Am I doing something wrong?

[elvis123]

To start- I have had a bunny before. I know this doesn’t make me an expert or really even experienced but I am aware of bunnies’ basic habits, instincts, etc. I just adopted a bunny about a month ago and they guessed his age to be 1. A basic Fiver bio… He is neutered, non-aggressive, very, very, very energetic, and always hungry (to the point where even the vet was amazed) ! I know rabbits love to chew but he is like a maniac. He was obsessively chewing his cage bars, to deter him I got him a basket – which he shredded into straw overnight. The basket seemed to only feed his chewing craze. Sometimes I can’t even interrupt him with a treat – which for him is pretty amazing. My concern is that I don’t want to be doing anything wrong. I want a healthy and happy rabbit. My question is, is the amount of obsessive chewing healthy? A little more info… He saw a highly recommended specialized rabbit vet. He had a fecal test, thorough mouth exam, thorough ear exam, and health check. All came out clear. He gets about 3 hours of exercise on average a day – I am always with him. He has a huge 50”X50” two story cage with plenty of toys (bought and homemade). Could he still be bored? I am not one to over dramatize a habit or situation but Fiver seems to be more than a little chew happy!

 

Lol, this pic makes me laugh. He just looks like a trouble maker…

 

[Monkeybun]

He may just not like being caged. Have you tried an x-pen attached to his cage? I do that for my 2, and it seems to have cured Monkey of her cage bar chewing. I still let them out to run aroudn the apartment, but pen them seperately after, as they are not yet bonded.

[Sarita]

Cute picture! No, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Every rabbit is different. He obviously needs a project and some rabbits are like this all their life. It’s possible he may outgrow this because he’s still pretty young at 1 year.

Unless he’s destroying something you don’t want him to destroy then you would want to distract him but if he’s destroying stuff that you give him that’s rabbit safe, let him go at it. He’s not bored if he’s chewing on stuff in my opinion, that’s what is keeping him occupied.

If you can you may want to give him more time out of the cage (as long as he’s not destroying your house).

[MarkBun]

You might want to invest in a maze haven or some other large, cardboard structure with some nooks and crannies for him to search out and totally demolish.

[elvis123]

Thanks guys. I will look into your suggestions. It’s exercise time and he is currently sitting in his basket and won’t come out. He usually loves coming out…

[RabbitPam]

He’s adorable looking.
Some bunnies love to chew, some dig, some climb, they are all activities that can help you figure out which toys to get. Certain toys are better for certain preferences. The maze is good, and also stock up on willow balls, cubes, seagrass mattes, wicker tunnels. A hanging chew toy with blocks on it (the kind made for bunnies) that hangs against the bars of his cage may be very entertaining and make a bit less noise than the bars themselves. It’s great for his teeth, too.

As long as he’s a chewer of toys and bunny things, it will keep him off your furniture. When he goes to chew something he shouldn’t, tell him no, then quickly substitute a chew toy and praise him when he chews it instead. He needs to learn there’s a reward to chewing the right things.

[RabbitPam]

[elvis123]

lol! I can’t stop laughing! Thanks for your advice RabbitPam. I am very lucky because he really only uses his toys to chew on. I am sure he can chew the sofa in five, I just hope he never does

[LoveChaCha]

All are different
I spend about an hour or two with mine. I talk on the phone while I lay with her. She seems to like listening to my voice. She uses me as a human jungle gym and she runs around like crazy!
You will have to experiment with things with your rabbit and see what it likes!

[BunnyBuns7]

He’s probably just very high energy. Haha. Again, all buns are different. I would agree with giving him a maze or possibly more time out of the cage. My Lily is out most of the day and even then sometimes she’s made when I put her in her ex-pen for the night.

[Author]

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