Bunny chewing problem

[xylore]

My bun is a 1-year-old Netherland Dwarf, and he has been chewing a lot lately. He lives in my room at the moment until my older sister moves to college and gives her room to the bunny. It’s my room and I drop things here and there. Today I dropped a toothbrush, and he had chewed the rubber part. My vet which is not very local is closed and I’m not able to take him in. I have many DIY chew toys in my room for him, but they don’t seem to interest him. anybody have any tips on new chew toys or ways to interest him on chewing other things?

[LBJ10]

Bunnies do what bunnies do. Who can resist a tasty toothbrush handle? If he ate some of the rubber part (I’m assuming the grip), it probably isn’t the end of the world. Bunnies manage to eat a lot of strange things and they manage to poop them out too. Just make sure he’s eating hay and drinking water. This will move things along.

As for more suitable items for him to chew on, have you tried fastening a block of wood so he has a solid “corner” to chew on? Bunnies tend to ignore wooden toys that slide around as they try to chew on them. Too much hassle, I guess. Other favorites are cardboard houses, tunnels, etc. Again, something solid to allow for bunstruction. There is pretty much no such thing as phone books anymore, but mine always loved shredding them. Up until a few years ago, someone would leave a condensed copy on our front step.

[DanaNM]

What types of things does he normally go for (aside from tooth brush handles lol)? That might give a clue as to the types of toys he might like. I second that phone books are awesome, unfortunately they are harder to come by!

Cardboard boxes with holes cut in the side and stuffed with paper can be very fun for bun-struction. Some of my more destructive bunnies have also really liked cardboard cat scratchers.

Willow baskets and wreaths are also eaten really rapidly.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Oh yes, cardboard cat scratchers were a favorite too.

[xylore]

Thank you so much. Based on what you said, I put a cardboard corner piece around the edge of my walls, and so far he seems to love it! I closely monitored his bathroom habits and drinking habits. He now seems to be doing just fine. I found an old phone book hanging around, ripped some pieces out and shredded them into a cardboard box for him to chew on and throw around the pieces. He adores that at the moment. I left some pages out for him to rip also. So far everything has worked. Thank you so much for the help I’m extremely grateful!!!

[DanaNM]

Woohoo!

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

Yay! Glad to hear he likes what you set up for him. A lot of satisfaction seems to come from actually ripping the phone book pages, so I’m glad you set some out for him.

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