Destroying their new home

[Cari]

I have three rabbits and had previous posted here looking into housing for them. A couple of weeks ago I ended up ordering a three story 48" Leith Petwerks condo for them. Well, now the problem is they’re absolutely destroying it. On one of the sides, they’ve almost chewed the wood all the way down. I’m sure you can imagine how disappointing this is, I’m a student and this wasn’t an easy purchase for me to make. I should have probably bought the chew guards, but I had no idea it would be this bad.

I’ve tried putting in different toys/treats(distracts them for a little while), covering the sides in cardboard(they rip it off and I wake up to that delightful chewing sound), telling them no/spraying them with a little water(barely even works). I read about the perfume/lemon oil methods, but I was worried that this might not be safe for an area that they basically live in… I mean, is it ok to rub perfume or lemon oil all around where they live? What would happen if they chewed on something that had perfume sprayed on? If there are any other solutions, I’ll definitely try them, and if nothing works I guess I’ll just have to order the chew guards. Thanks in advance!

[Sarita]

Yikes, those are expensive so I understand your concern. The chew guards are just wood to that fit right inside the condos – perhaps you can measure the condo and go to Loews or Home Depot to have them cut the extra pieces of wood to fit right inside the condo like Leith’s.

[Cari]

That’s a good idea… but what kind of wood would be safe to use?

[JK]

Oh poor you!  I know know expensive those condos are! I recently read that perfume is toxic for rabbits so don’t use that.  I’m sure there is a safe alternative,  if I can find where I read that I’ll post it here.

[Beka27]

oh no!  those buggers.  i hope you can get something to fix up the cage.  bunnies always seem to know what we want them to chew on the least.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I would suggest pine! It’s safe for bunnies to chew, and I think it would be easy to come by!

You want to steer clear of redwood, cherry wood and any fruit wood besides apple (although really I’m sure they don’t sell ‘peach wood’ in hard ware stores but… )

[luvmybuns]

You may also want to look into building your own condo.  We buy the "Organize-it" wire storage (which are the same as the NIC cubes) and build our own.  Our 3 story condo cost around $200 to build.  That is with a frame on the bottom, casters, dog tray, plastic lattice, houses, etc.  I’ll try to attach a picture.  A box of the wire costs around $13 at Target.  You can make ones much cheaper without all the extras.  Check out the galleries of bunny homes.

1125244116771.jpg

[luvmybuns]

Sorry, the "Cool Habitats" is under Bunny Info, not Galleries.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Cari just an FYI but emoticons do not show in the title so I cleaned that up a bit. As for the chewing destruction, I suggest purchasing some smaller board to screw in on top of the framing as an expendable part for them to chew on. Pine is safe to use and the lemon oil and other deterrents are really for places they visit when venturing out but can be used. As for perfume being toxic, I have yet to hear about that and may pose that question to BB.

[JK]

Regarding the perfume – I read it somewhere but now cannot find it!  I even googled it and it seems to be one thing people use as a deterrent.  It does seem to me it would be way too strong and I would rather use something more natural!  Sorry I can’t place my finger on this!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Not a problem KnowItons! : ) Just let me know if you do find it, I would like to take a look at it. Myself, I opt for the lemon oil.

[BinkyBunny]

I would definitely like to know more Knowltons about where you read that about the perfume. I am sure that if your bunny drank a bottle of perfume (doubt that would happen) that would be bad, but to spray it on an area or on a paper towel and then wipe the chew spot then I’m not a aware of the dangers – it was actually my rabbit savvy vet, Dr. Harvey, who told me about the perfume trick, so please let me know if you find anywhere that it is toxic so I can verify that with the experts, and change the information on the site if need be.

[JK]

I will research carefully tomorrow because I did read this on a reliable site and my ears perked up because I knew people were looking for solutions.

[BinkyBunny]

Also, I wouldn’t spray or use perfume as a deterrent IN a cage just because they are stuck being there and can’t get away unlike if you just spray perfume on the edge of couch or piece of furniture.

You should try to contact Leith Petwerks directly and see if they actually have solutions for this. I’m sure they must have had people talk to them about this before, and they may have some solutions that are directly related to their cages.

[Beka27]

i hope perfume is okay.  we have armrest covers and headrest covers on the couches and Meadow likes to chew on the corners.  so i spritz the covers.  she leaves them alone for about a week and then i do it again.

Meadow and her armrest… 

[Cari]

Thanks for the input, everyone! I guess the perfume thing is iffy then? I think I might try the lemon oil or just go pick up some pine today. There was a huge clearance sale at the Petco near me since it’s closing down today, so I went yesterday and got a ton of chew toys and straw mats and luckily that’s kept them occupied.

Luvmybuns, I’d looked into building my own condo, but after thinking about it the cost and the time it would take weren’t worth it to me and I opted to pay a little extra for the Leith Petwerks one because of the quality and size(making a cage like this would be almost impossible for me!). Thinking about building one now isn’t really an option, since I’ve already bought this one.

Here’s a pic of it btw:

Bunny is hiding up in the corner, she loves it there!

[JK]

Those condos are really great.  I hope you find a solution but maybe calling Leith is a good idea. I can’t imagine building one either when this one is so perfect.

[Hedi]

Did someone mention the plastic corner protectors that you can use for your walls in your house as an option? I know my local HRS manager uses these and the buns leave the edges alone. I am sure it would work on your condo as well.

As far as the "Organize It" or "Neat Idea Cubes" as a home idea in the future- they are crazy cheap- $15 for a box of like 20. Just a few boxes will make the size home you currently have. The cost is not in the cubes it is in what people choose to line the floor or celing with. We chose to go to Home Depot and buy that roll out linoleum 12ftx12ft for $20 and cut to size. Easy to clean. We do not have celings on our houses. We have never had problems with any of our 4 buns trying to jump out. All of their shelves are low enough that they cant jump out.

Just additional options..

[Lisa_43]

Hey Beka, nice butt shot of Meadow.

[Author]

Messages