Playpin biting

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 6sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 7 months ago by Emillie.

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- 09/10/2014 at 11:19 AM
  BolingbrookMom
  Participant
  28 posts
  So I hate to even complain about this but I feel like I’m going to lose my wits with Rorschach (for those of you when you talk about him who don’t want to spell it out you can call him Rory). We have a 8 foot by four foot play pen that he gets to roam around in pretty much all the time (4+ hours a day) and his cage sits on the side of the area so it is easily accessible in case he wants to go back in (and for bed time). We have the walls build out of those storage cubes just zip tied together and nothing on the bottom but the carpet because he’s USUALLY good about it (no peeing, digging or tearing up the carpet).
  
  He seems like it is his mission in life lately to shake the $*&! (excuse the language) out of the playpen. He doesn’t seem to care that he has a lot of space where he can run around and play, all he seems to care about it that there is a wall. Eventually if we don’t do something (like spraying him with a water bottle or yelling really loud) he will start tearing the carpet up. We’ve tried apple bitter and other no chew sprays as well as rubbing vinegar on them (he thinks they taste wonderful). The water bottle seems to have become a game, to see how quickly he can get away before you spray him. And as much as yelling is fun, I don’t think my neighbors like it when I do it every few minutes.
  
  Eventually I put him away because he just doesn’t stop but I want him to have his play time.
- 09/10/2014 at 12:37 PM
  CojoCinder
  Participant
  19 posts
  Boris does this too… grabs the playpen “fence” and pull on it… I’m worried he will eventually open it (it’s not zip tied all together because we open it to let him out). I think he mostly does it because he wants to come out and run around (or so I think)…
  
  I’ve yelled at him a few times, but generally don’t do much because he’s not damaging the fence or anything.
  
  Looking forward to what others say!
- 09/10/2014 at 6:28 PM
  Thump
  Participant
  60 posts
  If they can wrap their teeth around it, my buns will pull on the fence and try to move it. Which is why I have to 1. make sure it is secure and doesnt move around and 2. put towels or sheets over the fence. Bunnies hate the way fabric feels in their mouths and aren’t interested in biting it at least in my experience. I used to use those plastic things made to cover wires and they chewed right through to the wire. I now wrap all my wires in a thin layer of fabric. If they wanted to, they could easily chew through and destroy my electronics but they dont. Nothing I know of works as effectlively as simple old fabric/sheets.
- 09/14/2014 at 2:06 AM
  Flabebe
  Participant
  235 posts
  I would say that as behavior adjustment yelling at them is not a good idea. Unlike dogs or cats, rabbits are prey animals and dont respond to that very well. Rabbits hate the scent of onions, so that could be a deterrent. Thump’s suggestion is actually wonderful! have you tried it yet??
- 09/16/2014 at 11:00 AM
  BolingbrookMom
  Participant
  28 posts
  My bun loves fabric, he eats any kind he can get his mouth on. If it can go in his mouth, he will try to eat it. There is this crocheted blanket I have that he loves to eat. It’s very scary because cotton fabrics are not easily digested by buns and can cause a lot of problems
- 09/16/2014 at 12:53 PM
  Emillie
  Participant
  37 posts
  I have the same problem with Honey. We have a play pen stretched out as a fence between the living room and rest of the apartment, she has free reign of the living room all day and night (couldnt deal with the cage chewing) and still just shakes the heck out of the pen and since i dont have the one end that we use as a gait secured to the wall she has been ab, e to shake and pull hard enough to get out (happened last night actually at 2 am and she was in my roommates room and jumped on her bed ). She does it sometkmes even when im in the living room with her so there is no need to get out to follow me im right there! She has stopped chewing the carpet when she shakes the bars thank god but it is so annoying. I know they dont like onions but am worried about her licking it off and it cousing her to have an upset stomach. Have you tried this and does it work, im not even gonna bother with the apple spray because she LOVES apples and will attack u if u have anything pertaining to apples like juice or a snack witb apples in it even so i think the spray would make it worse
- 09/17/2014 at 8:20 AM
  Emillie
  Participant
  37 posts
  Ok i tried rubbing an onion half on the pen bars this morning and she came to investigate and mkre or less retched when she smelled it and hasnt even put her mouth near it to shake it. So far so good lol way better than yelling or going and picking her up and putting her away from it just for her to go right back to it.
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