Chewing Cage Bars

Monroe is about 3.5 months now and this past week she has began chewing her bars and driving me crazy!!!

I did Google and it said the cage wasn't stimulating enough and/or not enough out of cage time but I have added new toys, new chews....making new toys and buying new toys for out of cage time which I doubled from 2 hours a night to at least 4 if not 6 hours between during the day and evening.

But going back into her cage, she is chewing at the bars and more specifically she targets the door where she hops in and out. I never place her back in the cage; always let her go at freewill. And the times she is chewing us crazy like 1am. I can be dead asleep and she'll wake me up.

Is this just a hormonal teenage stage? She isn't a huge 'chewer' so I don't know what she finds so interesting about those **** bars.

Signed a very sleepy momma

Hi, I find my bun hopper ( just over 1 yr old ) chews the bars purely for attention and mischief. He too has many many toys, has constant access to his run ( he''s an indoor bun) and also has much free play chasing around the living room. He can also chew the bars in a tantrum like fashion, particularly if he has gotten hold of something he shouldn't and I take it off him lol. I know this probably doesn't help, but your not alone with a bar chewing bun lol x

I broke down and bought her an x-pen to expand her space.

She now has a 4' x 4' pen plus her cage and of course will still get free run time. Hoping this helps but she seems to be enjoying her new digs so far. Who knew such a little (2.4 lbs) rabbit could take up so much space. LOL

Expanding the space was a good idea. Persistent bar chewing can cause the teeth to misalign which would cause even more problems. Sounds like you have the matter in hand.

Cardboard boxes (large ones with doorways cut out) can also provide diversion from bar chewing. Most buns like to chew the cardboard and that is better for them to chew than metal bars. Changing out existing toys can also help keep things interesting.

Blue eyes said:

Expanding the space was a good idea. Persistent bar chewing can cause the teeth to misalign which would cause even more problems. Sounds like you have the matter in hand.

Cardboard boxes (large ones with doorways cut out) can also provide diversion from bar chewing. Most buns like to chew the cardboard and that is better for them to chew than metal bars. Changing out existing toys can also help keep things interesting.

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She does have a cardboard 'house' that I created for her as well as toys which I heard her playing with at about 3 am today. Barely any bar chewing! Yay!

I too have a young bun who has taken up the habit of chewing (and tugging!) at the bars of her cage and exercise pen. Like Monroe, she gets to be "free" for 4-6 hours a day, only confined to her pen and cage while I am away at work.

I took a few cardboard boxes and cut them down to long strips so that they run the length of her cage and pen on the bottom and are about 7 inches high. When she gets the urge to tug and chew, she now chooses to do so on the cardboard and not the wire. I found this to be the most helpful (bitter apple and other chew deterrents did not work). It might be worth a try with Monroe!

I have 'free range' rabbits with constant access but when they have to be caged they really do throw a strop and chew like mad. I find having 'out time' is only valuable at certain times of the day like early morning or in the evening. If I let them out around mid day they may pop around and potter about but they don't have that clear release of built up energy. I don't think it's too uncommon for bunnies to be mad at night, if I really need to make sure I have a good nights sleep but have to have them caged for whatever reason I will put them in two joined puppy pens overnight so they can have a run if they want but they're not free to go wherever they want in the house!

After my previous rabbit had been turned loose in the house and not caged, I needed to make sure I could catch her for a vet trip. I placed her back in her cge. She went hysterical...running back and forth, banging at the door and pushing the cage walls and biting the wire. I knew then she hated being in a cage. She didn't seem to mind too much being caught and put in a cat carrying box for a trip to the vette.

Monroe doesn't mind her cat carrier either for travel or when I move her to another room to vacuum the room.
Bar chewing has been a minimum now that she has her pen and even when I open up for free run time, she rarely comes out. I do hear her binky and zoom around her pen during the night but it it a much better sound than chewing bars.

The cardboard idea is cool! I will have to keep that in mind if she ever starts again. She does love her toilet and paper towel tubes to throw around.

This is completely normal just make sure your cage is made for animals let's say it is built out of nic grids those are not meant for animals.

One of my buns recently started doing this! And it most certainly isn't boredom because she is mostly out of her cage. She will run UP to her cage and gnaw on the bars. I can't make heads or tails of it, and I can't for the life of me get her to stop!