rabbit chewing and chewing and chewing

Question
Hey Dana,
We have had our rabbit for 1 year.  He has been "fixed" - I am not sure if that is important to know but...
We have things out for him to chew on - wood, timothy hay, cardboard boxes - but he still chews on EVERYTHING - cords, carpet, furniture - anything laying around.  He has even chewed his way out of his plastic cage.  What can I do to get him to stop chewing on things he shouldn't.  We have tried light water sprays, noises (no).  I don't know what else to try.  HELP!

Thanks!
Patricia

Answer
Dear Patricia,

Hoo boy.  If your boy is fixed and still chewing, you might have one of those rare bunnies who is just a chewer by nature.  There's no good way to completely stop his chewing, but you can redirect it.

We have one chewer, and we were able to distract her from the furniture by actually nailing long pieces of untreated fir onto the baseboards behind the couches where she'd formerly chewed the baseboards.  Rabbits seem to like things that are stationary, and will not move around when they chew.

Cords are more problemeatic.  We have housed all of our cords in thick plastic protectors (you can get plastic tubing at Home Depot. slit it lengthwise, and slip it onto the cords everywhere anybunny can get to them.

Are there specific areas of the carpet he chews?  If so, you might try covering those with 100% cotton bathmats to distract him from the real carpet.  The cotton fibers won't hurt him if he ingests them.  

One possible explanation for his behavior is boredom and frustration.  I know this might sound crazy, but I have known some chewer bunnies to calm down and stop or severely restrict their chewing if they are allowed to choose a (spayed/neutered) mate.  You can contact your local rabbit rescuer via www.rabbit.org and set up a "blind date" to let your bunny choose someone with whom he's compatible.

This isn't a 100% guarantee, but I have seen it solve chewing problems time and time again. A bored, lonely bunny is often a destructive bunny.  Alleviate the loneliness, and you can very often stop the destructive behavior.

I'm betting your boy chews mostly when he's alone or when you're not paying attention to him.  Having a companion will keep him occupied and less likely to chew.  Aside from the extra cost of vet care (which shouldn't be major, unless something bad happens, which I hope it doesn't), two rabbits are actually *less* trouble than one because of the reduced destructiveness and happier bunny (who is then less susceptible to illness, since stress can promote illness).

I'm not trying to poke you into an adoption if you're dead set against it.  But I do know that sometimes this is the solution to a chewing problem that nothing else can help.  

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

Dana