Bunny eating like a goat

[samcake]

Ok so…my bunny eats paper, chews wires, rips up the carpet and tries to eat that too! BUT she won’t chew her wood toys, or ANY appropriate thing she’s SUPPOSED to chew. I’ve bought her every bunny chew item under the sun…she chews it for like a second and never does again. I try to give it to her & she takes it from me and puts it on the floor & runs away. So I do try to give her things to chew besides snacks, but all she wants to chew is things she isn’t supposed to! Will this cause harm to her? And how to I get her to stop & to start chewing on wood blocks and stuff? UGH HELP!

[prince squid]

Chewing all of those things are definitely bad! Especially the wires.. If she bit into one that was plugged in, she could be electrocuted. Have you only given her wood blocks? There are all sorts of shapes of wooden toys, I know my rabbit only loves certain ones (like ones that are barbell shaped) but doesn’t care about sticks or round toys, unless they’re made of willow. It’s a lot of trial and error, I’ve actually gotten a lot of good DIY toy ideas from this site! Keep trying and good luck

[Flopsie]

Samcake, I feel your pain. When I got my bun, I bought all the different types of wood toys and she couldn’t give a lick about them. However, everything she should not be chewing was the most desirable. She tried to chew baseboards, furniture, boxes that I was using, etc. I had to place items and gates around things I didn’t want her to chew. She must have known because then she tried to get around the gate (with some success lol). Anyway, the best thing I would say is to keep trying, eventually, I found some things she likes and I just stick to it but yes, I’ve gone through a lot of things as well.

Also, i’ve found that they like cardboard a lot so i make things out of those boxes and let her chew it up. The timothy bungelows and mats are good as well, but they get destroyed quickly so it can be a strain money wise. Wicker sticks or things made out of wicker have also been things i’ve discovered as well.

Finally, my last bit of feedback is just to give it some time. I first got one of those hangy things and placed the wood blocks and she wasn’t interested. I took it out and didn’t use it for a while. Recently, I put it back in and left it there, after some time she has begun to chew it. Not a lot, but a nibble here and there

[Flabebe]

Carpet is also really bad for bunnies to ingest! A variety if different types of chews might be best… like lava, willow, and luffa. Not to mention diy cardboard toys. Those seem to be Lilacs favorite. Also, have you tried presenting them in a different manner, like hanging them up? I had bought my bun some wood sticks and she would not touch them! But I made holes in them and strung them together and hing them from her cage and she seems to really like that now!

[litheandgraphic]

I concur, Theodore’s favorite toys by far are the homemade cardboard ones. To encourage some chewing on this, I suggest making a toy out of a cardboard paper towel tube. Fray the edges and push them inside so that the sides are sealed, and then cut holes big enough for pellets to fall out. Then pour a couple pellets inside and let the bun figure it out! Theodore picks up and tosses these, pushes them around, boxes them, digs at them, and tears them apart with his teeth.

[LongEaredLions]

Adding on to what the others have said, your bunny may not stop chewing these dangerous things even if she is offered safe options. This is a common problem amongst bunnies, and usually the best way to stop it is to avoid it altogether. For her safety, cover or hide all wires, and be careful, as bunnies are more clever than you may think. In the areas where she chews the carpet, cover it with a phone book (fine for her to chew and destroy) or a heavy ceramic tile.
The others do have some great toy ideas though. Definitely try those out.

[samcake]

Thanks everyone. I guess I will have to keep trying…again, and again. I have tried pretty much everything under the sun for buns. Idk maybe she’s in a rebellious stage & only chews what she isn’t supposed to

[Peapod026]

Hey samcake, I had a similar problem with my Merlin. He loves chewing the baseboards (in my rented house, of course! Goodbye deposit), and doesn’t seem to care about chew toys. I’ve found if you give them something they really love instead, that aren’t necessarily chew toys but work as a treat too (fresh apple branches, alfalfa chews, leaves, ect), and only give it to them during the time they’d get a chance to chew baseboards, cords, ect… They’re more likely to chew on those treats! Also, Merlin seems more responsive when I tell him “no” when he’s chewing on something, because now he associates stopping the chewing behavior with getting a reward (and a chewy reward, not just a raisen or the like, but something that he can munch on!). I wonder if even something like the woody, thick stalks of kale would do the trick!

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