What to do if a rabbit chews on a wooden cage
Why do rabbits gnaw wooden cages, what to do, how to wean the animal from this activity? This question more than once puzzled both experienced farmers and owners of decorative breeds.
Why do rabbits chew on wooden cages?
Modern rodent cages and pens often contain many wooden parts. The floor, corners, and sometimes the entire rabbit house is made of organic material. Despite all the advantages of wooden cages, there is also an extremely serious problem that most eared owners face. Rabbits begin to sharpen their teeth on the wooden parts of their home.
Why do rabbits chew on wooden cages?
I would like to note right away that such behavior of a rodent, when a rabbit gnaws a cage, is natural and normal.
There are many reasons why pussies chew on a cage. The most common is that the animal has itchy teeth. It's no secret that the incisors of eared pets grow throughout life, especially actively at an early age. If the pet does not have anything to grind its teeth about, he will have to look for a way out of this situation himself. The solution will be ordinary logs, sticks and twigs. The main thing is to change the sharpening wood in time, and then the question of how to wean the rabbit from gnawing the cage will not arise. A thin twig of fluff for one tooth, so it is important to try to prepare the wood in advance.
List of trees, branches of which can be given to a rabbit:
- acacia;
- Rowan;
- maple;
- grapes;
- Apple.
The wood in the pet's diet can be either fresh or harvested from the summer. It is best to cut branches in June. In no case should you give an elderberry fluffy, it is also important to be careful with fruit trees: some of them can ruin the pet's teeth, others can cause serious poisoning.
Another reason why rabbits gnaw on a cage is hunger. The Fuzzy must be provided with a constant supply of food. The diet should include hard grains, corn, dry peas, seeds, and fresh herbs. If the animal's feeder is empty, it may start nibbling at the wooden parts of the enclosure to get attention.
The reason is vitamin deficiency
Water deserves special attention. Hunger is not as dangerous to an animal as thirst. If the rabbit is restless, rushes about the enclosure and actively nibbles on everything that comes to him, you should check the drinker.
Sometimes the rodent's body lacks mineral salts, and this is another reason why the rabbit chews on the cage.
You should take a closer look: if a fluffy gnaws at the place of the cell where he goes to the toilet, thus he tries to replenish salt in his body. A mineral-salt stone, which is sold in any pet store, can help the animal in this. The same goes for vitamins. You should check if your pet has fresh hay. You can add a couple of drops of lemon to the water: perhaps the animal lacks vitamin C and is trying to get it from the tree.
Sometimes the problem lies in puberty.What to do in this case? The animal organism is very often dependent on primary instincts. If the rabbit is still young and constantly gnaws not only the wooden parts, but the iron bars of the cage, this may be a signal that it is ready to mate. If you are not going to breed rabbits, then you need to distract him during this period with delicious food or wooden toys.
The reason is the state of the aviary
If everything is in order with the pet's food and health, then most likely the problem is in the cage itself. First of all, the brood owner needs to thoroughly clean it. Very often, the rabbit simply does not like to sit in a dirty cage. If this does not help, then, probably, the pet does not like the location of his house, or the cage is just too small for him. If possible, it is worth trying to rearrange the rodent's dwelling to another place.
The last, and most banal, reason is that the pet is simply bored. Do not forget that rabbits are quite active animals. Their daily movement rate is higher than that of dogs or cats. You need to caress the animal, pick it up or let it go for a walk around the apartment. If possible, it is imperative to bring the pet out into the street. But it should be remembered that a rabbit can only walk outside the house after all vaccinations. If you have a private house, then you can make an aviary for your rabbit, in which he can walk freely.
How to stop a rabbit from chewing on a cage
Many rabbit owners do not complain about the damage to wooden parts, but about the noise level at night.
If the rabbit's cage is in complete order, he is healthy, but continues to gnaw the bars of the cage, most likely, this has become a bad habit for him. The decorative rabbit is a nocturnal animal, and the peak of its activity falls at 3-4 o'clock in the morning. Naturally, the sounds that the animal makes when it chews on the cage interfere with the sleep of the whole household. How to make sure that the rabbits do not gnaw the cage at this time?
The solutions to the problem are very simple:
- Fill the animal's feeder and drinker at night.
- Ensure that there is a fresh log or grindstone in the cage.
- Increase the amount of hard grains, corn, dry legumes in the rabbit's diet.
- To accustom the rodent to the schedule: let it go for a walk in the evening and drive it into a cage just before bedtime.
- Add chalk, salt and bone meal to the rabbit's complementary foods to replenish the necessary minerals.
If all these methods are powerless, the pet continues to spoil the cage, then it is advisable to use a folk remedy - grease wooden parts with an onion or malt paste. The bulbous taste is unpleasant for the rabbit, and this will help wean the pet from gnawing on its home.
As a conclusion, it can be noted that gnawing on the wooden parts of the cage is a natural activity for a rabbit and laid down by nature. It is possible to wean the animal from such a thing only by giving it an equivalent replacement. In emergency cases, the cage rods can be greased with onions, but this does not always help, and the animal may experience stress. The rabbit itself stops gnawing on the cage when nothing bothers him.
Conclusion
The best way to solve the problem is to supply wood and solid feed on a regular basis. Alternatively, you can pamper your rabbit with grain sticks. If you hang a treat for the night in a cage, then, most likely, the rodent will be busy and will not interfere with sleep. Also, don't forget about minerals, green food and gentle handling. In extreme cases, if, after eliminating all the causes, the rabbit continues to gnaw the cage and worry, you should contact your veterinarian. Your pet may have a problem with its teeth or gums.