chew

Question
Sorry I should have provided more info...yes she is spayed.  she is about 1 year old and I believe a french lop.  
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Dana, My rabbit will not stop chewing the baseboards, walls, and doors, she even chews the heater! Im afraid that she is going to make herself sick from eating the paint, but I dont know how to stop her.  she knows shes being bad, as soon as I run over to stop her she makes a mad dash for a hiding spot.  I have tried soap, lemon juice, and even putting her in her bad girl box (a medium size carry case for transport). I dont want to have to put her in a cage, she doesnt even have one, but I also want to do whats best for her.  So, any suggestions on how I can get her to stop eating the paint? thanks!
Answer -
Dear Jamie,

First big question:  Is she spayed?  If not, then she should be as soon as possible.  Sexual frustration and the exuberance of youth are combining to make her into a terror.  If she's relatively young, she might also be going through her "terrible teens"--which will last a few months, but will stop much sooner if she's spayed.

If she *is* spayed, please write back to me for more suggestions, but the spay thing is really key.

If you don't already have a good rabbit vet who is experienced with this surgery, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana

Answer
Dear Jamie,

Yes, at the age of a year she's at that "difficult" age where she's easily bored.  Unfortunately, she's taking out her boredom on your house!

Try providing her with clean cardboard boxes (tape and staples removed; glue the flaps shut, and cut bunny-sized holes in two sides so she can go in and out).  She'll make a project out of the box!  Place it close to the spots where she's being destructive.

For protecting baseboards, we've found that tacking an untreated strip of pine (NO pressure treated!  It's full of arsenic and other heavy metals!) onto the areas they chew will distract them and prevent damage to the baseboards.  They chew the strips, instead.

I've not yet found a repellent that works against rabbits.  The best "cure" is to provide her with plenty of alternative entertainment.  If you're up for it, one of the best things is to allow her to pick a neutered mate from among those at your local rabbit rescuer's fosters.  You can find your local rescuer here:

www.rabbit.org (click on "chapters")

The fosterer will help you with the delicate task of finding just the right mate, since rabbits will fight ferociously with others of their own kind if they don't take a liking to them.  But truly, two rabbits tend to be much less destructive than one.  She may be enjoying the "negative attention" she's getting from you when she's "bad," and by letting her have a pal, you'll be able to leave her and not pay constant attention to her.  She'll be entertained by her mate.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have more questions.

Dana