Found a good and very cheap chewing repellent: garlic

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This topic has 10sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 10 months ago by Ellie from The Netherlands.

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- 12/21/2021 at 5:25 AM
  Ellie from The Netherlands
  Participant
  2512 posts
  Our bunnies are both very young and energetic, and they have a project: chew a path to get underneath the sofa.
  
  We’d blocked the bottom of the sofa off with chicken wire, which was enough for our bridge bunny Breintje. These youngsters just tore and tore at the wire until the metal snapped, and they were in.
  
  Now they’re hell-bent on getting back there, and are willing to chew for hours. We had to buy 2 planks of very dense wood and screwed them to the sofa. (That sofa was a lost cause anyway, because they’ll tear at the fabric too.) Still they’re chewing!
  
  I was so sick of it that I looked for a smell that they hate: fresh garlic. I cut a clove in half and rubbed the juice into the wood. They sniffed the wood, thumped, and turned away.
  
  We’ve been chew-free for 2 days now 🙂 We may have to repeat it if the smell fades, but it works very well for now!
- 12/21/2021 at 5:55 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  Oh that’s a great idea! I had tried ivory soap and lemon oil and neither had really worked that well, so I’ll try this next!
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 12/22/2021 at 1:42 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16964 posts
  Great idea, Ellie!
  
  Makes me remember a less successful attempt I made when my dog was a pup and I wanted to stop her from chewing furniture. I read that vinegar will deter dogs from chewing, so I put vinegar on the legs of my wooden chairs. Only I didn’t have any plain vinegar so I used balsamico vinegar – which of course is sweet and far less acrid. Turned out my pup really loved the taste 😀 😀 😀
- 12/23/2021 at 5:31 PM
  Ellie from The Netherlands
  Participant
  2512 posts
  Hehehe, oof… That reminds me of all those pictures of chewed up bottles of “anti-bite spray”.
  
  Breintje had a little problem in his last year: sometimes he dribbled some drops of urine if he was napping against me on the sofa. I’d already put a blanket on it that could be washed easily. When it was just a small spot I sprayed it with vinegar and blotted it until dry. One day I was out of vinegar so I used some lemon juice. Not my smartest moment: Breintje was always crazy about tangerines and oranges.
  
  He kept licking the spot and didn’t care that it was just sour lemon juice. Tried to pull him away from it several times because he only made a bigger mess, but he was one dedicated bunny. I ended up having to put him in his hutch, with him thumping in disapproval. The sofa was such a mess that I had to go to bed very early so the sofa could dry overnight 🙄
  
  Update btw: we’re still chew-free! They do dare to get closer to it again, but they still don’t chew. Apparently the stuff is absolutely vile.
- 12/29/2021 at 12:57 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16964 posts
  🤣 A rabbit can certainly be determined!
  
  I just rubbed the wooden underside of my mum’s tv-lounger with half a clove of garlic. We’re spending the holidays at her house, and Snoa has taken a vivid interest in all things wood.
- 12/29/2021 at 3:16 AM
  Ellie from The Netherlands
  Participant
  2512 posts
  Fingers crossed, hope that she’ll leave it be! ^_^
  
  I’ve had to reapply the garlic last night after Molly took a little nibble at the wood again. That’s about 8 days since I used it first.
- 12/29/2021 at 5:16 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16964 posts
  It’s been several hours and its still working 😃
  
  She obviously has lots of stuff to chew, cardboard boxes and apple twigs, a willow tunnel and a piece of birch wood- but anybunny would agree its way more fun to chew what youre not supposed to.
- 01/11/2022 at 1:49 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16964 posts
  We stayed at mum’s for 2 weeks over the holidays, and the garlic kept working without need for re-application!
- 01/11/2022 at 2:24 AM
  Ellie from The Netherlands
  Participant
  2512 posts
  Yay, that’s great! ^_^
  
  I’ve started to use it more as well. Molly had an obsession with the skirting board on the wall between the living room and the bedroom. When you lay in bed it sounds like someone is trying to saw a way through the wall.
  
  My boyfriend wakes up earlier than I do, but he’s so focused on his computer that he doesn’t notice 🙄 Garlic it is then…
- 01/12/2022 at 4:27 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9054 posts
  I’m so interested to see if this works with Cooper! I was just eyeing at all the tasty-looking new baseboards and cabinets in our new place LOL.
  
  ((I am getting them back tomorrow!!!))
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 01/12/2022 at 4:33 AM
  Ellie from The Netherlands
  Participant
  2512 posts
  Oh my goodness, that’s great news. I’m so happy for you Dana! I hope that you and your family will have a wonderful new home there! 😀
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