naughty nibblers

[ntloser]

I think my bunnies might be eating some of the cardboard box I've given them to play with.


Thier droppings appear fine and they are eating and drinking normally. 1/2 cup of pellets per bun and all the romaine lettuce, snow peas, brocolli, and hay they can eat.

Jasper and Madison seem to have bonded and I find them flopping next each other, grooming and nibbling each other .. I am now out of the picture ... Jasper seems happier and Madison is already well adjusted to her new environment.

I am starting to think Jasper may have been abused or something in the past. He seems to go about his bunny ways and ignore all humans spending most of his time in the corner of a closet trying to dig his way out. I hope that is a phase or someting the Wildlife Care Center did not have much information on Jasper.
It may just be his personality and I am over reacting


They also have a blankets and pillows on the floor and hay so they can do what they like. I am thinking about removing the blanket cause they like to nibble on it. Is it okay if they nibble a little on blankets? What about the cardboard?

I am very tired and need to get some sleep.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

This is my opinion only - I won't say it's completely right or not because there are several opinions on what is or isn't safe.

If they are chewing on the cardboard it's ok in my house. I limit how long they can chew. Bo used to chew non stop! Now, he'll rip some off and eat it and then go about his business.I discourage it tho cause he's had some real issues with his tummy.

Clover doesn't chew it much - just nibbles and Tony does the same. He likes to nibble the paper bags too!

I will not let them have just paper - other than a bag to play in and none of them actually eat it - just nibble.

Blankets can be a big problem - the fibers. Mine have flannel recieving blankets and fleece blankets - but if they start chewing them - they lose them. Really, they groom them and that's about all. There are a few tiny holes in one or two of them but it looks like someone just got a little heavy grooming their blankies.

Bo will eat the carpet too. So he can't be on it - thank God we have hardwood through the house except 2 rooms.

Some rabbits aren't real social - and they do become almost fixated on things. The closet doesn't seem out of character - but could you close it off from them?

 

[fancybutterfly]

I let my Zosia chew on cardboard rolls from paper towels...she loves them! She'll pick them up and drop them....I think she likes the noise. She will play with pretty much anything I give her. As far as blankets, I have thought about give them one. My house tends to get chilly in the winter. I even considered getting those cat beds. But I worried about her chewing it and ingesting the fibers.Zosia is also very socialable. She loves to be petted and run around me.

Bob on the other had doesn't have toys. He simply ignores them. He tends to get fixated on something and sit. He does like the drapes. They go down to the floor and he'll run in and out of them. They brush against his face...it's so cute to watch!

Your buns sounds like they are doing great. Jasper likes a dark closet, similar to a burrow in the ground. Digging is a normal behavior.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

For the bunny who likes the closet, how about giving him a tub with some woodypet or something to dig - just a little and then give him a "house"....... My rabbits have a box they play under ALL the time. It's a huge favorite with them. I've also given them paper bags, cat tunnels, cat cubbys, and blankets. My daughter builds them "tent cities" to play in sometimes too.

 

[fancybutterfly]

$3.00 at Wal-Mart I buy cat houses. They are nylon (kind of) square houses that are just the right size. There are holes on each side so the buns can jump in. I put hay in there. They have chewed them a lot, but it is a "safe", covered place for them to sit.

I will get a pic and post it.

 

[maherwoman]

Cardboard is okay for them to ingest some of. If their droppings are okay, then they're good.

Think of it like broken-down wood, really.

My girls will eat a lot of cardboard...I like to give them lots of different things like that...from McDonald's drink holders (making sure no soda, or anything, has dripped on them) to cardboard boxes. Just be sure that they aren't ingesting any of the tape, and you'll be fine!

I also like to give them a cardboard box with newspaper sections in it (since the ink is vegetable ink, and completely safe for ingestion), and they GO TO TOWN ripping up the newspaper, eating the cardboard...etc.

It's a really fun pasttime for buns!