Chewing on the pen

[Laurora]

My bunny has an unfortunate habit of chewing on the bars of her X pen. I’ve been trying everything, but still struggling.

I lined part of the bottom of her pen with things to dig; mostly flattened cardboard boxes. She has enjoyed pulling those apart and digging into them quite a lot.

I gave her another box full of crumpled up paper that was recycled from when I moved (packing paper). She does enjoy burying herself in the and tearing it apart.

I bought her a barbell toy from the pet store, which she has reduced to a small stick. I also bought her a wooden tunnel which now has quite a lot of holes. She even has a beach ball to push around.

And, of course, she always has plenty of hay and food and water.

She spends most of her time outside the pen, too. She’s only confined at night. So this happens the most around 3-4 in the morning.

My main concern is that, oftentimes, it’ll be mid afternoon, I’ll be sitting in the living room, and I’ll hear it. Even though her pen is open and, a minute ago, she was lying near me or running around. She’ll actually go and sit outside her pen and chew on the bars from there.

So it doesn’t seem to be only because she’s confined, since she’ll do it when she’s free…it could be boredom, I suppose, since I haven’t seen her really go nuts playing with any of her toys besides just chewing.

What can I do? Should I move the pen so she has free run of the kitchen and dining room (that would be fine, I just don’t want her on the carpet)? Is she lonely? Do you have any toy suggestions for picky buns?

[Bam]

Free run is always good imo. And she’s young and restless. I know some people weave paper- or sisal string between the cage bars in the hope that the bun will chew that instead. But always keep an eye so she doesn’t ingest too much non-food.

She seems to have a penchant for chewing, and that’s not uncommon among rabbits. Digging is also sth they often appreciate, esp does (it’s the does that build the warrens). My Yohio was young when I got him, but he’s never shown interest in toys. Chewing on the other hand…He has gotten a lot better with time though.

That this typically happens at 3-4 in the morning is also typical of bunnies. Many buns absolutely think 3-4 in the morning is the ideal time to start the day, preferably with human interaction and breakfast. Do you respond in any way when she chews the bars at that hour? If you do, it’s very rewarding for her and makes it more likely that she’ll repeat the behavior.

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