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Chewing and pulling on cage bars

L

Leporidae

New Kit
A very irritating behaviour one of my young rabbits has. Any ideas on how to stop it?

I've tried banging the cage or doing a loud noise, but this doesn't seem to deter him. In fact, I've figured it's giving him the attention, albeit negative. Tried putting vinegar on the bars since it probably tastes foul to him... but he eventually just licks it off.
 
Leporidae said:
A very irritating behaviour one of my young rabbits has. Any ideas on how to stop it?

I've tried banging the cage or doing a loud noise, but this doesn't seem to deter him. In fact, I've figured it's giving him the attention, albeit negative. Tried putting vinegar on the bars since it probably tastes foul to him... but he eventually just licks it off.
Click to expand...

Dont put vinegar on the bars?
How big is his cage? Hes probably bored

Have you thought about getting him neutered and another rabbit for company?
 
This is bored bunny behaviour - let me out to play in rabbit :lol:

Do they have toys to throw around, hay to munch or need more room to play in :D
 
It's pretty classic boredom/frustration. There are some tips here: http://www.therabbithouse.com/behaviour/problem-rabbit-chewing-cage.asp

To resolve it you really need to address the underlying issue. Things like making the bars unappetising/training etc. don't tend to work as they don't help get rid of the issue the rabbit is expressing. Some rabbits are more prone to it than others, you might find you've got a particularly intelligent rabbit and that means he needs more stimulation to keep him occupied, plus being young they tend to have more energy too!
 
Well I no longer put anything on the bars because it doesn't work anyway!

The cage is very large and the culprit rabbit has a friend, is out around 3-5 hours a day. In their cage they have multiple things, such as loo rolls filled with hay and a treat ball they have to push around to get nuggets. No idea what to do with them!

Cheers for the link :) Maybe I need to change the toys around more often?
 
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Do they have a run attached to their cage? (which I assume is a large dog crate) - rabbits need a lot of space and don't react well to being closed into a small space.

There are some very good examples (and pictures) on here of the indoor set-ups people have achieved with dog crates and metal panels.
 
My Hugh does this whenever he wants ANYTHING. Rather than come out of his den to get face rubs he will sit and nibble the bars. He also does it when he wants grass/more hay/different hay/more water (usually first thing in the morning when he's sat his butt in it all night and spread it all over the house) his litter tray changed (again first thing every morning.)

Usually I try nose rubs first then work my way through the list to see what he's after. He stops as soon as he gets what he wanted. :wave:
 
Leporidae said:
Well I no longer put anything on the bars because it doesn't work anyway!

The cage is very large and the culprit rabbit has a friend, is out around 3-5 hours a day. In their cage they have multiple things, such as loo rolls filled with hay and a treat ball they have to push around to get nuggets. No idea what to do with them!

Cheers for the link :) Maybe I need to change the toys around more often?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there is not a single 'CAGE' that is big enough for rabbits on the market, so i'm afraid it just won't be large enough.

Perhaps if you could post a photo of your setup, we could make additional recommendations to improve things?
 
Leporidae said:
Well I no longer put anything on the bars because it doesn't work anyway!

The cage is very large and the culprit rabbit has a friend, is out around 3-5 hours a day. In their cage they have multiple things, such as loo rolls filled with hay and a treat ball they have to push around to get nuggets. No idea what to do with them!

Cheers for the link :) Maybe I need to change the toys around more often?
Click to expand...

How big is "very large" - most "very large" commercial cages don't even meet recommended size requirements for guinea pigs, let alone rabbits...
 
My misfit used to do this a lot and I always thought she was being 'naughty'. Then I found RU and learnt A LOT about rabbit care. I got a runaround system so she could have permanent access to her run and she doesn't do it anymore.

I'm really sorry but I do think your rabbit is trying to tell you something (like misfit was telling me).
 
Just an update. We let them run about for the same amount of time yesterday, however we didn't give them anything to do except explore the flat. When it came to putting them back we put in three different types of hay (in various objects) alongside their usual, and a few vegetables buried under the woodshavings. Kept them both busy and no bar chewing. We'll have to do something different every night for them.
 
Leporidae said:
Just an update. We let them run about for the same amount of time yesterday, however we didn't give them anything to do except explore the flat. When it came to putting them back we put in three different types of hay (in various objects) alongside their usual, and a few vegetables buried under the woodshavings. Kept them both busy and no bar chewing. We'll have to do something different every night for them.
Click to expand...

Good idea. How big is their cage? Is there any way that they can be out all the time eg fixing a puppy pen or two to their cage?
 
How large is large? I have a room in my house that isn't quite 50 sq ft which is what I feel is the minimum a bunny needs.
 
Another way to add space when you don't have a lot of space is to use a foldable puppy pen, that way you can attach it to the cage at night when you don't need the space and fold it up in the day :)
 
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