If you’re finding stuffs about how can you stop bunnies from destroying around your garden and home? Or they shouldn’t be, don’t worry! Here, through this article you will get to know all possible things about how to stop rabbits from chewing along with their reasons and prevention with ease.
Rabbits are more notorious about chewing and digging. If you are bunny’s owner, then most of time you get notice that they like to chew on everything, including chairs, baseboards, beds, rugs, and so on.
You can check several online forums, where you will see about few rabbit lovers is getting to experience this issue from the beginning. It could be annoying and frustrating concern for you.
But, having good news! You can prevent and control to nature of bunny chewing and digging. In this piece of content, you will take the proper solutions about this problem.
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Why Do Rabbits Like to Chew? Essential Reasons
Here, we will show you various essential reasons that why rabbits like to chew in own hutches or cages:
Dental Health
Rabbits have teeth that growing continuously in their span lives. Chewing nature helps to wear down their teeth. So, bunnies can prevent them from becoming too long, and developing dental problems like overgrowth or malocclusion.
Also Read: How to Clip Rabbits Nails? You Should Be Known
When, bunnies have chewing with constant grinding action on fibrous stuffs, such as hay and grass. As resulting this process, rabbits can maintain proper dental alignment and health.
Foraging Instinct
In the wild, rabbits spend the large amount of time for finding a food. Hence, with chewing process, bunnies can break down tough plant materials to access nutrients.
Domestic rabbits also retain this process as finding the food. Chewing on hay, pellets, and leafy greens provides the mental stimulation. It helps to satisfy their natural urge to search for food.
Stress Relief
Whenever, they get feel anxious or bored. Then, they can turn to chewing to alleviate their feelings.
When, rabbits are showing engagement in chewing activities, then, it can help rabbits release tension, promoting relaxation and reducing stress levels.
Exploration and Curiosity
Rabbits are naturally curious animals that love to explore their environment. Chewing process helps to rabbits for investigating the different textures, objects, and surfaces.
With involving of chewing activities, rabbits can learn about their surroundings, satisfy their curiosity, and showing engagement in playful exploration.
Natural Instincts
Chewing is an innate behavior for rabbits. It’s hardwired into their biology and serves various purposes in their daily lives.
From a young age, rabbits instinctively chew on objects as part of their development and adaptation to their environment.
Social Communication
Chewing is a part of social communication among of rabbits. When, they have chewing on objects, then release the scent marks from their scent glands.
These scent marks help to convey information about their presence, territory, and social status to other rabbits in your area.
Enrichment and Mental Stimulation
Rabbits get the mental stimulation and enrichment by using Chewing activities. It is also helpful for them to occupy their time and engage their minds.
Various kinds of chewing toys are available in the market. These enrichment items help to bunnies for keeping mentally level and prevent boredom.
Teething
Like as other mammals, young rabbits also get pass through a teething phase. So, they can get bad experience as their milk teeth are replaced by permanent adult teeth.
Rabbit get relief in teething with chewing process. It also provides the relief to their sore gums; and facilitating the natural shedding of milky teeth.
Physical Exercise
Chewing is a physically engaging activity for rabbits. It involves the movement of their jaw muscles and promotes healthy muscle tone.
Engaging in chewing activities, particularly on tough or fibrous materials, provides rabbits with a form of low-impact exercise.
Common Chewing and Digging Targets
Common chewing and digging targets and removing temptations:
Also Read: Do Rabbits Sweat? Unravelling Mystery of Rabbit Physiology
Wooden Objects: Rabbits can chew on wooden hutches, baseboards, walls, furniture legs, and other wooden items.
Plants: Rabbits may chew on plants that can be toxic to them. Keep plants out of reach.
Electrical Cords: Rabbits and dogs can chew on electrical cords, posing a risk of electrocution or fire. Conceal electrical cords underneath carpets, behind furniture, or within PVC piping.
Loose Carpet Edges, Rugs, and Pillows: Rabbits may dig on loose carpet edges, rugs, and pillows. If possible, should keep away these items from your rabbits’ reach.
Plastic, Metallic, or Cloth Items: Rabbits may chew on various items, including plastic, metallic, or cloth objects. Be mindful of potential chewing targets in your rabbits’ environment.
Food Dispensing Toys: These can help motivate rabbits to work for their food and exercise simultaneously.
Cardboard: Rabbits will instinctively crawl into tunnels, and providing a safe and engaging play area.
Tossing Toys: Rabbits naturally like to toss small objects, especially if they make sounds. You can provide the tossing toys that help satisfy their natural instincts.
Sisal Toys: These are great for safely satisfying your rabbit’s natural chewing tendencies. They come in various shapes and sizes, including mats, baskets, and carrot-shaped toys.
Wooden Toys: Rabbits often enjoy toys made out of apple or peach wood. It can provide a safe and engaging chewing option.
Phone Books: Nontoxic phone books made with soy-based inks can be great toys for rabbits to chew on and explore.
How Can You Prevent Your Bunny Chewing in Your House & Garden?
To prevent your bunny from chewing in your house and garden, follow these steps:
Also Read: Can Rabbits Live with Chickens? Share a Hutch or Coop
Provide Chew Toys and Alternatives: Rabbits need to chew to keep their teeth healthy. So, you can offer them safe chew toys, branches, and sticks.
Rotate Chew Toys: Replace chew toys at regularly to keep your rabbit interested. You should introduce new toys to keep them engaged.
Praise Good Behaviour: you can give reward your rabbit with positive attention and treats, when they chew on appropriate items.
Play with Your Rabbit: Make regular interaction with your rabbit. It can help keep them occupied and reduce destructive behavior.
Bitter Apple Spray: If blocking access to certain areas is not possible. You can use bitter apple spray to deter your rabbit from chewing.
Rabbit-Proof Your Home and Garden: Identify and remove potential chewing targets, such as electrical cords, plants, and loose carpet edges.
Provide Enough Space: Allow your rabbit to roam in a rabbit-proofed area to reduce boredom and stress.
Neutering or Spaying: Spay or neuter your rabbit to reduce hormonal chewing behaviour, especially in younger rabbits.
Monitor Your Rabbit: You should regularly observe your rabbit. Make ensure they are not chewing on inappropriate items.
Feed Your Rabbit a Balanced Diet: You have to feed your bunnies to plenty of hay, which is their natural food. This diet can help keep their teeth ground down.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How Do You Stop a Rabbit Chewing on its Hutch or Cage?
You should provide chewing alternatives options like wooden chew toys, cardboard boxes, willow sticks, timothy hay, and grass mats. Rotate toys to keep your rabbit interested and increase your success rate. You can also use safe deterrents like bitter sprays designed specifically for pets.
Can I Use Anti-Chewing Sprays to Stop My Pet Rabbit from Chewing on Things?
Anti-chewing sprays can be effective methods. But, they may not work for all rabbits, because some rabbits may not be deterred by the taste or smell.
What Can You use Vinegar to Deter Bunny from chewing?
Yes! You can use vinegar as a deterrent. But, it may not be as effective as other options like bitter apple spray.
How Can I Train My Rabbit to Stop from Chewing?
You can start by blocking access to the areas your rabbit tends to chew, and providing wooden blocks to deter your rabbit from nibbling on plastic. You can also use deterrent sprays that designed specifically for pets.
Final Remarks
Now, we can hope that you have been taken necessary information about how to get a bunny to stop chewing and digging around your home and garden. If this article is valuable for you, then please share it along with your friends, family members, pet lovers or relatives over social media platforms like as Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Twitter, and more.
Also Read: Do Rabbits Hibernate in The Winter? Yes or Not! Complete Guide
If you have any experience, tips, tricks, or query regarding on this? You can drop a comment!
Have a Nice Day!!
