Rabbit chewing EVERYTHING!!!

[sally]

Ok so most of you saw my other post where ive recently got this 5mth old rabbit, well she has gone destructive to the max! Her room is the spare room in an old travel cot, well it used to be, I have had visitors here for a few days and she has pee’d and pooped all over their bed several times. She is now out in the hallway in her old cage. But also she has chewed so many wires!! Im lucky to be online at all , th cable is hanging by a thread got a guy coming to replace it today and its costing the earth! She chewed my landline phone..again, she chewed my friends mobile charger into many pieces and 10minutes after putting a new landline phone in she tried to have a go at that one! Managed to save it this time . Im off on holiday for 10days 2moro leaving my partner behind i dont think im going to have a home!!

 

I have decided that unfortunatly she will have to stay in her cage all day until my son goes to bed, to prevent her getting to the internet cables as they in his room,

 

I just hope this is hormones and once i return and get her spayed she will calm. Am I right? Or is she just a micheivious little madam, I have even made her toys and she has things to chew but doesnt pay attention to them at all !!

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Oh dear they are sooo destructive arent they. All my rabbits have been like that. Peppa and Georgie are getting better and do respond to “NO” but they try again a few mins later and it is soooo repetitive and they manage to do the wall paper in the only room we have it in and sometimes i dont catch them in time.
Infact i might hire them and the cats out as wallpaper removers lol xx
I dont know if peppa and georgie have got better because i keep saying no and giving them card or whether they have just settled down and are spayed now. I suppose it is prob both. I do feel for you…
My friend has an un neutred male who normally lives out of the living room but she has started bringing him in to play and cuddle etc and he never poos or does anything wrong, but i think as he isnt normally in there he doesnt feel as comfortable to wreck the place like it is home sort of thing lol xx I think spaying will make her better and she will grow out of it a little xx

[RabbitPam]

Well, it sounds like you are ready to do some serious bunny proofing around the house.

First, I’m sorry to say that she will always be tempted to chew, though it will ease up in her adulthood. Therefore, I would urge you to go to the top green banner here on this page and hover your mouse over the BUNNY INFO section. On that menu you will see Bunny Proofing Your Home. I think you will gain helpful suggestions there.

One thing to do immediately is to wipe down the areas she is attracted to with vinegar, but DO NOT leave any exposed wires. Don’t touch them with any damp cloth either. You can use electricians tape to wrap the spots where there are teeth marks but no breaks in the wire.

Available at both Radio Shack and Walmarts are tubes that can go around wires that will protect them from a bunny chewing. I got a few fatter, wider tubes and was able to wrap several together out of the computer. Very good for lamp cords and phone lines, too.

But I have found it necessary to use some NIC cubes in front of my computer set up as a little fence so the bunny simply has no access to the computer space at all. Kind of like a baby gate, which also works well in blocking bunnies from forbidden zones. You have to make certain spaces off limits.

I know this is a lot to do just before you leave town, so I’d suggest that she be in her cage and let out into limited rooms, such as the bathroom, for exercise and play time.
She is feeling that her turf, your home, is invaded, and the peeing/pooing is her way of saying to your guests “This is MY house.” That will pass when they leave but again, shutting the door to their space is the quickest solution. Let her run through a long hallway if you have one, gated at each end.
Have a good trip, and don’t worry. This can be fixed.

[sally]

Thankyou ou have given me faith that she will or can be calmed, at the minute ive left rules for my partner to not let her out until son in bed so she can run around the hallway as it is pretty long, we were gonna get some cable tidys but they are quite thin so will probably double or triple up on those !!! Thanks for advice and ill check the green banner now aswell : )

[sibley]

SALLY! I posted this separately but I just realized you could use it.

http://ithaca.craigslist.org/pet/1201458896.html

It’s a Cornell study about destructive rabbit chewing. I suspect they might be able to do a long distance version or at least give you suggestions.

[Beka27]

Buns can certainly be destructive. I agree that you’ll need to bunny-proof the areas she’s allowed to play in. It might be necessary to closely supervise her during playtime as well so you can redirect her to an acceptable activity.

[bunnytowne]

OH my your little furred friend is being very very mischievious.   ouch.  I am sure you are busy bunny proofing

 

[Karla]

I know how you feel.

I just wanted to make a comment about the spaying, which you ask if might help – well, here it has actually had quite the opposite effect. Karl was very naughty at the age of 5 months and then he calmed down. Now that he has just been neutered, he is naughty x 100! He has become hyperactive and looking for trouble constantly – he doesn’t even care if we are standing next to him now when he starts biting shoes and eating shoe laces. We joke that he has had a near death experience at the Vet and now want to live life fully

Regarding cables then I noticed that only those that are sort of in the way will get biten. So he doesn’t mind them, if they are on the floor close to the wall – but if they are behind a closet or something like that, then they are in his way and he will bite them (apparently, thinking they are nasty tree roots that must be destroyed). So I just moved some of the cables, so that they are not “in the way” when he wants to pass this particular place. You might try that? Other than that we have not rabbitproofed the cables.

And yes, I have lost 4 mobile chargers within a month, so I know the pain! And I have thrown out 4 pairs of shoes – but I keep telling my boyfriend that this is just a good way for us to learn to always keep a very tidy home! Got to look at it from the bright side, I guess.

[BinkyBunny]

Karla – it can take several weeks (some say even up to six) for the hormones to die down. I’m not sure how long ago your guy was neutered, butif it was just recently, he may have stepped up his game if he was uncomfortable after surgery. Otherwise, you might be the lucky owner of destructo bun, but hopefully soon he will at least calm down a little.

Young bunnies though remind me of puppies – they can get into lots of trouble!

[Adalaide]

If you use the tubing that was suggested, be sure to check it daily to make sure it’s intact. Freya is very attracted to it and can’t resist eating it. I’m in the process of upgrading our bunny proofing. We partly protected some with the NIC grids and will be running the rest of our wires through pvc piping.

[sally]

Hi All thanks for all suggestions, I got back from holiday and it seems poor bunny wasnt even let out of her room the whole time I was away (10 days) And he hadnt changed her bedding! She was very happy to see me, and i gave her cage a good clean out and she seemed gratefull! I have used some old place mats for the time being against corners where there are wires, seem to have it under control now, she was just so happy to be let out of her room anyway she was just “binkying” all over!!

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Arrr you never know she might think that the 10 days was punishment and be on her bestest behaviour now lol bless xx

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