Solution Problem

[LopLover]

So basically, Igloo has developed a bad habit of moving his pen. He’s very strong, a lot stronger than I would think a minilop could be. He puts his nose through the bars of his x-pen and pushes until he gets the pen to move. I’ve found him able to push the pen as much as three feet from its original spot. He mostly does this right before his playtime, because he’s anxious to get out. He gets about four hours out of his pen on weekdays, and six on weekends. Since I started school, I can’t be around to watch him all the time, and because he’s still very curious about everything, and likes to pee on my bed when given the chance, he’s not to be trusted alone. 

So, to combat the moving pen trick, I placed a set of twenty pound weights on the side of the pen that is not against a wall. It worked for awhile, but then he discovered that the weights make an excellent scratching and chewing toy. The weights are not rubber coated, they’re metal. I’ve checked his teeth and nails, and they’re not chipped or pulled out (something I worry about since I discovered he pulled out one of his nails as a baby, still no idea how it happened, and it never slowed him down or seemed to bother him, healed on its own and a new nail is beginning to grow in nicely). But, I’m still concerned that the weight gnawing could be bad for him somehow. His mouth is too small to fit around the weight plate, so he ends up lightly scraping his teeth/nails against it. I would assume that if it hurt him, he would stop, but who knows? What do you all think?

[Berea]

It’s possible for him to chip his tooth doing that, although I don’t think you have much to worry about. Try keeping some chew toys in his cage. My go-tos are apple wood sticks, paper towel rolls, or baby toys.

[Author]

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