Destructive Rabbit

[FearlessDreamer]

Let me start by saying this is my first rabbit, so many this is normal, but if it is my other rabbit(I got two siblings) does not participate in this behavior what so ever. Anyway, my female spayed rabbit Arrow has from the moment I got her been a handful. She’s incredibly destructive, she breaks everything she can, including chewing through her cage. She currently has wood chews but she’s uninterested in them, I used to get her toys that hang up, but after seeing that she destroys them within 15 minutes and once there destroyed ignores them, I figured this was a waste of time. Instead I quite frequently throw in toilet paper rolls, which seems to keep her happy until those are destroyed. She is taken out of her cage everyday for about 30 minutes to an hour. On top of her destructiveness she is incredibly smart and has figured out how to escape her cage, first by opening the door and now by throwing the entire top off. Her cage isn’t the biggest I’ll admit but she does have enough room to run around, she is going to be moved to a bigger cage with three stories as soon as I can get her to bond with her sister. However as far as her sister goes, they are across from each other so they can see each other and if the other rabbit is not paying attention to her when she wants her to she throws a complete fit, same if I walk in and do not give her immediate attention. She’s a handful, I love her, but I just need this to stop. I’m tired of replacing bowls, and water bottles, and having her ignore her wood chews and instead destroy the things that aren’t meant to be destroyed. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

[sarahthegemini]

30-60 minutes a day out of her cage? Is that it?! No wonder she’s destructive, she’s probably frustrated and bored to death. Sorry but an hour a day is not good enough, that means 23 hours a day are spent inside the cage :-/

[FearlessDreamer]

How long would you suggest I let her out? she is let out more in the summer as she has an outdoor play area, but in the winter it’s a bit harder to get her out as I don’t have a designated play area set up so they have to be monitored closely. I’m new to this whole rabbit owning stuff so I’m still learning.

[Emmsy]

Let your rabbit out for 4-6 hours. Two in the morning, two at noon at another two at night. She will get tired and want to rest more eventually the more time she spends running and hopping around.

[Mikey]

4 hours would be the minimum. The more time you can let her out to play, the better. If you cannot spend that much time watching her, consider getting an xpen or making your own large pen attached to her cage for her to have much more room to run and play around in

[FearlessDreamer]

Because I have to let her sister out as well, separate for now, it might be a struggle but once the two are fully bonded(which will hopefully be soon, she’s a bit of a bully to her sis so it’s taking a bit longer) it should be a lot easier.

[sarahthegemini]

You need to let her out as much as possible. Can’t you bunny proof a room, split it in two and let both bunnies out at the same time? You can’t really just wait for her to be bonded for her to have more out of cage play time, you need to think about her mental health as well.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Are you swapoing the girls over in their cages so they have each others smells in both cages…? it will help with the bonding process too and if the cages are not of equal size, there won’t be a jealous bun…

[FearlessDreamer]

Yes I have been it’s been going alright just she’s a bit dominant and the other girls just chill so at times Arrow can be a bit cruel. And because I have cats and dogs who will not hesitate to eat the rabbits I can’t allow them out at all times, or out at all without being monitored, even if I bunny proof my room. I can allow them to roam more often probably up to four hours a day for now. I will be looking out for what’s best for both of them as I do care about them a lot. I’m just pretty new to this rabbit thing so I’m learning more as I go.

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