Chewing Walls

[buttercup86]

I know this topic has probably already been talked about…but I desperately need advice. My bunny has been chewing on the trim along the bottom of my walls, and I don’t know how to get him to stop. Tonight I have been giving him “time outs” in his cage, but its not always easy to get him in his cage so I can’t be consistent with that. Anyone with experience with chewing and how to stop it? I give him so many options for things to chew and the walls just win!

[Hailey]

buttercup86-Anyone with experience with chewing and how to stop it? I give him so many options for things to chew and the walls just win!

 I have had my fair share of this, and the best thing that has worked for me is spraying perfume on the walls. Try a strong scent of something and she will most likely leave it alone. Or, if you have lemon oil in the house or can go out and buy some, I’ve used that too and it works wonders. There are those bitter tasting pet solutions you can get from PetCo or PetSmart I think has them, or online, and I haven’t tried them because I’ve had so much success with the tips I mentioned before so I’m not positive if those will work. If she’s still going after them, I would get the NIC grids and zip-tie them together against the wall leaving enough room between the wall and gate so she can’t reach the wall.

Let me know if these tips work for you, and good luck! It’s really good you’re paying attention because most likely if you live in an old house she could be chewing on lead based paint which is really poisonous for your rabbit. Also, she is most likely doing this because she’s either bored or wants attention. Try sitting on the floor next to her and she will come sniff you out and you can groom her/pet her to keep he distracted. If she won’t calm down, holding them down with one hand pressing down (NOT hard, very lightly but be firm) on their shoulders and neck almost always works unless she’s really pissed off. Hope this helps, let me know if they do

-Hailey&Peanut

[LBJ10]

Nothing got Leopold to stop chewing on the drywall. I had to use NIC grids to corral off the area.

[longhairmike]

there are clear plastic edge protectors with an adhesive strip that you can get at home depot,, bun teeth will just slide across if they try to nibble.
we used them in our old condo. i cant remember if they were 4, 6, or 8 feet long so you’ll want to cut them to maybe 20″ and then cut 4 inches off that for the baseboard edge.
once you put them on, they WILL take the paint off if you remove them.

[jerseygirl]

I think the appeal of baseboards and door frames is that they don’t move. So buns can really go to town on them. For a chewing alternative, try set up something similar. A sturdy wooden box with wooden planks fixed around the base for example.

[Beka27]

Jersey hit the nail on the head (as usual). Rabbits like things that are stationary because it’s easier for them to “get a grip” on them. This is why even the best, most expensive wood chew toys will often be ignored because they move around when nibbled.

I think a combination of blocking or covering the walls and providing stationary chewing alternatives is the best solution.

[buttercup86]

Is it OK to use regular wood to build something for him? I thought of getting him something nice and big and heavy for him to chew but when I went to the pet store really the stuff they had was not good enough and very overpriced. I honestly want to go to home depot and buy him big pieces of wood but is that safe? Right now I sprayed the walls with vinegar but I consider this temporary because I know the moment I don’t spray he will be at it again. So basically my question is can I use regular untreated wood for him to chew on?

[LoveChaCha]

I have used my grandma’s perfume to stop Chacha from chewing baseboards with success. Some bunnies are daring and will keeping chewing.

[Enzo's Mommy]

I tried lemon juice, vinegar, and perfume! Enzo just tries to lick it!

[lindsay715]

Here are some types that I have read are bunny safe (untreated) – aspen, oak, maple, apple. Pine has a few rabbit health problems associated with it, but I have heard of many people using untreated pine still. I would use the other types before pine.

[buttercup86]

So I did not spray the walls tonight with vinegar at first and waffles showed no interest in them…then as soon as I sprayed them (I started to get paranoid) he chewed them. Tomorrow I am going to try not spraying and see how it goes. He has a piece of wood to chew and I am hoping my boyfriend will make him a big house made out of wood for him to go crazy chewing and then hopefully he will lose his interest in the walls. I never even thought about the walls when I got a bunny…I was so concerned about wires and carpet walls were the last thing on my mind.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Just a note of caution: If you make bunny a house out of wood, make certain it’s untreated and bunny-safe wood.

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