How can I get my rabbits to not chew the new hutch?

[BunnehChronicles]

They are somewhat chewers and I don't want the new hutch to be ruined. So please help me thanks.

 

[zombiesue]

Start by providing them something else to chew

 

[Bville]

I've read that using a bar of Ivory soap to rub on the wood they like to chew will stop them. Do they have enough chew toys to distract them from the hutch? Besides the ones from the pet stores, you can give them twigs from apple trees or willows to chew on.

 

[BunnehChronicles]

Start by providing them something else to chew

Never would of thought of that one...?

 

[BunnehChronicles]

I've read that using a bar of Ivory soap to rub on the wood they like to chew will stop them. Do they have enough chew toys to distract them from the hutch? Besides the ones from the pet stores, you can give them twigs from apple trees or willows to chew on.

Thanks! I will try that!

 

[zombiesue]

Never would of thought of that one...?

Lol, usually, when asking for help, you want to include information like things you've already tried. You know, help us help you.

I also have a very determined chewer, and I've tried soap, perfume, and those bitter sprays, and they've never worked. I mean it would for like, a few hours, but eventually he'd decide he wanted to chew it anyway and would chew a little bit, get mad because it tasted bad, then return to it and repeat this pattern until whatever I put on it was gone and he had a spot he could chew without tasting it.

I hope you'll have more success than I ever did with that, but I pretty much always had to make it physically impossible for him to chew or he'd do it. It also helped to put something better to chew in the same spot--for example, my rabbit really liked this one spot on the baseboard. I put a phone book there, and that helped.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

The only sure-fire way to prevent a rabbit from chewing on something is to keep the rabbit away from it. They don't understand that there is a difference between chew toys that are loose in the cage, the side of a wooden hutch, or a table leg. You could prevent chewing by covering all the wood with metal flashing. But otherwise, part of life with rabbits is getting comfortable with the fact that they're mostly likely going to chew the wood they're exposed to.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[BunnehChronicles]

Lol, usually, when asking for help, you want to include information like things you've already tried. You know, help us help you.

I also have a very determined chewer, and I've tried soap, perfume, and those bitter sprays, and they've never worked. I mean it would for like, a few hours, but eventually he'd decide he wanted to chew it anyway and would chew a little bit, get mad because it tasted bad, then return to it and repeat this pattern until whatever I put on it was gone and he had a spot he could chew without tasting it.

I hope you'll have more success than I ever did with that, but I pretty much always had to make it physically impossible for him to chew or he'd do it. It also helped to put something better to chew in the same spot--for example, my rabbit really liked this one spot on the baseboard. I put a phone book there, and that helped.

Do you think of I put cloraplast on the corners or areas that they can chew it would prevent damage to the wood?

 

[BunnehChronicles]

The only sure-fire way to prevent a rabbit from chewing on something is to keep the rabbit away from it. They don't understand that there is a difference between chew toys that are loose in the cage, the side of a wooden hutch, or a table leg. You could prevent chewing by covering all the wood with metal flashing. But otherwise, part of life with rabbits is getting comfortable with the fact that they're mostly likely going to chew the wood they're exposed to.

Metal flashing?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Metal flashing?

If you stop by a home improvement store (Lowes, Home Depot), they can show you what I mean. It's a very thin metal sheet.