There are several reasons why rabbits chew their cages, including boredom, being unneutered, lack of food, and small cages.
The first step to stopping rabbits from chewing on cages is to find out what is causing them to do so.
Cage chewing can be caused by loneliness, inactivity, boredom, an inadequate home, a diet deficiency, or hormone imbalances.
When the rabbit does this from time to time, try spraying a bitter solution onto the wire bars.
Additionally, clap when the rabbit chews its cage.
It is common for rabbits to react with curiosity or startle at the sound of a strange noise.
Having outlined the main points of this essay, let me elaborate on preventing your rabbit from biting its cage:
What should you do if your rabbit chews on its cage?
It can be not very pleasant to hear rabbits gnawing at enclosures, particularly at night.
To prevent rabbits from chewing its cage, follow these steps:
- You should sterilize your bunny.
A rabbit’s cage-chewing may result from hormonal stress. Sexually mature rabbits usually exhibit this aggressive behavior.
Your rabbit should be neutered when it reaches sexual maturity at six months.
If the same behavior persists after neutering, it may take more time for your rabbit to adjust to neutering.
A rabbit’s hormones will normalize after about a month or two.
- Exercise your rabbits regularly.
Keeping rabbits caged constantly, dozing, feeding, and peeing is not healthy.
During their natural habitat, bunnies can explore and find food.
Cage chewing is a common sign of boredom and frustration in rabbits.
Whenever your rabbit chews on its cage, it says, “I’m ready to go! I’m bored!”.”
In addition, rabbits are often chewed on rabbit cages at night.
Due to their crepuscular nature, rabbits prefer dawn and dusk.
Consider getting your rabbits a playpen if you can’t let them out at night.
As opposed to a cramped cage, they would have more space to roam.
- Play with toys.
Playing with your bunny can help reduce frustration and boredom. By changing their minds about biting their cage, they would be less likely to bite it.
Rabbits need to be given chewable toys. The added benefit of a toy like this is that it grinds your rabbit teeth.
The teeth of rabbits grow continuously. Because of this, they must constantly gnaw to prevent malocclusion and overgrowth of their teeth.
As a means of grinding molars, animals gnaw on branches and twigs. However, rabbits that are kept as pets eat food that is not hard enough to grind their teeth down.
Ensure that your rabbit eats mostly hay to help them chew. Wooden chew toys are also a good option.
A cardboard box or toilet paper roll is one of the most popular and cheapest rabbit toys.
The following items can be purchased for your rabbit for a more luxurious experience:
- Balls made of willow
- Bridge made of willow
- Sticks of willow
- Dumbbells made of wood
- Tunnels made of twigs
- Toy dispenser for Ka-Bob chews
This video shows rabbit games that keep them busy and relieve boredom:
Social interaction between rabbits is essential to rabbits who live in social groups.
Rabbits act more aggressively without human interaction, kicking and biting their cages.
Ideally, rabbits should be paired with females for them to bond.
It is possible to pair rabbits of either gender, but identical pairs, particularly male-male couples, fight more often.
Consider getting a companion for your rabbit if you can’t give it enough time, such as when you’re always working.
- More food should be provided.
If your rabbit bites the bars of its cage, it might be a sign that “I’m hungry; it’s time to eat!”
Caged animals that are hungry will often bite their cages to be noticed. In the house, your rabbits have no option. They rely on you as their only food source.
Make sure you can drink plenty of fresh water if you’re traveling all the time.
- Make sure rabbits have a larger cage.
Finally, rabbits with confined cages may experience frustration and chew their cages.
There is no doubt that a rabbit has a lot of energy that must be expended. There are two things rabbits enjoy doing for exercise: chewing and running.
Rabbits cannot run if their cages are too small. They’ll chew instead.
To prevent your rabbits from chewing cage walls, get them larger cages and chew toys.
You can also pair rabbit hutches with a playpen. Before you can do this, you must address the reason for excessive chewing.
Instead of chewing hutches, rabbits probably gnaw on their cage. Cabinets are usually wood, so they are susceptible to damage.
Rabbits’ ideal situation is to be allowed to roam free. To prevent damage from bunnies, ensure your home is bunny-proofed first.
Summary
Find out what causes your rabbit’s habit of biting its cage if you want to stop it.
Small cages, little exercise, few playthings, and no companionship can lead to rabbits chewing at cages, especially if they are unneutered.
Rabbits could become angry and start aggressively chewing their cages.