Hmmmm. I’ll have to keep a close eye on their behavior and see how they’re doing. I’m pretty certain that the problem, if there’s one, isn’t dental at root cause; both rabbits are very active, enthusiastic eaters of hay, pellets, treats and greens and if they were having tooth issues I’m pretty sure I’d notice it because they’d be off their feed on something or other.

I know they probably had some stress to work off from all the traveling they’d been doing the past week, but they do seem to be pretty happy now that they’re back home. I don’t know if there’s anything they’re frustrated about, but I have started experimenting this week with leaving their X-pen up all night in order to give them more time outside their condo, amounting to 10-12 hours per 24-hour period. Maybe being able to roam and hop around in a bigger field for longer per day will help relieve any boredom they might have been feeling. I suppose, when it gets down to it, that I’m going to have to start thinking about bunnyproofing a large enough portion of my efficiency that they can roam around freely at least during periods when I’m able to supervise them.

P.S. Also, after doing a bit more research on the topic, I think Fernando’s relative youth is a factor. He’s 9-10 months old, about six to seven months younger than his mother Panda, who seems to be a much less active chewer. According to http://animals.mom.me/rabbit-sudden…10849.html ,

“Younger rabbits have bountiful levels of energy, prompting them to explore every unchartered nook and cranny in your home, chewing as they investigate. Rabbits have a burrowing instinct. Wild rabbits chew grasses to clear their way when tunneling to create a burrow. Pet rabbits may chew on carpets, wallpaper, blankets, throws and other household items in an attempt to burrow. Female rabbits have a stronger burrowing instinct than males. If your rabbit is not spayed or neutered, talk to your veterinarian about carrying out this procedure. Once a rabbit is spayed or neutered, the inappropriate chewing will decrease over time as the critter matures.”

Fernando is a very active, curious bun who likes to try to get out of the X-pen or condo when he can, so I’m now leaning toward his feeling a measure of frustration at not being able to explore as much as he wants. He’s of course been neutered (as Panda has been spayed), so I’m thinking right now the best thing to do is to keep up with giving them as much time out in the X-pen as possible and provide them with plenty of things to chew on.

Posted By bam on 10/18/2017 9:54 AM

I think happy bunnies chew. A marked increase in chaewing can mean tooth problems, but non-dental buns chew. My Bam chews more now when he’s on a diet, and it may well be frustration from not getting all the food he wants, but I can’t smother him with food just to keep him from chewing. He doesn’t eat the cardboard.

Wild rabbits spend their days foraging and running from enemies and digging holes and making/rasing babies. Indoors the chances of performing species appropriate behaviors are limited. We can add enrichment and I think cardboard houses and twigs and hiding their food a bit are forms of enrichment.

Good thoughts – I should probably pick up some more rabbit-suitable twigs in addition to the willow twigs I already have, and maybe look at getting a proper cardboard house/castle for them for Christmas. They have old beer cartons as hidey boxes in their condo and out in the X-pen, but even if they don’t care that much  I’d like to indulge them in something a bit fancier. Maybe I can get some hard-plastic cups or something from the baby toys section to hide food under…

Good point, Eddy. I sometimes forget that it’s been not quite two months (monthly bunniversary is Friday!) since they moved in with me, and it may have taken them that long to get down a proper routine of the sort that bunnies love. I’ll have to observe them this weekend when I’m around more during the day to get a better feel of what they do during the day, in addition to lounging/sleeping which constitutes the bulk of their high-daylight activities.

Just to dispel any potential confusion, I want Panda and Fernando to have both ample opportunities and supplies to chew, and to be doing their chewing daily on plenty of rabbit-suitable things. The more they chew on the right sorts of things, the healthier their teeth will stay.

Posted By sarahthegemini on 10/18/2017 1:05 PM

I don’t really think it means anything other than they love chewing.

The rabbit equivalent of Freud’s “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

Since I’ve started giving them all-night time to run back and forth between their condo and X-pen, they actually seem to have moderated their chewing. I’ve also swapped out some hidey boxes that were getting worn out and provided them with extra cardboard pieces to munch on, and made sure to keep their litterbox loaded with hay. Indeed, they spend quite a bit of time daily nomming on their hay pile which is certainly a good thing for their teeth and tummies!