Rabbit chewing at night, unsure of what else to do. HELP!

[Lulubug]

New rabbit owner here, I have a 2-3 month old Holland Lop doe, I’ve had her about a week. We’re keeping her in a hutch outside, in our garage, and she does fine until it’s night. We live on a farm and have had problems with coyotes in the past, and we have a fox family that’s been seen around the property, so at night I put her up. Her hutch has two layers, the lower is just a wire frame, and the upper is completely solid, so at night I just close the door to the upper so nothing can get to her. I don’t feel comfortable letting her out at night because I don’t think the lower section could keep out a determined predator (I don’t worry about her during the day because we never have any predators at the house in daylight ), but she doesn’t like being cooped up all night, so she chews on the wood by the door. She has hay and a wooden toy in there with her, so I don’t think she’s chewing out of boredom, I think she’s chewing to get out, because she only chews in that one spot. Is there something I can do about this? We have ‘Chew Stop’ for horses that we use to keep our horses from cribbing, would that work? Does anyone know if that’s dangerous to rabbits? I just don’t want her chewing the hutch to pieces. Any help is appreciated!!!

[Wick & Fable]

“She has hay and a wooden toy in there with her, so I don’t think she’s chewing out of boredom…” — I don’t think this is a good conclusion. As human beings, we can be stuck in a room with a bag of chips and a bouncy ball and still get bored, so keep in mind that just having a toy and hay in the area is not adequate engagement for a rabbit.

“…I think she’s chewing to get out, because she only chews in that one spot.” — probably yes.

I am not familiar with Chew Stop, but I think the most successful thing to do is give her more room. Can you describe the size of this hutch and how long she is in it for? Generally speaking, no hutch– regardless of how many levels it is– is large enough to provide enough room for a rabbit to stay in 24/7. A frustrated rabbit is a destructive rabbit.

I would also be mindful of weather if you’re keeping your rabbit outside. Notably, Binkybunny forums is predominantly indoor-only rabbit owners, so I, as well as others, will recommend, if possible, you housing your rabbit indoors. This mitigates dangerous variables like predators and weather.

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.

[Lulubug]

<p style=”padding-left: 40px;”>I get that, now that I think about it, she really doesn’t show interest in her toy anyways. (Going to buy her something else anyways) She isn’t in her hutch 24/7 I have a pen in the yard I turn her out in for some sunshine and exercise, but it doesn’t have a closed top, so I have to sit out there with her to make sure a hawk doesn’t take her, so she can’t be out there all day. I would LOVE for her to be an inside rabbit, but my parents don’t like indoor animals (which is understandable I guess) so she kinda has to be an outside rabbit. I think I’m just going to have to find something to reinforce the bigger part of the hutch so she can be out all night, because she seems fine with the size during the day when she’s in all of it. Thanks for taking the time to reply!!!</p>

[BZOO]

I definitely would NOT use the Chew stop.  Label says to avoid prolonged exposure to the vapors, which a rabbit would not be able to get away from in a hutch.

Hopefully she can become a house rabbit… problem solved!😃

[Lulubug]

Ok. I would personally LOVE to make her an indoor rabbit, but my parents aren’t really into the whole indoor animal thing. So moving indoors isn’t really an option (and we don’t really have enough space for a rabbit inside) I’ll figure something out I guess, thanks for the advice!

[LBJ10]

I agree that keeping her indoors in an adequately sized enclosure would be the ideal solution. The next best option would be a predator-proof “bunny shed” with an attached run. She could still have free roam of the shed at night, which would give her adequate space.

[Wick & Fable]

You could likely make a nice cover by taking a bit sturdier chicken wire and then maybe using spare wood planks or something to frame it. It would be potentially big/cumbersome, but when a hawk wants a rabbit…. it will get it, regardless if you’re there. Being there is a good deterrent, but it happens very quickly. A benefit of a cover is also you can put a cover on top to provide shade as well.

I think reinforcing so your rabbit has more space in general is a great idea. Rabbits, while small, need a lot of space. Size doesn’t define space needed, just like you wouldn’t keep a human toddler in a tiny space — they need room!

Family dynamics are tough. Something I would encourage you to reflect on and potentially bring up with your parents is having your rabbit indoors, where you can better monitor and control its environment, will likely lead to a better quality of life, which will likely lead to less health problems that would require vet visits and such. Outdoor rabbits can absolutely have fine, healthy lives, but they need reinforced, structured space outside to provide necessary protection and space.

Indeed, if your rabbit is not seeing something as a toy, it is not a toy. You need to find what your rabbit likes to do so it does not grow frustrated.

 

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.

[DanaNM]

It def sounds like boredom to me, so providing lots of “boredom buster” toys in the meantime will help. Some of the big hit chew toys at the shelter are: sea grass mats, organic palm plates, and the “Snak shak”. You can also make newspaper or cardboard mats easily and cheaply, that buns love to shred. A cardboard box turned into a hide and stuffed with paper can also be very entertaining for a bun because they can “burrow” and “redecorate”!

Things like paper towel rolls stuffed with hay (with a few pellets hidden inside), phone books, and fresh edible twigs are also great. You may need to do some experimenting to find a toy that your bun likes. My buns tend to ignore things made of solid wood, they like things that are meant for destruction!

You can reinforce the area she is chewing at by adding a layer of wire mesh hardware cloth. Just be sure there are no sharp edges that could poke her.

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Dana provided some great suggestions. I will also add that you need to balance providing enrichment and also providing space to lounge and roam too — sometimes owners pack their rabbit’s environment so full of stuff that it is towards the rabbit’s detriment space-wise!

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.

[DanaNM]

Very true Wick!  In a smaller hutch you wouldn’t want to cram too many things in!

. . . 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.  

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