Oh that yummy plastic!

[MimzMum]

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Pip is still chewing away at her litter pan and hay manger, both made of that common plastic you see everywhere these days, and we can’t seem to get her to stop. No matter what other delectables we put in with her, she chews plastic and actually makes holes in the rims of the pans! I can only guess how much of it she is swallowing.

Any ideas on how to break her of this habit? I am seriously worried about her health! She is an active to the point of nervous little bunny, but this can’t be good for her!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Have you tried attachng some blocks of pine wood? As for the hay bin, have you tried using something made from wood instead or even a metal dishware holder that someone here uses that they got from IKEA. That should help and no it isn’t good to be ingesting that stuff.

[RabbitPam]

For the hay manger, what about trying the willow hay stand they have for sale in the shop on this site? Really any hay holder made of natural fiber like baskets made for bunnies (there may be other styles as well on other store sites). Just to give Pip something to chew that’s good for her along with the hay.

As for the litter pan, I’m stumped there. I saw a disposable recycled paper one at the pet store, but I don’t imagine that lasts long, and not so sure it’s better for buns.

Oh, an idea: push the litter in the pan up higher along the sides, then line with hay. She might chew on the hay while in her litter pan but lose interest in the plastic.

[MimzMum]

Yes, I think I’ll have to get another willow hay manger. The three corner box I use now she likes to sleep in, but I’ll have to get her something else for that.
Pine wood, hm? Okay, I’ll try that. I thought they weren’t supposed to have anything pine though…or am I confusing that with cedar? :-/

[apanda]

yea I posted on here that baskets are on sale by me at Michael’s right now. I think they should be on sale at a lot of places since its around easter. I got two nice hay manger size ones for 3.87!

[MimzMum]

I actually did go to Michael’s yesterday and bought a few baskets. Some of them looked polished with something I couldn’t identify, so I skipped those. The ones I bought look similar to the willow rack we have here, but I can’t be sure what wood it is. :-/

[apanda]

yea the ones I gave him are very obviously untreated, and I’m pretty sure they are willow, they feel and look like one of the willow balls Truffles has. also I wasn’t sure whether to trust this but at my Michael’s they had what the baskets were made of on little stickers stuck to the shelves. I don’t think they were for the customer’s edification, prolly it was for shelving purposes but they were labeled “small willow baskets”.

[MooBunnay]

Have you considered trying just a new litterbox? Sometimes when a bunny gets started on chewing something they just “fixate” on it and will continue to chew (such as when they start to pull up the carpet!). I use rubbermaid storage buns for my bunny litterboxes actually – its nice because they come in all shapes and sizes and are usually pretty cheap.

[BinkyBunny]

If getting a new litterbox doesn’t work you could drill some holes through the edges, stick some zip ties through, and attach cardboard, willow or straw mats, or some chew toy that may distract her from chewing on the box. Is she actually eating the plastic, or is most of it in little pieces on the floor? If she’s eating it, watch her carefully as this can cause digestive problems.

[JK]

I say get a metal pan like Scarlet suggested.

[Bunnies4ever]

How long is it taking Pip to chew through her litterbox? Kahlua has also eaten his box to the point of it having holes in it and I have to throw it away. It’s hard to break him of that habit, which is why he gets petromalt to keep him from developing stais So far I’ve not had any problems. Some rabbits chew more than others. Chloe doesn’t chew up her litterbox nor does Stella and Luna.

[kimberleyanddarren]

have u tried rubbing something like vinegar or lemon or anything on the box?

[MimzMum]

These are all great suggestions, thank you! ^^ I’ll try each of these and let you know how we get on.
Yes, Pip has taken a long time to chew the box, it’s just steadily gotten worse.
I wonder if it has anything to do with her bunny bonding with Mimzy? She seems to be chewing more since we’ve tried to bond them.

I don’t think there are any pieces on the floor, BB. Since her pen is in my daughter’s room (which is a bit of a minefield to get through) I don’t often see what’s on the floor of it. I’ll have to ask her, but I kind of think she must be swallowing the pieces. And she’s not a big fan of petromalt.

Where would one find a metal litter pan? Is that what you meant, knowltons4? I do have the metal hay manger, we’ll try that too.
I know last night we put the willow hay manger in the pen and that seems to make her happy.

[DawnT]

I am not sure where you are from but in PA we have dollar general stores and they sale heavy glass baking dishes.  Have you tried one of those

[osprey]

Good idea, yelpot10.  I was thinking along the same lines, like a metal baking pan from a 2nd hand store.  The sides would be pretty low though, you’d have to use a thin layer of litter.

Another idea.  One of my guys’ litter boxes is actual a tub meant to be a disposable concrete mixing tub.  It is made from a different kind of plastic, perhaps they will not like it as much.  No fun colors, only black.  You can get them at home improvement/hardware stores.  Here is what they look like:

[MimzMum]

Hm, Osprey, I’ll have my hubby check out our Home Depot for those, they look good. Is there a particular maker of them?
Yes, Yelp, the glass baking dish may be my last resort, as those can be kind of heavy and I don’t want her throwing her neck out trying to get it up into the air. But at least it’ll be easy to keep clean! ^^
We went ahead and bought some more willow hay mangers, so those should be getting here next week.

[osprey]

I just got whatever they had at Orchard Supply, I am not sure about the brand.  It has worked out well, I’ve had it about 18 months.  I think the one I got was actually called a “Mortar Mixing Tub” or something close to that.

 

[Scarlet_Rose]

I would advise against using the glass baking dish as the glass can flake off if hit against something hard like the side of a metal bar etc. Those concrete mixing pans are pretty huge and at my local HRS those are usually used for big groups of rabbits in a pen or flemmies. They are eay clean up though.

Oh another idea is a covered litter box.  That would eliminate sides that can be chewed on.

[Author]

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