What to give a rabbit who only wants what he shouldn't have?

Hello,

I am new to rabbits and have only had Dexter just over a month. Dexter is about 3 months old and lives with me and my husband in our apartment.

Before we got Dexter I researched what toys etc rabbits liked as I didn't want him to be bored. Cardboard of any kind seemed to be the most common answer so I collected toilet rolls and boxes etc as well as making sure he has 2 bits of wood to chew on and plenty of space to run.

The problem is he is not the slightest bit interested in the toilet rolls or the wood, or anything for that matter. What he is interested in is the skirting boards and all the table legs as well as any wires of course!!

Yesterday I filled a box with toilet rolls and paper and stuffed hay in some of the toilet rolls etc and left it in his favorite spot for him to find but he barely even gave it a glance.

He loves following me around especially If I am going in to a room where the door is usually shut...his favourite room is the bathroom for some reason. Our washing machine broke down the other day and flooded. Later that day he followed me in there and I noticed he started to re-arrange the towels I had put down to mop up the water (very cute to watch!) so I collected some old towels and put them in the lounge so he could re-arrange them...he's not interested

Today I went out and left him out of his cage but in a restricted area of the flat so he can still run around. We have been doing this for the past week with no incident but today I returned to find that he had ripped a huge chunk of wall paper off the wall behind the sofa and there were also a lot of droppings. I don't think he had eaten any as there was paper in a huge pile next to him. I was furious and promptly put him in his cage but I don't think he really understood why. He has never done this before and can only think that he was either bored or cross that I had gone out and left him. To be honest I hate the wallpaper anyway and don't care about that, what I am worried about is him eating the glue used to attach it to the wall

I just don't know what to do to keep him amused and stop him eating things he's not supposed to and any suggestions are more that gratefully received!!!!

Thank you

Jo

To be fair he won't know why he's been put in his cage - I'm not having a go I have to remind myself of this when ny two are up to no good! You sound like you're trying really hard and they're things I'd do too. I have an issue with wallpaper chewing. Only thing we do is put cushions in the popular chew areas when they're out but they always have supervision anyway so not sure this would work for you. I also bought a cheap puppy pen for £20 and have opened it out so it's flat against our 'problem' areas (tv/cables) again supervised but is perfect for stopping any accidents with wires..I reckon you could get the same thing and lean it on your walls but that could be rather unsightly.
I saw your other thread by the way and Dexter is gorgeous :-D
Hope that's of some help anyway! !

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Springfield24 said:

To be fair he won't know why he's been put in his cage - I'm not having a go I have to remind myself of this when ny two are up to no good! You sound like you're trying really hard and they're things I'd do too. I have an issue with wallpaper chewing. Only thing we do is put cushions in the popular chew areas when they're out but they always have supervision anyway so not sure this would work for you. I also bought a cheap puppy pen for £20 and have opened it out so it's flat against our 'problem' areas (tv/cables) again supervised but is perfect for stopping any accidents with wires..I reckon you could get the same thing and lean it on your walls but that could be rather unsightly.
I saw your other thread by the way and Dexter is gorgeous :-D
Hope that's of some help anyway! !

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Thank you I think the puppy pen against the wall is a good idea Dexter would probably eat the cushion or find a way of moving it :lol:

Dexter sounds like a character

Is he neutered? Usually, neutering goes some way to calming bunnies down. It's good to get it done anyway, so that he isn't ruled by his hormones as that can be frustrating for them. At 3 months he might be able to be done soon, worth asking your vet about

He won't understand why he's being put back in the cage, and it's possible that this is contributing to his frustration as well. Is there any way you can leave the cage open all the time (Springfield24's suggestion of a puppy pen is a great idea). You can see lots of really great setup ideas in the housing sticky to give you some inspiration: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?304613-Indoor-Housing. Rabbits need at least 44 square feet of space to run around in ideally.

Once you've got the setup sorted out, another way to keep him occupied would be to consider getting him a friend (once he's neutered of course). A spayed female would be the best partner.

Good luck

AnnieElms said:

Dexter sounds like a character

Is he neutered? Usually, neutering goes some way to calming bunnies down. It's good to get it done anyway, so that he isn't ruled by his hormones as that can be frustrating for them. At 3 months he might be able to be done soon, worth asking your vet about

He won't understand why he's being put back in the cage, and it's possible that this is contributing to his frustration as well. Is there any way you can leave the cage open all the time (Springfield24's suggestion of a puppy pen is a great idea). You can see lots of really great setup ideas in the housing sticky to give you some inspiration: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?304613-Indoor-Housing. Rabbits need at least 44 square feet of space to run around in ideally.

Once you've got the setup sorted out, another way to keep him occupied would be to consider getting him a friend (once he's neutered of course). A spayed female would be the best partner.

Good luck

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He is not neutered yet but we will do when he is old enough i think

He does have his cage open all of the time as quite frankly i don't think it is big enough for him to live in all of the time. He can stretch out in it and there is just enough room for him to hop about but basically it's there for him to go to the toilet and eat his hay. That said he does go and lie in there of his own free will sometimes. The only time I shut him on there is if he is misbehaving I have spoken to my husband about getting a bigger one this but he says as the end aim is for Dexter to have free run of the apartment then there is no point. When one of us his home he can go wherever he likes apart from one or two rooms which have plants etc in there. Our apartment is pretty big (about 155 square meters i think) and he has the run of about 60% of it, if we are both out then we close off about 60% of it but he still has a lot of room to run about which wasn't a problem until he started his decorating career :lol:

I have considered moving his cage and giving him his own room but the room would be at the other end of the flat to where the living room etc is and I don't think he would like that

How about the cuttings from an apple tree or similar?

If Ludo is being naughty then I give him an apple stick and he spends ages chewing that instead.

Rabbits don't learn discipline, they do what they want to basically! So like the others said he won't understand why he is being shut away and he probably never will.

Things to curb the behaviour while waiting for his castration will be more effective than shutting him away because tbh it won't do anything but annoy him :lol: With the toilet roll tubes stuffed with hay, stick some pellets in there too so he has something to forage for. Tunnels, boxes with holes cut in, platforms and maybe an indoor digging box? (I use a dog bed with old towels and blanket rags in), attach some cardboard or carpet squares to the top of his cage and put a blanket over so he can sit/lie on there without getting a leg stuck, rabbits love to survey their kingdom.

Hesperus said:

How about the cuttings from an apple tree or similar?

If Ludo is being naughty then I give him an apple stick and he spends ages chewing that instead.

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Thank you, I will definitely try. Not sure where to get this from in Italy but I am coming back to the UK in a couple of days and I feel a bit of a Dexter splurge coming on

Aly&Poppy<3 said:

Rabbits don't learn discipline, they do what they want to basically! So like the others said he won't understand why he is being shut away and he probably never will.

Things to curb the behaviour while waiting for his castration will be more effective than shutting him away because tbh it won't do anything but annoy him :lol: With the toilet roll tubes stuffed with hay, stick some pellets in there too so he has something to forage for. Tunnels, boxes with holes cut in, platforms and maybe an indoor digging box? (I use a dog bed with old towels and blanket rags in), attach some cardboard or carpet squares to the top of his cage and put a blanket over so he can sit/lie on there without getting a leg stuck, rabbits love to survey their kingdom.

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Funnily enough he hasn't gone anywhere near the wall paper today... or last night for that matter! Do rabbits throw tantrums? Could this have been the reason?

These are brilliant ideas thank you!! For the digging box... do i just put towels in it? I am a bit worried about him ingesting bit of the fabric as he does like to chew clothes...I have the jumper and jeans to prove it :lol:

TBH when i put him in his cage he just puts on his best 'I am a neglected rabbit and you don't understand me' look and 10 minutes later he is out again. It's really hard not to sometimes though, especially when he won't stop chewing my guitar :hop: :hop: :lol:

Thank you again!

justjo said:

Funnily enough he hasn't gone anywhere near the wall paper today... or last night for that matter! Do rabbits throw tantrums? Could this have been the reason?

These are brilliant ideas thank you!! For the digging box... do i just put towels in it? I am a bit worried about him ingesting bit of the fabric as he does like to chew clothes...I have the jumper and jeans to prove it :lol:

TBH when i put him in his cage he just puts on his best 'I am a neglected rabbit and you don't understand me' look and 10 minutes later he is out again. It's really hard not to sometimes though, especially when he won't stop chewing my guitar :hop: :hop: :lol:

Thank you again!

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I suppose you can call them tantrums, it's those blasted hormones :lol:

Yeah I just put towels in, my boys dig them and make little nests, if they get too hairy I shake them off and they're easy to wash You could trial him with a towel or 2 just on the floor to dig at and see if he's chewing it, as long as he isn't digesting any of it then he should be fine

Aly&Poppy<3 said:

I suppose you can call them tantrums, it's those blasted hormones :lol:

Yeah I just put towels in, my boys dig them and make little nests, if they get too hairy I shake them off and they're easy to wash You could trial him with a towel or 2 just on the floor to dig at and see if he's chewing it, as long as he isn't digesting any of it then he should be fine

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Just wanted to say thanks. I put the pellets with the hay in the toilet rolls like you said and then put them in his cardboard box and he spend ages in there before emerging looking very pleased with himself. He hasn't given the dig tray a second look but more importantly, he hasn't touched the wall paper again!!

Have you considered getting him neutered and then getting him a bunny friend?

Our of interest - does he bite the skirting boards and wallpaper when you're not giving him attention? I say this because, altho my two rabbits aren't house rabbits, they do come in every night to play... and if I don't give them (Rupert mainly :roll: ) my full 100% undivided attention, he starts pulling carpet up, biting furniture etc etc, but if I sit on the floor with him, he's fine!

I do think you can teach them discipline to an extent - Rupert knows what no! in a stern voice means, and he does stop (but only for me!).

Don't buy the packaged wood toys and chews, they're so dry (my two just look in disgust), Fluffers sell apple sticks - mine love them, also, try the hay experts - they do a basket which my two absolutely love, its good for their teeth and keeps them busy

My two are like Dexter - they won't play with toilet roll tubes or anythign they 'should' :roll:

ETA: Has he got a pellet ball (like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B0009586P2/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1387371058&sr=8-1 ) mine have one each, and it can keep them busy for ages (if i need to do something i put few pellets in and close the lid - keeps them busy even longer cos the pellets don't run out!)

Have you considered getting him neutered and then getting him a bunny friend? He is only 3 months old so not have not had him neutered yet. I would eventually like to get him a friend but need to convince my husband first!

Our of interest - does he bite the skirting boards and wallpaper when you're not giving him attention? Yes but if I sit on the floor that will only distract him enough to come over and investigate before going back to what he was doing. He has only ripped the wallpaper that one time so far so fingers crossed he won't do it again.

I do think you can teach them discipline to an extent I think so too. I am fairly sure he understands NO and he definitely understands NO and one step of my foot :lol: It only works for a very short period of time though!

Don't buy the packaged wood toys and chews, they're so dry (my two just look in disgust), Fluffers sell apple sticks - mine love them, also, try the hay experts - they do a basket which my two absolutely love, its good for their teeth and keeps them busy My husbands parents brought down a lovely log from the woods where they live which he studiously ignores...until today that is. Today he just would not stop chewing anything and everything bar his piece of wood no matter what I did so I have shut him in his cage with this piece of wood (normally I would leave it in his favorite spot) after ignoring it for 5 minutes he is now going at it with both teeth and claws and has been for the past 10/15 minutes :lol:

ETA: Has he got a pellet ball (like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...7371058&sr=8-1 ) mine have one each, and it can keep them busy for ages (if i need to do something i put few pellets in and close the lid - keeps them busy even longer cos the pellets don't run out!) No I don't. He will LOVE this, Dexter would move heaven and earth for his pellets so I am going to order it right now

Thank you!!

:lol: he sounds like such a character, you'll have such fun with him - you'll learn that 'full of character' means naughty!!! every vet we've seen says rupert is full of character :lol:

The balls are honestly the best things i've ever bought for the rabbits - Rupert will literally chase it round all day and all night if it has even one pellet rattling inside it! Tia...well, she just picks it up and bangs it off the wall to empty it, or follows rupert round picking the ones he leaves :lol:

Rupert & Tia said:

:lol: he sounds like such a character, you'll have such fun with him - you'll learn that 'full of character' means naughty!!! every vet we've seen says rupert is full of character :lol:

The balls are honestly the best things i've ever bought for the rabbits - Rupert will literally chase it round all day and all night if it has even one pellet rattling inside it! Tia...well, she just picks it up and bangs it off the wall to empty it, or follows rupert round picking the ones he leaves :lol:

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:lol::lol::lol: That is so funny!

Yup, Dexter is definitely full to bursting with character...little fluffy monster!!

Buster is the exact same.
The first few days we had him- good as gold.
Then his reign of terror began :evil:
He's had the wallpaper off and the plaster underneath, chewed the phone cable in half, nearly pulled the christmas tree down, got on the bookcase and ate the books, chewed a hole in the curtain- you name it that little so and so has done it :lol:
When we got him we also got him a load of toys that of course he never plays with. He's had jingle balls, treat balls, soft toys, chewing toys, he hardly plays with any of them.

He lives in the kitchen which is baby gated and is the best room for him because there's very little he can do. The walls are painted rather than papered so he doesn't do anything with them. No carpet to chew any more (there was a little carpet on the step which lead into the dining room but we covered it with mesh once he had a go at that :lol. He honestly doesn't get up to much in there, it's almost like he knows that's his home so he only causes destruction in other places! When he's in the lounge with us he has to be watched at all times because he's into everything. Although he now knows that "ABABABBABA" is a definite no and he thinks twice!

I've spent ages trying to work out ways to distract him and recently i've hit on a few that work (at least for some length of time!)

Two things to do with toilet rolls (if you don't mind a little mess!)
I made him a "christmas cracker" recently and he loved it, think I will be making them all year round!
I got a toilet roll tube, cut some holes in it and filled it with excel herbage, which he loves, and a couple of his favourite treats. Then I wrapped it in xmas paper and twisted the ends. He was a bit slow on the uptake at first, but then spent hours destroying it.
He also loves playing with just a simple toilet roll tube filled with hay.

The other thing which has provided endless hours of entertainment is a box with a few holes cut in it.
He likes to chew it, toss it about, sit under it and has recently also decided he's the king of the castle..



I guess it's just about figuring out what sort of things the individual rabbit will like. Buster isnt much of a digger, but he likes going under things and destroying them, so the box was perfect!
Good luck :lol:

Ted is great with his treat ball....he's really clever...he pushes it round and round his water bowl...

Little can't work it at all She gets cross and throws it into her water then all the treat get soggy :roll:

At my local shelter we give the rabbits phone books to dig.

I've also found that my rabbits prefer the wall and furniture to their wood chews because the wall and furniture can't move. If you can find a cheap doll house, a wooden hidey hut made for rabbits, or similar that might be more appealing. My rabbits also like wicker baskets and willow branches a lot better then apple branches :wave: