Chewing on Cords then Begging to be petted after

[Alek]

Tiberius is usually such a good boy. I've had him for two and half months now and it hasn't been until recently that's he's decided to be a bastard about cords. Before this week he ignored anything I didn't give him as a toy now I swear he's being bad just to get a rise out of me.

I spend a lot of time with my rabbit anyway and he's loose most of the day in my room. But recently he decided to try and chew my computer cord so I disciplined him and expected him to stop like he usually does, instead he persisted. So I dominated him then put him in his kennel to cool off and then he was fine to play.

Now he's trying to chew on every cord and I go to correct him and he gets excited and runs over to me like he's happy even though he knows he's going to be punished. Today he was following me around my room and I dropped something under my desk, I leaned over to pick it up and he ran under my desk next to me and chomped right through my new alarm clock cord, then ran over and was begging to be picked up.

Is it just me or is my rabbit a frikkin' weirdo that's doing these things on purpose just to get me to respond and how to I get him to stop? He's not exactly starving for attention, he has me all day long to play with since I'm an artist so I work out of the home and he's got the cats to play with to. He can go into his house for quiet time whenever he wants to. How do I get him to stop this behavior? I swear, if he had hands he'd be sticking forks in the outlets!

 

[SOOOSKA]

Hi Alek,

For some reason bunnies are attracted to cords. They can be very dangerous though.

If I were you I'd get some covers for the cords. Way back I bought shower curtain rod covers (they come in prettry colours too).The only problem with them is the aren't bendable. I also bought some plastic coil like tubing from IKEA. These work really well and are inexpensive.

Good luck

Susan

 

[Nancy McClelland]

A bunny will always act like a bunny. If you don't want cords chewed, cover them up and make them less easily gotten to. Nancy left the chair out at the computer and Coal chewed the sound system and printer cable. Nancy got all huffy about it, but, I pointed out that if the chair was tucked in, the bunny can't use the computer. Every cord that was within three feet of the floor was boxed in or covered with a half-piece of PVC pipe.

 

[Lucille]

In my personal opinion disciplining a bunny for chewing is not appropriate. Chewing is a natural behavior for a bunny, and bunnies do not have the capacity to plan a behavior just 'to get a rise out of' you.
Prevent harm to your bunny by covering the cords or hiding them behind furniture.
Commercial cord covers may not be adequate as they are soft. PVC pipe can be cut to size and cover the cords, and then a bitter substance (there are commercial preparations) can be brushed on the pvc.

 

[gmas rabbit]

go to an auto supply store and ask for cord covers, they are usually black and flexible, used to cover cables in the vehicle. We have all our cords covered with these ( pretty cheap ). Then get him some chewy sticks either from the pet food store or cut some apple, willow or cherry. Benjamin is a big chewer, they need to chew because of their teeth. Once you cover everthing you can relax. My mother-in-law had a rabbit chew through an extension cord and electricute itself. Take the time and make your room safe.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Rabbits are highly intelligent. Just as smart as a cat or dog. They can and will do things to get attention from us--and yes, that can include chewing things.

However, I don't know if your rabbit is doing this to get attention from you. It's difficult to tell without seeing his body language. But it sounds to me like he's found a new game and he's proud of it and wants to show you how good he is at it!

I also don't recommend dominating a rabbit for chewing cords (absolutely for nipping/biting, though!).I find bunny time outs in their cage are more effective.As others have said, bunny proofing your room will protect your cords, prevent injury to your bunner, and keep you sane.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[elrohwen]

I agree with the others - discipline isn't a good idea. Just cover the cords and if he still does it, find some no chew stuff for rabbits (it's usually citrus flavored). If that doesn't work, just block them off so he can't get to them. Even the most well behaved bunny will nibble on a cord from time to time and it only takes a second for them to cut through to the wire and get hurt.