]

Posted By Syberchick on 9/30/2014 9:08 AM

Thanks! That’s a good idea. I’ll find her a box to dig and play in. I think I’ll try some kind of treat ball for her too… do bunnies like to play with those? I mean like, a ball with treats inside it? We’re a little nervous about giving her much in the way of fresh veggies/fruit right now. We’re afraid to overdo it and upset her tummy since she’s not used to them. I’m also nervous about overfeeding her with the bunny food. =p Not sure how much to give her. She has hay to eat though.

Hello and welcome!  

– Consider getting her spayed once she reaches 5-6 months of age (once you’re 100% sure she’s this old you can look into having her spayed). This will help with behavior and attitude and also greatly reduce her chances of getting reproductive cancers, which is a high risk if she isn’t spayed.

– Many rabbits love treat balls! Some won’t know what to do with them or they won’t be interested, but many love them! It sort of will depend on her tastes and interests. What you can try before you buy a commercial treat ball is to make one yourself by getting an empty paper towel tube, collapsing the ends, and cutting holes in the sides. Put some healthy treats (eg. Timothy hay pellets) inside the tube and give it to bunny. See if she likes playing with it!

– You’re good to be worried about upsetting her stomach. Since you don’t know her age, the safest thing to do is to wait until you know for sure that she’s at least 12 weeks old. Once she reaches this age, you can start slowly introducing veggies into her diet. Once she reaches this age, you’ll want to be feeding her about 1 cup of greens per 3 lbs of her weight per day. Ideally you want at least 3 different types of greens in her “salad”. Check out the BB veggie list for which veggies you should consider. Remember that fruits should really only be given as occasional treats, due to the high sugar content. The same is true for carrots, which have high starch content.

– In addition to veggies, you’ll want her diet to be comprised of Timothy hay (or other grass hays such as orchard grass, botanical, and oat hay) available at all times, and 1/4 cup to 1/8 cup of Timothy hay pellets per day. You don’t want to give her any commercial “rabbit food” – this is junk! 

As for your carpet-chewing concerns, if her behavior doesn’t get better over time, you may want to consider laying down a cotton sheet, blanket, vinyl sheet, or something to block off the carpet so that she doesn’t chew and ingest too much of it.

[Syberchick]

Just an update on the chewing/digging… she has only tried to chew the carpet once in the last 2 days. I’m very pleased with her. She seems to have basically ‘potty trained’ herself, in that she always goes back into her cage and does her business there, while she’s eating or drinking. She seems to enjoy the apple tree branch I got her, it has nibbles all over it and she seems to really enjoy giving bunny kisses, then pressing her head against your hand for rubs. What a sweet little girl! 

Would anyone hazard a guess at her age by looking at her? I’m not sure how big mini lops get.

[Author]

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