Chewing and Bedding

[lover4daisy]

Hello Everyone! I have two problems...
1.) My rabbit chews threw the wood and the sideing on her cage. I put hay and chewing blocks in her cag but she still chews through her cage. Please Help!

2.) I need bedding in my rabbits cage, but shes it. I would like to know what type of bedding is the saftest for her to eat. I dont want her to eat it, but It is hard to keep her from doing so. Please Help!

Thanks For Reading!

 

[Imbrium]

The ONLY reliable way to stop the chewing is to block access. While that sounds very hard to do when what's being chewed is their hutch, it's actually easy! You can buy hardware cloth (wire mesh) at any hardware store; it's always in the same section as the chicken wire - the 1/2'' mesh is cheaper than the 1/4'' stuff and just as effective.

Cut it to fit the inner walls. Depending on how thick the walls are, you'll need either screws or bolts - screws need to go into the wood about half an inch to get a really good hold, so if the wood is thinner than that then bolts are a better choice (a #6 or #8 screw/bolt is a good choice; I'd go with a 3/4'' screw unless it would come out the other side, in which case use 1/2''... with bolts, you want the shortest possible bolt that can still get through the far side with enough room to put a nut on it).

Either way, you'll need to use washers with a diameter of at least 1/2 inch in order to keep the hardware cloth in place since the openings are larger than screw/bolt heads. When you cut the hardware cloth, make sure there are no sharp points that could cut your bunny - you may need to file it down in some spots.

Is your rabbit indoors or outdoors? Indoor rabbits don't need bedding (and it tends to confuse their litter box habits to boot). Outdoor rabbits don't necessarily need bedding either in the warmer months but winter is a different story. As far as bedding goes, straw is the best insulator and while it has no nutritional value, it's 100% safe to eat. You can buy a HUGE bale of straw at any feed store that sells bales of horse hay; it shouldn't be more than $10.

If you don't already buy your hay at a feed store, I recommend that too! You can save around $3000 over a 10-year lifespan by getting bales of hay instead of the overpriced pet store crap that's not even as fresh. ANY kind of horse-quality grass hay is safe for rabbits (though with "cereal" types like oat, wheat, rye, etc. you need to remove the seed heads (oats or w/e) before feeding it as the excess carbs are unhealthy and can cause problems). Legume hays (alfalfa, clover, etc.) are ok for juveniles and breeding does but shouldn't be fed to adult rabbits.

 

[lover4daisy]

Woah! Thanks alot for all the information! I will look for hay at the Tractor Supply Co. when I go out today. So I guess just the yellow hay? Will it make her fat she eats all of it? Will she eat all of it in one sitting, or will she know when to stop?

 

[Imbrium]

Not sure where you're at... here, the grass hay sold at Tractor Supply is coastal, but I'm sure it varies depending on your region (assuming TS is national rather than regional, I don't actually know ). Hay should be 80% of their diet and they should have unlimited 24/7 access to fresh hay. Most people put it on one end of the litter box or hang it over the litter box in some sort of makeshift hay manger, since bunnies like to poop as they eat (assuming a litter box is used). If you don't use a litter box, then you can still make some sort of hanging/wall storage for it or you can put it in a plastic or cardboard box.

Hay is mostly just fiber, they can eat it non-stop and never get fat from it - it's pellets (and sugary treats like fruit and carrots) that can lead to obesity. Since bunnies are grazers, they actually need to be munching much of the time anyway. Bunnies tend to eat more hay if it's fresher, so it's a good idea to refresh it at least twice a day even if it's not all gone. Also, make sure she's not pottying on it (or if she is, that she's not eating from the same area she's using as a toilet). If you haven't been giving her hay, it may take a while for her to get used to the idea that it's food .

Since straw doesn't have any nutritional value, you don't want her eating too much of it - while nothing in it would harm her, filling up on straw means eating less hay. If she's constantly eating straw and neglecting the hay, you can potentially use hay as both food and bedding and skip the straw (it depends on what the ambient temperatures are like - hay isn't nearly as good an insulator, so if it's below freezing then it's better to use straw even if she's eating it (lesser of two evils)).

It sounds like you've never bought a bale of hay before... it can be safely stored for a year or more as long as its kept clean, dry and insect free (storing it in cooler temperatures is better than warmer); I believe the same applies to straw. I typed up a ridiculous wall of text on hay storage yesterday, so I'll just give you a link to that instead of writing it all up again .

 

[kisha.princess]

I have the same problem! But she likes to chew on her litter box as well. The safest bedding to use is anything natural. Don't use wood chips because it can cause them to get sick or injured. If you use news paper make sure it uses soy ink only. And also, you can always use her hay as bedding I had a friend who did that.
Since litter training Princess she doesn't need bedding in the whole cage, just her litter box this is the stuff I use in it because it's safe and absorbent!