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Pet rabbit biting the walls

22 10:33:28

Question
I need to know how to stop my pet rabbit from biting the walls or what he needs that he's not getting. He has many wood blocks,bark bites to chew on, but he eventually will go back to biting on the walls, and only in the same spots. I got bitter spray fromt the pet store, he still chews. I have told him no and sprayed him with water, he still chews and he knows that he's not supposed to, because when you find him chewing on it and call his name out, he moves from the wall he's chewing on.

Answer
Dear Erica,

Rabbits are natural chewers, and it's sometimes nearly impossible to stop them from doing what comes naturally.

The only remedy I've found effective for this problem is to actually tack a piece of *untreated* wood (untreated white pine is good) to the area of interest.  The thing is:  rabbits like to chew on *stationary* objects, so they quickly lose interest in toys that don't "push back," mimicking the natural feel of things they'd encounter while burrowing.

If the spots he chews are in a really conspicuous area, you can start by covering them with wood, and then gradually move the wood "guards" to a less obvious area, essentially guiding him to a place where it's okay for him to chew to his little heart's delight.

If your bunny is not spayed/neutered, then this will help, too.  But to keep your bunny happy, provide places where you can tack untreated wood to the walls (so it won't move) with a couple of finishing nails, and let him go to town!  :)  You can remove the wood strips when company comes, or just replace them when they become too ugly from all that nibbling.

Wish I had a magic solution, but I hope that helps.

Dana