DakotaSkye
Member
Hi Everyone,
My six-month-old bunny, Freya, has been getting a little destructive.
Here's some background: A couple months ago, we had to move her to my fiance's mom's; our housing situation is tricky and an unexpected problem occurred (we're hoping to be out within the next few months; then she can be with us again.) I was heartbroken, but his mom was able to put her up for a while, and I'm incredibly grateful. My fiance and I go to see her every day (we both work full-time, but we make the time to see her every day; she's the light of our life). We also constructed a large NIC cage for her to prevent her from getting cramped since she is cooped up for long periods of time. I didn't want it to feel like a cage to her, but more like a place to explore and sleep and play. It's two levels, with a sleeping area in the top and a big open area in the bottom for her to stretch out in. She's a dwarf/lionhead mix, so she's really not that large and it's a lot of room for her, though eventually I'd like to make her area larger.
The problem is this: Despite the size of her cage and all the enrichment toys, she still destroys things she shouldn't be destroying. We put linoleum on the floor of the cage (to keep her feet off the metal and give her something cool to lay on), and she's been systematically chewing it to bits, mostly near the door and in the back corner (she's not ingesting it though, thankfully). She's also destroyed the towels I put under the cage as an extra layer of protection on my fiance's mom's carpet by digging at it until she gets a corner within her reach.
We provide her with new toys every week or so: balls, hay bales, new treats, bells, things that hang from her cage, boxes, fabric to rip and chew, twigs, rings, anything we can think of that's bunny safe, but it doesn't seem to be keeping her entertained. We also throw in soft things to lay on, like a blanket or a t-shirt, and stuff it in the corner where she's been chewing, to try and keep her mind off it, but she always pushes it aside. When she's out of the cage, so rarely chews on anything and she's super happy, binkying about like there's no tomorrow. I just wish she would chew on the things we've given her to chew. That's what makes me think it's not just her desire to chew coming out, it's boredom that's driving her to act this way.
I feel so bad because we just don't have the time that we used to to devote to her, and it breaks my heart, but I want her to enjoy her time even when we aren't around. Are there any suggestions as to how to keep my little bunnykins entertained during the day? She's got treats and toys galore, but maybe there's something out there I haven't thought of yet. Any advice would be appreciated.
I've included some pictures of her enclosure (right after we built it; before the sleeping loft, the water bottle and all the toys were added), as well as some pictures of my little bunny face in her natural state :3
My six-month-old bunny, Freya, has been getting a little destructive.
Here's some background: A couple months ago, we had to move her to my fiance's mom's; our housing situation is tricky and an unexpected problem occurred (we're hoping to be out within the next few months; then she can be with us again.) I was heartbroken, but his mom was able to put her up for a while, and I'm incredibly grateful. My fiance and I go to see her every day (we both work full-time, but we make the time to see her every day; she's the light of our life). We also constructed a large NIC cage for her to prevent her from getting cramped since she is cooped up for long periods of time. I didn't want it to feel like a cage to her, but more like a place to explore and sleep and play. It's two levels, with a sleeping area in the top and a big open area in the bottom for her to stretch out in. She's a dwarf/lionhead mix, so she's really not that large and it's a lot of room for her, though eventually I'd like to make her area larger.
The problem is this: Despite the size of her cage and all the enrichment toys, she still destroys things she shouldn't be destroying. We put linoleum on the floor of the cage (to keep her feet off the metal and give her something cool to lay on), and she's been systematically chewing it to bits, mostly near the door and in the back corner (she's not ingesting it though, thankfully). She's also destroyed the towels I put under the cage as an extra layer of protection on my fiance's mom's carpet by digging at it until she gets a corner within her reach.
We provide her with new toys every week or so: balls, hay bales, new treats, bells, things that hang from her cage, boxes, fabric to rip and chew, twigs, rings, anything we can think of that's bunny safe, but it doesn't seem to be keeping her entertained. We also throw in soft things to lay on, like a blanket or a t-shirt, and stuff it in the corner where she's been chewing, to try and keep her mind off it, but she always pushes it aside. When she's out of the cage, so rarely chews on anything and she's super happy, binkying about like there's no tomorrow. I just wish she would chew on the things we've given her to chew. That's what makes me think it's not just her desire to chew coming out, it's boredom that's driving her to act this way.
I feel so bad because we just don't have the time that we used to to devote to her, and it breaks my heart, but I want her to enjoy her time even when we aren't around. Are there any suggestions as to how to keep my little bunnykins entertained during the day? She's got treats and toys galore, but maybe there's something out there I haven't thought of yet. Any advice would be appreciated.
I've included some pictures of her enclosure (right after we built it; before the sleeping loft, the water bottle and all the toys were added), as well as some pictures of my little bunny face in her natural state :3