Rabbit Licks Everything?

[jfinner1]

Xenos has started this new habit, and I'm not sure why, or if I should try to stop it. He's licking stuff. He licks the desk, the chairs, the lamps, everything. He's not chewing (thankfully), just licking... Is this normal? Should I try to stop him?

 

[Tweetiepy]

I remember reading that someone's rabbit licked a hole in the carpet - no chewing, just made a hole by licking. I'm not sure if it should be stopped though.. maybe someone else can answer that

 

[Runestonez]

I don't know if it was my post or not...
but we have a bunn that has licked a hole in two carpets...in the arm of the couch...
she just loves to lick.

She is healthy and happy...about 3 years old...
if it was deterimental we would stop her...but as long as she isn't chewing...
we just let her be!

Besides...at least if she is just licking it takes her longer to eat the carpet! LOL

 

[MiniLopHop]

and I thought my bun was odd for licking her stuffed animal. I guess some of them just prefer to lick. I'm glad she only chews on her chew toys.

 

[elrohwen]

One of my buns looooves to lick the leather couches and sometimes the furniture. It's normal, though weird!

 

[Yield]

My rabbits will sit there and then flop down and lick the ground, the carpet, their toys. It appears that a lot of rabbits lick very random things... My dutch, Sabriel sucks on things like my sleeves, lol

 

[Inle_Rabbitry]

I haven't heard of excessive licking in rabbits, but I do know that with other animals-dogs, cats, horses, etc. that this type of behavior is usually because of a nutritional deficiency. They will lick (and in some cases eat) random objects in order to try and obtain certain nutrients that they are lacking in with their normaldiet (or they may have anabnormal digestive system that can't take incertain nutrients).What do you feed your rabbit exactly?

In rare cases, it has been linked to psychological issues. For example, when cats are taken away from their mother before 6 weeks of age, they candevelop suckling and licking problems that stay with them through out their adult lives.

I've also seen a dog with severe excessive licking issues. He had damaged his nasal cavity at some point in his life, and so to make up for his loss of smell, he would lick EVERYTHING (including the air around him) to try and take in the scents.

So, with your rabbit, it could quite possibly be a number of problems. You may want to consult a vet for their opinion later on.

 

[MsBunBun]

My bunny licks my chair, the floor, and my clothes, hehe. But he's a happy and healthy bun But he doesnt do this licking every single minute, he does this occasionally...

 

[Flash Gordon]

Inle_Rabbitry wrote:

In rare cases, it has been linked to psychological issues. For example, when cats are taken away from their mother before 6 weeks of age, they candevelop suckling and licking problems that stay with them through out their adult lives.

i agree,,my cat sucks on blankets and she was way too young to be away from her moma when i got her .i had to feed her every couple of hours ..
she used to suck on my old dog "Piggys" teets everyday and my dog let her...weird.

my bun Hercules has some repetetive psychological prob...he licks his blanket constantly and he gnaws on his water bottle for hours....he grabs the nozzle and bites it and it slips out of his teeth and the bottle jumps up in the hangy thing..over and over and over again..i hear the bottle bouncing up and down.....trying to distract him is futile...hes obsessive with it...yes he has other stuff to play with and he gets out everyday ...but when i got him he already had this issue..

interesting to know if licking is a nutritional deficiency...

 

[evansrabbitranch]

My vet said that licking can be a sign of a lack of salt. So when I see a bunch of licking going on I add a tiny and I mean tiny pinch of non-iodinized table salt to their food. It seems to help.