Bar chewing.

[Shadow13]

My bunny has been chewing on the bars of his cage mainly when I go to sleep and when I wake up. Sometimes it’s very soft but most of the time he shakes the whole cage plus he chews on the door part and makes a ton of noise. Yesterday I gave him 2 new toys hoping he would chew on those instead of the bars. But his still chose the bars. He started chewing on the toys but after a couple minutes went to he bars. I don’t want him to wreck his teeth cause he chews pretty hard. I’ve read about sprays and thing to put on bars. Do these work? Do you recommend these? What else can I do to stop him from chewing?

[Erin]

Hey there,

My bun did the same thing. I found that using straight up apple cider vinegar was enough to get him to stop. However, once that wears off he was back at it again. So, one day I was at Target in the cheap dollar sections and found an all wooden put together small coat hanging thing (hopefully you get what I’m saying here). I then put that in their cage and got them used to it, then after a few weeks I positioned the toy to the most popular bar chewing spot and zip tied it to the cage. So the little knobs are on the inside of the cage, which they now like to rub their heads on. And it’s prevented him from chewing the bars. He still occasionally does chew on the bars but nothing like he used to. I also found that over half the time he wanted something. Either, to be let out, to have fresh water, or more hay, etc. That was his way of letting me know that he was frustrated.

I would start with using apple cider vinegar on the bars and make sure he’s getting everything he needs at the time of chewing. He might also just be upset that you’re going to bed. Are you his only companion? Because he might just be expressing that he’s lonely and wants to snuggle with you at night instead of being locked in his cage. Or consider getting him a mate.

Hope this helps!

[sarahthegemini]

Bar chewing is often due to boredom and frustration. How big is his cage? How much time does he have to be shut in?

[Shadow13]

I just asked if my cage was to small everyone said it was. It’s 119cm long 58cm wide and 61cm high. He gets at least 2 hours out of his cage now but today I’m going to start for at least 4 hours during the week and at least 6 hours out on the weekend. He’s got tons of toys to keep him entertained but he still chews.

[sarahthegemini]

Ah yes. I still think you need to aim for more time. 4-6 hours is the bare minimum. You should always strive to provide more than the bare minimum in my opinion.

[Shadow13]

Ok thanks! I will try to take him out for 6 hours each day but it’s not always possible for me but I’m going to try my hardest!

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