Technically not horsey... Bunnies

Lippyx

Lippyx

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Sorry if this is in the wrong bit...

I have two 20 wks old lion head bunnies (both bucks). They are fab, and seem happy enough. They have hay and straw as forage, plus they normally get a form of greens (whether it be lettuce, dandelion leaves or spinach) in the morning, along with a small selection of fruit (grapes, blueberries, strawberries etc) Plus they have a variety of chew toys.

I have noticed they are now chewing on their hutch, and I have to get my OH to actually repair a part of it soon, where they have chewed so much. I never see them chew it, and it is only down stairs (they have a double hutch), so they only do it during the day, as at night they are kept upstairs.

My question is, is there anything I can spray or rub onto the wood, to help prevent them from chewing it? Vinegar? And do you have any ideas for boredom breakers I can make at home (the shop bought ones can be so expensive!)

Cheers guys!

Lx
 
We give our chinchillas a small log of applewood to chew on. I think they need it as their teeth grow and aren't controlled by the artificial diet we give them.

For the hutch, have you got anything that you would use for your horse? At least then you would know it is animal safe.
 
I will see if I can get some apple wood. I don't know of anyone who has a mature apple tree that I could nab a few braches from, so where could I get some?

I don't have a horse my self, and they only thing I knew we use to use was Cresoap (sp). I looked on Google, and I saw some people suggest rubbing lemon on the wood, or spraying vinegar.
 
I used to breed and show lionheads for about 4 years, they are sweet little things! Please PLEASE don't give them lettuce as it can cause digestional upset because it is too watery. Iceberg lettuce is the worst and can cause diarrhea, which maybe fatal.

Unfortuantely rabbits naturally have to chew to wear down their teeth. Try adding a few fruit tree (non-poisonous) sticks/branches. They will love the leaves and have lots of fun shredding the bark.
 
Lippyx said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong bit...

They have hay and straw as forage, plus they normally get a form of greens (whether it be lettuce, dandelion leaves or spinach) in the morning, along with a small selection of fruit (grapes, blueberries, strawberries etc) Plus they have a variety of chew toys.

Lx
Click to expand...

Giving hay & straw to your bunnies is great, it's far better for them to have this than hard feed. A very small amount of hard feed i.e. egg cup full is fine but forage is what they need. Do not give them lettuce & certainly not grapes, these can prove fatal to them as has been mentioned by a previous poster. From memory strawberries & blueberries are not good for them either. There are plenty of books around that ill give you information as to what they can eat & more important what they should not be allowed to eat.

Rabbits are habitual gnawers, it's unlikely you will be able to stop them chewing their hutch & becareful what you put on the wood because it ciould be harmful to them. Leave pieces of fruit wood arouns for them to chew on. Prunings from apple & pear trees is fine. That may divert them from the hutch.
 
Bunnies tend to be a bit destructive in my experience, if there is something you don't want them to nibble thats what they go for! Apple twigs are good. Mine also get plum and pear.
However I would expect fighting from 2 bucks as the hormones kick in, worth looking at getting them the snip.
 
In my experience some prefer a fixed thing to chew as they don’t use their paws to hold things down in the way e.g. a dog will. Suggest fixing some of the chew toys/recommended woods to the cage near where they are chewing to distract them.

On the two bucks together thing: I’ve known it work once with a pair of brothers together since birth but at a certain age most will fight in quite a terrifying manner. Personally I’d invest in another cage now so that you can have them next to each other (and taking turns at out of cage play time) but not actually together if necessary. You can always e-bay it if they make it through puberty as friends. I wouldn’t subject a rabbit to the snip to keep them together longer term as their recovery rates from anaesthesia are lousy compared to other species.

Lovely pets though :-)

NB: with bucks watch out for when they start spraying at you… like with horses it can be friendly… but you might get wet ankles!
 
We have a fantastic spray, for all pets that also works on horses up at the yard, only cheap from local pet shop. Will get the name of it later for you. Then make sure they have something else to chew instead. Really though rabbits are better with a covered run with a shelter at one end during the day & only in the garden at night. Most pets chew out of boredom if they are kept cooled up a lot.
 
I think they probably need a change of environment. Can you put them in a run during the day time and back in the hutch at night?
 
Please tell me they don't live in their hutch 24/7?! Almost everyone thinks keeping a horse in a stable 24/7 for it's whole life is cruel, yet think nothing of doing it to a rabbit!? And most hutchs are FAR too small.

They're probably bored out their minds and desperate to get out. Most hutched rabbits are. Make them into indoor bunnies so they get much more stimulation
 
Please, please, please be careful about keeping two male bunnies together if they are entire, I made this mistake and a couple of years later found one of them dead. His brother killed him :(
 
I know they are expensive but the eglu hutches are great as allow 24/7 access to the run and with it being plastic if you give them other wooden things to chew they will more than likely go for that-

http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.ph...roduct_id=211&product_name=Rabbit+Eglu+Purple

I got the cube for my hens after having numerous probs with the wood rotting/ red mite and wouldn't have ant thing else. You can pick them up 2nd hand off eBay x
 
Thanks for the response. With regards to the fruit and veg I feed them, I did look into this, and read that dark leaf lettuce was ok (romaine etc) and grapes, strawberries and blueberries were OK too! Got me worried now. Their poos aren't runny or anything??

Two bucks living together, they are brothers, and, years ago we always had bucks (not sure why?) and they all got on fine (and they weren't brothers). They will be getting the chop though! One is ready pretty much now, the other though, has only dropped 1 testicle that I could see when having a look, so will have to keep an eye on him.

They do go out in a run for a few hours a day, but can't leave them out as I would be worried about foxes etc getting in, or them digging out! Their hutch is big (5 ft) and like I say its two storeys.

Before I got them, I did honestly do my homework, and make sure I got a big enough hutch etc, I didn't see them in a shop and think I want them! They are from a reputable breeder.

I will get some fruit branches and try to invent some toys. xx
 
Please dont feed them lettuce :(

Local pet stores will do chew toys. I worked for pets at home and they do plenty of tasty chews to discourage cage chewing.

Letting them out in a run will help too. Rabbits need to gnaw to keep there teeth down. Plenty of forage, chews and time out will all help save your cage!
 
We always picked wild plants for our rabbits, my parents kept rabbits in the war & thats what they always did, so as children we learned what to pick & now do the same for my guinea pig. There is loads of stuff they can eat, if you can't identify the plants there must be some books or something online with pictures, rabbits love this food & its close to their natural diet if they were mooching about in the wild. Dandelions, vetch, dead nettles, hogweed, plantain, yarrow, groundsel etc, my guinea gets a good handful every day along with carrots, apples etc & his mix & hay, he has a glossy coat & is very healthy. Before you all jump on me he lives by himself because his mate died & was quite perky & happy on his own. He comes indoors into our bedroom at night, & goes in his run during the day. By the way, if you go picking be careful where you pick, so no dog wee or agricultural sprays on the plants, & buttercups are poisonous.
 
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