Rabbit being super destructive…

[Deleted User]

Hey, I’m having issues with my unspayed female rabbit Phoebe. I don’t plan on getting her spayed as someone told me it was stressful and unnecessary. She lives in my room in a dog crate and I’ve let her out to play since the second day of getting her. One morning I opened the door to go out for a bit and she followed me out. After this happened she wants out of the room and has begun to chew and dig at my carpet like crazy. I need her to stop because I’m afraid she’s ingesting it and one day a hole might be in my carpet!!! I was wondering if Vinegar is safe for rabbits and my carpet. Maybe that will keep her from chewing and digging at my floors. 

[Deleted User]

Spaying is definitely necessary. Unless there are health reasons that would prevent this. Even if spaying wasn’t likely to change her destructive behaviours it is necessary for health reasons due to the high risk of females developing cancer I believe. I can’t speak from experience as my female wasn’t destructive prior to spaying and she was spayed at 5 months but I know some people spay their rabbits in the hope that hormone driven behaviours decrease. Another factor as to why your bunny chews might be due to boredom and frustration at wanting more time out of her crate. Regardless of the reason spaying really would be the best option to look into

[Deleted User]

The lady that told me that had a rabbit that wasn’t spayed that lived to be thirteen. I’m not going to spay my rabbit… I’m going to spray the areas that she is digging and chewing at with distilled white vinegar and if she keeps it up I might try to keep her inside of her crate for a while until I find another solution. If she’s bored, which I have a feeling she is, what toys should I use to get her playing more? She really doesn’t play that much. I want to find something she’s interested in

[sarahthegemini]

Spaying is not unnecessary. An unspayed doe has a huge chance of developing cancer. Please spay her.

Bunnies like to dig, unfortunately for your carpet! How about making her a digging box?

[Bladesmith]

She’s bored. Rabbits get bored VERY easily, I’ve discovered. And sometimes, they just like to be rotten little punks, lol. Dawn has dug holes all in my carpet, which is bad, but the carpet is from 1987 and it’s threadbare and butt ugly. I console myself by telling myself Dawn has a good fashion eye and is disgusted with the carpet. I planned on removing it anyway.
I keep and lot of toys and chewables around for my buns, but they routinely ignore them and go for the things I don’t want chewed, like my book collection. Keep a rotating collection of toys, replacing them to keep their interest. I’d also suggest finding an old tshirt and wear it to bed for a few days, get your scent all over it, and give it to your bun as a cuddle/comfort item. Clover loves the old tshirt I gave her, and she drags it around, digs at it, and sleeps on it. I’m not sure, but I think having my smell close by makes her feel better.
I may be overrating my value however, lol.

[CottonBall]

CottonBall is doing the same thing and I rent so that won’t work, even though it’s the cheapest carpet in the world. So I triple layered grass mats, one folded double and another thick one on tip, it’s all I have, then I put her wooden box thing over top of the grass mats, as she only digs when she’s under something and feels safe. It’s solving the problem; till Mommy runs out of grassmats, YIKES!

[Mikey]

Females have an 80 percent chance of getting uterine cancer by the age of 3. Going through cancer treatments is going to be so much harder than a spay, and its going to cost a lot more. Cancer treatments not only will be much more painful, but it will end in a spay anyway, as they need to remove the cancer. Healing from a spay is much easier than healing from treatments, injections, pain, and on top of it a spay and pain from the spay. Spaying is also likely to help her live longer than if you dont spay her. You really should spay her for her future safety. Just because you know someone who had a lucky bunny does not mean your bun will be nearly as lucky.

For getting her not to be bored, theres a few things you can do. Tons of different toys ranging from toys that can be thrown, to toys that can be chewed, toys to climb on top of, toys to dig through, toys to run through (like tunnels), ect. Food treat balls. You should also be playing with her in ways she enjoys. My buns like to play chase with me, where I will speed walk and theyll follow me around. Sometimes they like when I speed walk and follow them around, too. Laying on the floor so the bunny can jump and play on you. Some bunnies need mental stimulation; consider making a bunny course and running it with her.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By ColorfulBun on 9/24/2017 7:54 AM

The lady that told me that had a rabbit that wasn’t spayed that lived to be thirteen. I’m not going to spay my rabbit… I’m going to spray the areas that she is digging and chewing at with distilled white vinegar and if she keeps it up I might try to keep her inside of her crate for a while until I find another solution. If she’s bored, which I have a feeling she is, what toys should I use to get her playing more? She really doesn’t play that much. I want to find something she’s interested in

So you’re going to ignore the facts (that the majority of females develop cancer) because you know someone that got very, very lucky?  

And you want to keep her in her crate ‘for a while’ if your vinegar trick doesn’t work. What exactly do you mean by that? Are you going to keep her in it for days on end with no time out of it…?

[DanaNM]

Yes, please spay your girl…it is considered a medical necessity for the reasons others have stated. Sorry, you were mis-informed before.

About the digging, block problem areas with heavy ceramic tiles (vinegar won’t do much), and provide alternatives. It’s not enough just to block or deter the problem spots, because she is bored. My dig likes to “dig” and destroy cardboard cat scratchers. Shredding phone books is also fun for her. She also likes to “tunnel” in cardboard boxes stuffed with butcher paper.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Bladesmith]

FWIW, I plan to spay my girls as well, but it is prohibitively expensive (Almost 400 dollars per, here). If anyone has information about low cost spaying and neutering, it would surely help.

[ThorBunny]

Do you have any local rabbit shelters you could contact? I know our local rabbit shelter has a deal with their vet for low-cost spays for the shelter buns. I’ve heard of them helping other rabbit owners out by helping them to get a discount

[Crystalline]

Help!! My bunny has toys and everything she could ask for, but she still chews up my nice shoes and cords (which I always put away, yet she climbs to them and chews them). I am beyond frustrated! I’ve never had such a destructive pet. I love her but she is always moody and ignores her toys because she wants to destroy everything outside of her cage. I’m so sad. I didn’t think she was bored because I socialize with her and so does my boyfriend.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Crystalline on 9/26/2017 10:55 PM

Help!! My bunny has toys and everything she could ask for, but she still chews up my nice shoes and cords (which I always put away, yet she climbs to them and chews them). I am beyond frustrated! I’ve never had such a destructive pet. I love her but she is always moody and ignores her toys because she wants to destroy everything outside of her cage. I’m so sad. I didn’t think she was bored because I socialize with her and so does my boyfriend.

Quite simply, stop her access to the things you don’t want chewing.  If you’re ‘putting them away’ and she still finds them and chews them,  put them somewhere else where she can’t reach. Inside a drawer or something. 

How much time do you spend with her? 

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