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help! my bunny eats woodshavings..

smokeys owner

Warren Scout
is this normal? whenever I put woodshavings in her hutch and clean it she stratchs it all over the place then after that she starts eating it, it has'nt done her any damage so far but is this normal? cos it's getting a bit costly I've got to the point where I can't be bothered to put woodshavings in there any more cos there's no point, I don't think she likes them anyway :?
 
Hay is really important bunny food. Rabbits need lots of fibre and it also helps stop their teeth over growing (rabbits teeth grow all the time). Make sure she has plenty of yummy hay, not old brown looking stuff some pet shops sell, as she might be eating the shaving because of the fibre.

The other reason she might do it is boredom. There was one big missing thing on your list toys! Rabbits are like little kids like like lots to keep them occupied or they get bored and start doing things they shouldn't like chewing the hutch.

Lots of things make good rabbit toys. Here a online shop which shows the sort of things you can buy: http://www.bunnymail.co.uk/ you can also make your own too. Rabbits love cardboard boxes to play in or throw around, solid plastic baby rattles, card board tubes, plastic or wooden cotton reels (without the cotton) and sticks from apple trees.

Tam
 
bunnyhuggger said:
Does she have access to a run all the time, it could be she's bored and trying to dig her way out?

I have one of those double decker hutches and plenty of toys so it should'nt be that, something that had crossed my mind was that she does'nt like the smell of it and it's the only way to get rid of it I dunno, she's quite destructive cos she chews her litterbox aswell I think I'm gonna have to get her spayed sometime :?
 
Tamsin said:
Hay is really important bunny food. Rabbits need lots of fibre and it also helps stop their teeth over growing (rabbits teeth grow all the time). Make sure she has plenty of yummy hay, not old brown looking stuff some pet shops sell, as she might be eating the shaving because of the fibre.

The other reason she might do it is boredom. There was one big missing thing on your list toys! Rabbits are like little kids like like lots to keep them occupied or they get bored and start doing things they shouldn't like chewing the hutch.

Lots of things make good rabbit toys. Here a online shop which shows the sort of things you can buy: http://www.bunnymail.co.uk/ you can also make your own too. Rabbits love cardboard boxes to play in or throw around, solid plastic baby rattles, card board tubes, plastic or wooden cotton reels (without the cotton) and sticks from apple trees.

Tam

aww thanks for the website, how cool is that bunny castle?!
thats definatly on her crimbo list
 
I've not used woodshavings for years, have you thought of trying to litter train smokey and if she takes to it u could try and use carpet in the hutch. I buy the samples that they sell of from carpet shops for about 50p. They do wash and if they get a little messy you can put them in the bin.

Summer - Mine have carpet and hay in a hay rack

Winter - Carpet and straw with hay in a hay rack

They are all litter trained now which saves a loot of cleaning out which is no fun in the middle of winter.

Hope this helps, she looks adorable

Mogs
 
You could always put a thick layer of hay on top of the wood shavings so she can't get at it :D

Whiskey used to have woodshavings in her hutch but she used to dig it all out of her sleeping area, she preferred to sleep on the bare floor. Now she has newspaper with a thick layer of hay on top of it.
 
I did try to litter train smokey, it took some getting used to though cos whenever I put it in she always used to chew it and push it into her run then she seemed to be using it alright then she'd chew it again, like I said she's so destructive. That's a good idea about the hay but she's a very fast eater, whenever I fill up her hutch with hay it's gone in like 10 minutes lol :lol: she is a greddy bunny, I put newspaper in there once aswell, that did'nt work she ripped it up and tried eating that aswell so I took it out incase she got ink poisoning
 
Put more hay in then, she needs to eat all the hay she can and she needs to have it there so she can nibble on it all day :wink:
 
What did you use as litter??

I don't think newspaper will do any harm these days.

Perhaps she is very bored and needs a friend or some bunny proof toys, she sounds a real little character.

Bye for now

Mogs
 
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