Is it okay for rabbits to eat cardboard?

[Joanna]

Hi I'm wondering if its normal or okay for my female rabbit who has been spayed but is still destructive and eats her card board little house daily. Is this okay? or should I remove her cardboard?

 

[Blue eyes]

My rabbits have almost all eaten cardboard -- however, it is plain (not shiny or colored) cardboard and they also eat tons of hay daily.

There is a concern among some that eating cardboard could cause a gut blockage. Others may disagree with me, but I am convinced that if a rabbit is eating plenty of hay daily (about its body size in hay) then the hay keeps everything moving along just fine. Rabbits not eating hay would be in danger of having the cardboard accumulate in the gut.

Mine enjoy large and small cardboard boxes, tp tubes, paper towel tubes, tunnels, etc.

 

[Joanna]

Hi blue very nice picture ! You have so many beautiful bunnies. Soo adorable !
Okay good I just hope she doesnt get that gut problem. I'm very worried because her Vet did say her back teeth were slated and not flat meaning shes not eating enough hay. she likes to chew cardboard everyday! She makes a big mess in her cage, and I have a very big cat litter pan with allot of hay for her to eat. I took most of her pellets away so she can focus on eating more hay too. I do see her go in there and eat hay but it seems like she's at her box more than her litter pan. She's a year and 4 months old.
Thanks for responding Blue

 

[Blue eyes]

You're welcome!

If you don't do this already, you can try adding new hay a couple times per day. There is something about the adding of more hay that entices them to eat more of it.

 

[Luigi]

Mine loves eating cardboard! There are so many boxes in the room for him to play with and chew on, but most are in tatters from his ripping chunks out of them. I give my bunny untreated and unfinished cardboard. It's just wood pulp, so it shouldn't cause any harm, especially if their gut is kept constantly moving by all the hay and fiber. I'm always a little worried that Luigi doesn't eat enough hay, but he'll often surprise me with an empty hay rack the next morning. Confining him in his cage overnight works wonders in terms of forcing him to eat all his hay. On top of that, he doesn't actually eat that much cardboard. If you keep an eye on your buns and make sure they don't eat an excessive amount, it should be fine.

 

[Joanna]

Hi you bunny luigi is so cute! Thanks for the responses you guys.
I'll make sure to add fresh hay during the day. I hope that will get my female rabbit to start eating more!