Dig box- what if my bunny is eating paper?

[Beau Bunny]

Hi all– my new Bun is completely uninterested in toys and chews, but has a fondness for cardboard. So I made him a dig box with shredded paper and tissue paper. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely, yet I’m a little concerned as he’s eating the paper. Not just chewing, but eating it.

Thoughts?

[BinkyBunny]

Our forum is still undergoing updating and glitch fixes so you may not get a lot of responses until we are fully up and running smoothly.

Most bunnies will eat a little bit and just leave the chewed up bits.  Digesting a little bit of paper is fine but if your bunny is actually eating a lot of it then that could be a problem.  Paper doesn’t actually cause huge issues on it’s own but the problem comes if your bunny eats so much paper that it fills him/her up and they don’t eat what they really need – hay.  The fiber in hay is what helps their digestive system move along and without it, it can cause a slowdown or halt in the gi tract.  So if your bunny is filling up on paper and cardboard then you may need to take it away.

[Bunstar]

Some rabbits ingest the paper they chew and that can be fine if they’re eating enough hay to keep their systems moving and as long as the paper doesn’t contain dyes, stickers/tape/glitter (I’m thinking of some of the tissue paper available near me). A little bit won’t hurt. That said, oftentimes, rabbits ingest paper products because they’re craving the fibre which means they’re not getting it from their regular diet. What kid of hay and how much are you feeding?

My male Hannibal loves sitting on cardboard flats and ripping shreds off. He eats a lot of them but still eats what seems like his body weight in hay per day and his poops are always well-formed so I don’t worry about it.

What you can do is ensure he’s not being picky about his own hay and remove the cardboard boxes for a while. You can get him seagrass mats or timothy grass mats from the pet store or online. If he’s just looking for an activity those will quench that habit. If it’s the hay that’s an issue, try getting different kinds. Make sure the hay is fresh, not always easy when you buy it from the pet store. I have seen some pretty gross gray and brown hay being sold! Look for a co-op barn in your area who might have fresh local hay. Try adding dried herbs like mint or basil to the hay so it encourages him to forage. Instead of shredded paper in the dig box, load it with hay and hide some healthy snacks in it (Hannibal’s favorite is to root out pellets sprinkled in a hay dig box, I use a plastic cat litter tray for this purpose so if there’s any pee I can clean it)

[Beau Bunny]

Hi and thank you for your response! I give him unlimited alfalfa and timothy to make it easier to transition him when hes older. He also gets fresh herb sprigs from the garden mixed in, and I try to mix the little alfalfa bits in with timothy to encourage him.

It think it must have been a novelty thing because he stopped munching paper shreds after a day or two. Now he just head butts the box away to shred the cardboard pieces underneath and sort of hops in and out of it sporadically.

He does have a grass hideout he favors chewing on over eating out of his hay rack and box, although  he’s on point with the litter box and do see him nibbling when he’s in it. Just takes him a while to make a dent in it, which worries me. I think you may be right about the hay quality…this isn’t completely brown, but looks a little course. I just ordered some more alfalfa hay online which had 5 stars, and will look into fresh hay when this whole quarantine thing is over….pet store hay is way overpriced anyway.

We have a 30 x 30 play pen on it’s way for the yard. I’m sure he’ll love digging around with his paws in the grass more than anything!

[Author]

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