Chewing on metal

[Silverlava]

I have two rabbits, both about 3 years old. They both saw the vet last week and were given clean bills of health. Yesterday, I noticed that Milk Dud had ripped the wire out of the cat tunnel I had in their pen and was sitting there chewing on it. I immediately removed it and added a couple new wooden toys to the cage that he’d hopefully prefer chewing on. This morning, he was chewing on the bars of the pen itself. 

I did a little reading and it says they do this likely because of boredom, and to provide hay, chew toys, etc. They have two full racks of hay (just refilled yesterday), an eCOTRITION Snak Shak Edible Activity Log, Large (it’s his favorite thing, we reorder them monthly because both bunnies love chewing them so much, but I don’t want them to eat nothing but that), 4 wooden chew toys, 3 plastic/toss toys, and a sand pit to dig in. Their enclosure is 6ft x 14ft, so they have plenty of space. They also have a fleece-padded table to climb up on. They get fresh water, kibble, and greens (usually kale, escarole, or green lettuce) daily. 

I don’t know what else I could provide him with to entertain him. Do rabbits remember toys? I cycle out the toys in their pen every couple of weeks so they have something new, but I could toss out all my old stuff and try with new stuff. Are they particularly sensitive to light? I have some high-light succulents in the same room with a grow light on them, but that has been in this room for the last 2 months, so it is strange to me that I wouldn’t notice troublesome behavior until now. I work from home and their pen is half the room of my office, so it is unlikely I wouldn’t notice behavior before now.

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Bladesmith]

I got nothing on metal chewing, but “Milk Dud” is an awesome name for a bunny.

[Wick & Fable]

It’s most likely indication that he wants out of the pen. From a rabbit’s perspective, cage bars are literally blocking their way to hopping into their territory, so chewing them may get them out of the way. Rabbits don’t understand that cage walls are meant to limit their free roam space for the time. It’s so tantalizing that they can see through the cage bars but not go through. Covering or obscuring view outside the pen may help.

How often are they out of their pen?

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.

[Silverlava]

We had to spray for bugs in the living room, where they usually free roam, so they have not been able to go outside their pen for the last month.

He was chewing on the side of his pen that is against a wall, so I don’t think he was looking through to try to go through the wall. He did also chew on a wire in the middle of his cage, which was a part of the cat tunnel we used to have in there. (which I removed as soon as I found he had destroyed the tunnel and gotten a wire out to chew on.)

I tossed the hay that was in their cage and put new stuff in (that usually encourages them to chow on it more), and replaced all their toys with brand new untouched ones. He seems interested in those right now and hasn’t continued bar chewing for the last 2 hrs, so I’m going to keep an eye on that and see if it works. I’m still open to more ideas, though.

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