How much cardboard is too much?

[Bun_Lover]

Hello! So I currently have 3 cardboard boxes around my room for my free roam rabbit Thumper to use as hides and to keep him from getting bored (along with multiple toys). Before, he often chewed holes in the boxes but rarely ate the cardboard- until now. Recently I noticed that whenever I went to clean up his area, there would be less and less leftover chewed up pieces of cardboard, and now I'm concerned for possible health problems since I heard that it can lead to blockages. My problem is this: if not cardboard, what else should I use for hides since he loves to hide and hop on top of the boxes? Should I now begin taking the cardboard away? Also, I have noticed that his poops have gotten a little darker and smaller than usual, but they are still coming out at the same rate as usual and he isn't acting weird, if that means something. If the cardboard consumption were the cause of this, what could I do to make his poops return to normal?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Popsicles]

As long as he is eating lots of hay to keep it moving through it shouldn’t be a massive issue. My rabbit has always eaten all the cardboard she chews (no cleaning up for me, yay!) and it’s never caused her any problems. If you are worried about the poops maybe take the boxes away and only allow a certain amount of time with them, to limit intake? If not, try using wooden boxes and crates - my bunny has a wooden stool she loves to sleep under and also hop on top of when she is being nosy.

 

[Bun_Lover]

Thank you!! I keep hay available 24/7, so I'm slightly relieved ^^ I will totally try taking away the boxes at certain times, and wooden boxes sound like a great idea. Thanks for the help

 

[Popsicles]

No problem, good luck with your super cute bun