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To try and 'save' my hutch...

casu consulto

Mama Doe
My rabbit, Barney, has recently started digging. He's always been a bit of a digger when he's in the garden, and I don't mind this... But over the past few days he goes off into his bed [in his hutch] and digs in the back corner. Barney uses his bed as a toilet area... in fact, when he's indoors he has to have his litter tray hidden in a cardboard box or else he'll go and find some other 'secret' place to poo in private. :roll: But over the past couple of days, he has gone into his bed, and dug to the floor of the hutch in the corner. He has also nibbled the wood there, but I'm not sure if this is a recent thing, as it doesn't look freshly chewed...

The reason I'm concerned is because my last rabbit, Bonnie, managed to do something similar. In one night she somehow bit her way through the back of her hutch... I found her the next morning with her head poking out her new 'window', admiring the view. I don't particularly want to have to buy a new hutch. So far I've just been keeping Barney out of his hutch as much as possible. But this isn't always easy due to the rain. I'm now wondering if I can put something in the way, so he can't get at the back corner of his hutch? I was considering buying wooden chewing blocks, but I don't think any glue I might use would be safe for Barney... Anyone else ever had this trouble? and if so, what did you do? :?
 
Could you secure some more wood into that corner somehow? Sorry I can't help any more than that I'm afraid all mine are house buns.

Nicola
 
That's what I was thinking... I was considering going out and buying some flavoured chew blocks, and fitting them around the piece of wooden frame at the back... But I can't work out how to fix them to the hutch without putting Barney atrisk of.. of glue-poisoning! :lol:
 
I wouldnt put anything flavoured or chewable there, it'll just encourage him to chew more in the area, put them somewhere else! I'd re-line it with thinish wood (something like panelling springs to mind), screwed or nailed into the existing batons, no glue.:D
 
Awww - a bunny that likes to poo in private - how cute :lol:

As for the chewing, you could rub some soap on it to make it taste horrible, which will break what is basically a habit - they just get in the habit of doing stuff and you need to distract them from it.

I assume he has loads of hay in there anyway to chew? Can you fit a litter tray in there, or some kind of washing up bowl with hay in or something like that?
 
Have you thought about nailing some plasters' mesh on the wood? It comes in strips and is flexible enough to bend round the corners.
 
:wave: Hi Steph!:wave: I've a feeling I first saw them being used as a "Wood Preservative" on a picture you posted of your set up. I was so impressed that I've filed it in my one functioning memory cell in case I ever have a chewer!:lol:
 
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