Heeeelllppp with baseboards and chewing!

[cactuspancake]

Neither of the bunnies were big chewers, but in the last few weeks they’re chewing everything! I shout and clap my hands to stop them but mostly they keep doing it. I shove them away always too. I’ve been consistant with shouting at them and they stop… briefly.

I am about 80% sure that my house has lead. I was never worried cause the bunnies didn’t chew and I have been careful to vacuum particles near the walls and clean very well, but now they’re chewing on the baseboards, and today, I found about 3 feet of their windowsill in the bedroom that has been painted all chewed off on the edge! As far as I know, that room they’re in is ‘new,’ as in it used to be not a room, but an outdoor screened porch, and I think this house was resold at the latest in 2000. I think we are the third renters in 10 years. I think that the paint happened in 1970’s and before, so that room I think is safe. No way to tell because the test kits have all been rated SOOOO inaccurately for false positives, that it’s pointless to test because they almost always turn up positive… even on your skin lol.  The government says to just assume your house is full of lead if it’s old. And it is.

Soooo…. they seem ok after eating the paint… I don’t know when it happened but it’s been at least a day.  I moved the couch in there so now they can’t climb up to the sill (oh yeah I donated a couch to the bunnies <3). I've put up NIC grids along the baseboards in the room but my boyfriend and I both agree it's insane to do this everywhere. WHAT DO I DO? I don't want to trap them in the stuffy room all day. Ideally I would like to cover or deter them from the baseboards.

What can I cover the baseboards with that’s NOT ugly and $150 or less? Anyone know of ‘hot sauce’ that doesn’t have too many other ingredients than peppers? (I don’t want it to rot) You think maybe I could spray the boards with pepper spray or is that stupid? lol

Basically my boyfriend wants to keep the bunnies caged cause they keep peeing on the carpet and chewing the baseboards and now our kitchen table. There’s no way I’m going to wrap up the table legs and cover my house in NIC cubes. Personally I’m doing my best to keep them out of trouble while giving them freedom but I probably am in the hole a grand replacing these baseboards. Please help me find a solution!

 

 

[cactuspancake]

I forgot to mention that I already have tons of chew toys for them. 3 cardboard boxes in the living room, 2 hay dispensers, a basket of like 20 chew sticks, a phone book, little wood blocks, and under the kitchen table I put a bunch of chew sticks and a big block cause they started eating my softwood table and chairs! In their room they have… so many things, so I already know to encourage them to chew on toys and discourage from eating the house, but it’s not working. They DO chew their toys but keep eating the house. I’m going to go broke if I don’t cover everything. My boyfriend is frustrated with the rabbits and the damage they cause, and I’m struggling to tolerate it myself.

[Elrohwen]

I’ve had success with a no-chew gel that is lime based. It is sticky, so eventually fur sticks to it while looks kind of bad, but it has worked and Hannah avoids anything I use it on (I like it better than a spray because I can apply it in just a small area with my finger, and it’s clear).

Otherwise, I would just use NIC cubes around the baseboards. It sucks, and it’s not pretty, but they work so well. That or get some other wood (2x4s?) that you could put over the baseboard (small nails would work) that the bunnies are allowed to chew. That’s not the prettiest option either though.

[Helenor]

You could try putting a bit of bitter apple spray on the areas they like to chew but it hasn’t worked for me. I think Panko actually likes the taste of it. I’ve used the NIC grids to block areas off that they can’t go to, but this is easier for me because they pretty much only stay in my room and have specific areas they like to chew at. I’d probably have unhappy housemates if I let them roam around everywhere. Maybe you can put the toys in areas where they like to chew so they have another choice?

[cactuspancake]

Elrohwen, can you tell me what that gel is so I can try it?

I’ve already tried putting their chew things next to where they chew, and they prefer the baseboards lol, and now my table

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