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bar chewing help needed :/

xx-snowball-xx

Wise Old Thumper
i'm worried about bubbles.
ever since i gave them free-range time yesterday, bubbles has been bar chewing like crazy :?

they have a 6.5 foot x 2.5 foot pen attached to a 4 foot x 3 foot crate.

yesterday they had about 4 hours out.

today was about 6 hours.

i don't know what to do.

there are plenty of toys in the cage, tunnels, hidey holes.
lots of hay.
foraging bags and a foraging type ball thing that you stuff hay and treats inside

i don't know how to stop her from being so frustrated :(
any ideas?
i feel so sorry for her :(
(having full time free-range is just not an option. neither is adding to the space, there is no room to add another pen or crate)

the toys are mainly in the crate, i have left the pen part mainly free space to move around in.
 
Both Matilda and Gracie do this! they like the freedom! and once they know they can get it, they will bite constantly, I just ignore it as best I can! annoying when its at 3am tho! x
 
Buckley does this when he's seen his food on the other side and can't get to it. Can she see a pellet bag?

Also, if she only does it in one place drape a towel over the pen. Not only does it distract from whatever she might be seeing that she wants, it distracts from frustration because there's a new exciting cave!!!
 
My rabbits have a 5ft x 13ft area in a walk in run, with lots of toys and tunnels, but bugsy will still chew at the wire of the door, tugs it, rattles it until I let him out to free range! Once they know there is a big outdoors, they'll keep letting you know that is where they want to be :lol:
 
thanks guys, i feel better knowing it's not just her :lol:
i feel so sad for her, until the last few days, she was so happy. now she just seems to feel trapped :(


Buckley does this when he's seen his food on the other side and can't get to it. Can she see a pellet bag?

Also, if she only does it in one place drape a towel over the pen. Not only does it distract from whatever she might be seeing that she wants, it distracts from frustration because there's a new exciting cave!!!

the only thing she can see is the sofa opposite her.

it's the exact same place she chews, the area where the door is, so i will have a go at draping it with the towel and see if that helps.

when i go back into work, i'm going to have less time at home :( how is she gonna cope then :( will have to sort something and find a way to make the living space bigger before i start work i think
 
Mini used to chew the dog crate bars despite there being the door open the other end to the entire room :roll::roll:
 
Digs will do bar chewing,throw bowl around and just have a right strop if he's not out when he wants to be :lol: hes out free ranging in the flat all day,everyday but still chew abit when he's put to bed.
 
To stop Muffin biting his bars (he was usually out freeranging at the time and would go up to the crate which has his littertray and stuff in with the door taken off and chew the bars :roll: :D) I hung one of those wooden garlands to the spot he was chewing which stopped him
 
Sea will do this, although the bars she chews are the ones fencing off the sofa - she has the complete house to wander around:roll:.

She was found as a stray, so I don't know her history, but something like bar chewing is a learnt behaviour from times when they have been, or felt, confined and have been bored and chewed to get out.

Is there an option to move them outside to a nice big area? Whilst some rabbits love being house rabbits, some prefer living outside.
 
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