Excessive Chewing

[Lab Rat]

Hi, 

I got my first rabbit last spring when she was just a baby. I have some concerns that I am not giving her everything she need due to some odd behavior she has; she eats EVERYTHING. Paint, carpet, plastic… you name it, she eats it. She isn’t just chewing on it because there are not remnants of her spitting these things out. She will eat her litter box, food bowl, etc. I have been having to keep her in her cage to keep her from absolutely destroying the house. It seems to have gotten worse with time, I don’t know if she needs something, if her teeth are hurting her, or what. We feed her every day, she has a few wooden toys made for rabbits to chew on. She is very sweet, timid and mild mannered, she doesn’t try to bite people. I’m just concerned that I’m doing something wrong.

As far as hay, I had to stop giving it to her because it was making me sick.As it turns out I’m very allergic to the dust, and I’ve tried a couple of different varieties.  I don’t know if that’s why it seems to have gotten worse, but I did get her food that has timothy hay in it.I also give her a piece of frozen fruit as a treat about twice a week. A friend told me that that was good for her teeth. What else can I do for her?  

[sarahthegemini]

You need to provide hay. That is an essential part of a rabbits diet, they cannot be without it. You could try different types of hay, and different brands. But it is crucial.

You said you’re having to keep her in her cage – does she get out of cage time at all? In a pen or anything?

Fruit is not good for their teeth – it can be given as a treat though.

[Luna]

I agree with STG. Buns need hay not only for digestive health (dietary fiber), but also because it helps grind down their teeth. Even if food technically has timothy hay in it, she still needs actual hay. What types/brands of hay have you tried? (timothy, orchard, alfalfa, oat)

[Lab Rat]

I’ve given her both Timothy and alfalfa. Alfalfa bothers me the worst, I get to where I can’t breathe and am sneezing constantly.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Lab Rat on 1/07/2017 1:37 PM

I’ve given her both Timothy and alfalfa. Alfalfa bothers me the worst, I get to where I can’t breathe and am sneezing constantly.

There’s tons of others to try. Orchard,  oat, meadow, plus many more that I can’t remember off the top of my head. 

[Bam]

Try oat or orchard. I find particularly orchard to have very little dust. I’m allergic to Timothy so I avoid that, alfalfa isn’t suitable for adult buns so I’ve never given that, but lots of people are allergic to Timothy.

You can also give willow or apple twigs or blueberry “twigs”. It’s important that she gets chewy food, as others have said already, It’s a must for their dental health.

If she eats cardboard etc, she could be looking for fiber. So it really is best if you can find a type of hay that you can tolerate.

[Lab Rat]

Where can I find these other varieties of hay?

[Lab Rat]

It can’t good for her to eat plastic like she has been. I have her in the largest dog kennel you can get when I’m not able to actively watch her run around. When I let her run around, she is a cyclone of destruction and will eat everything. The only way I know to discipline her is to yell “no” when she is chewing on things she isn’t allowed to chew on (walls, carpet, etc) but she doesn’t seem to commit it to memory. I did try a spray bottle with water a couple of times and she just gave me a look like “is that supposed to do anything?”

[tobyluv]

Are you in the U.S.? Petco sells Kaytee orchard grass, and maybe some other brands. PetSmart sells Oxbow orchard grass as well as Kaytee and other brands. There are other pet supply stores that would have it too.  I get most of my hay online at drsfostersmith.com. They have Oxbow orchard grass, oat hay and organic meadow hay. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/small-pet-supplies/hay-grass-alfalfa-timothy/ps/c/6067/17311?s=ts&r=484

You might also want to try the Oxbow Harvest Stacks hay. It is timothy, but it’s compressed and has 80% less airborne dust than regular bagged hay. You can see that on the link above.

[Lab Rat]

Thank you, I will try that. I live in rural Oklahoma so we are kind of limited on selections.

[Author]

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