My rabbit is a destructive tornado

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 4 months ago by vanessa.

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- 12/06/2015 at 2:45 AM
  Har
  Participant
  2 posts
  I got my lovely holland lop, Rumbelle, well over a year ago and while she’s responsive to her name and took to litter training like a champ, even before she was spayed, she does have one major problem. She destroys the mat under her playpen. I have asked tons of people that I personally know that have rabbits and their response is always “She isn’t getting enough stimulation” or “She’s a lop her teeth grow in a weird way so she needs to have stuff to chew on constantly.” Which while helpful to some isn’t helpful to me. My rabbit is absolutely spoiled. She takes up almost my entire room with her elaborate set up and has more than enough to keep her busy. Tunnels, perches, willow branches everywhere, baby toys, toiletpaper rolls stuffed with hay, a hay box, a stuffed owl and plenty of other handmade toys, you name it she probably has it. She’s absolutely spoiled with everything but she insists on chewing on the lining of her playpen bottom that holds it together, otherwise she’d push it around all day and night and drive me insane.
  
  While I am no expert by any means I do know that I’m providing more than enough for my bun bun. She gets unlimited hay, limited pellets, and a healthy amount of veggies with fruit, especially papaya, being extremely limited. She gets plenty of exercise running around, jumping about and just being an overly happy bun.
  
  The mat to go under her pen isn’t expensive its only 17 bucks but I’m worried that she might be eating it and it could cause a blockage and the last thing I want is for my bun bun to not feel well.
  
  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.
- 12/06/2015 at 10:36 PM
  vanessa
  Participant
  2212 posts
  I have 4 bunnies. 2 of them are floor destroying monsters. They dug up the ccarpet int he corner of the room, down to the carpet tacks on the wood. They chew the plastic floor lining, they shred the fleece, they CONSUME cardboard packaging, and they also get a good amount of stimulation. They have half a bedroom, various tunnels, hidey holes, second story in their condo, a dig box that they love, maple branches that they chew, 3 different sisal scratch mats that they scratch at, but they still shred the fleece carpet unless it is covered with a wire grid. THICK wire… Morgana will chew through chicken wire like you wouldn’t believe. They have wicker tunnels, cardboard boxes, and a wooden house that they chew on. But they still destroy flooring. I believe that in these cases, they just enjoy what they are doing. Nothing will stop it except restricting their access. Find a floor that she can’t destroy. I’m about to get a sheet of linoleum, paint non skid on it, and then line it with a huge drop cloth. I know they will chew through the drop cloth, but the cloth will keep the bird poop off the linoleum and will be easy to wash. They won’t be able to destroy the linoleum. I’ll frame the edges with 2x4s so they can’t dig it up.
- 12/07/2015 at 6:43 PM
  Har
  Participant
  2 posts
  The fact that she finds tearing up her mat more amusing than her bazillion toys will never not amaze me. Its just like how cats like to play with the wrapper instead of the toy I supposed. I’ll try the linoleum thing, but the problem remains that it probably won’t keep her play pen together like her mat does. Trade one problem for another I suppose…
- 12/07/2015 at 8:45 PM
  vanessa
  Participant
  2212 posts
  How about using 2x4s around the exterior of her pen, to keep it together. That way linoleum is on the floor, and pen has an exterior frame. They can be nailed together, or fastened with lumber connections (flat pieces of metal with small spikey pieces, tap it into 2 adjoining pieces with a hammer).
  My cat is only interested in things that humans or rabbits have used… she only uses her cat sleeping quarters once the rabbits have used them. Silly cat.
- 12/14/2015 at 2:37 PM
  Rookie
  Participant
  466 posts
  Rookie has the training washable mats for dogs in his pen. He digs and scratches at it but has not had any luck destroying it. I also have an old sweater for him to dig at and a pillow case that has a box on it so he can’t pull it away and he loves dig at it in an attempt to get it free. And bottom of his cardboard boxes is what he goes shredder on. Since these I feel he is less driven to dig at the carpet and other stuff.
- 12/14/2015 at 2:42 PM
  vanessa
  Participant
  2212 posts
  I like the box in a pillowcase idea. Mine like to shred cardboard too. I tossed in a thick placemat. They play tug of war with it, toss it around.
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