Thumper

Usagi_Chan · May 9, 2007

Usagi did manage to ingest quite a bit of rugwhich gave him problems (and nearly gave me a heart attack) but hischewing is nothing compared to Thumper.

Thumper is very social, more so than Usagi, actually. Thumperloves attention of any sort and she even likes rough petting.However she eats literally everything in sight. I gave an old phonebook to Usagi and he nibbled at it a bit but soon lostinterest. Thumper shreds pages then eagerly devours pages asif they were choice pieces of clover.

My new furniture is also on her menu. Unfortunately she is soquick and efficient at eating furniture that she already has bit out achunk before I can even say, "No!"

She finds brand new bedsheets to be delicious and new shirts are gormetfood to her. I'm going to go broke replacing things if Ican't find a way to stop this and direct her behavior towardchewing on acceptable things.

I have a squirt bottle and have been trying that in conjunction with afirm, "No !!" She usually ignores the first "No!" then goesback to chewing. The second squirt with, "No" seems to stopher for the moment. The problem is that this requiresconstant vigilance and she inevitable manages to bite off a chunk ofthe furniture or perforate a shirt before I can get her to stop.

She's 3 years old... I thought this sort of behavior was reserved forterrible teens. Apparently not. She acts hyper like she coulduse a few doses of bunny Ridlin, if such a thing exists. Shewas just spayed last Wednesday. I had hoped the spay wouldcurb this but so far it hasn't. Maybe it will take time forthe hormones to leave her system? (I can hope) She's newhere. I only got her a bit over a week ago. I didnotice that she was in a Florida Room at her previous owner and she hadate substantional parts of the baseboard. That is intolerable herebecause this is an old building with a high probability of lead basedpaint, not to mention the fact that my landlord would have my hidetacked over his door.

I don't want to confine her to quarters but if we can't find a solution I fear I'll have no choice.

Any help would be appreciated.

Usagi_Chan

Pipp · May 9, 2007

I've got boxes of hay and boxes of blankets and phone books galore around my place. (Pipp is a chewer).

I have also blocked off everything with NIC panels. (Sometimes I think I'm the one in the pen).

NIC panels really do work well for fencing. I have two angledtogether protecting the corners of my couch and I have a blanket shecan play with covering the cushions.I've also putthe panels across my wood furniture.She doesn'treally try to chew themanymore.

WHen I first got Pipp she had run of the house, but she ended uphappier and more controllable when I got other bunnies and restrictedher area to one room.

sas

ec · May 9, 2007

Great advice there - you did ask about hormonelevels dropping. It usually takes a while. I know she's trying yourpatience right now, but keep haning in there! Blocking things off andgiving her plenty of things to chew shoule help a lot.

Usagi_Chan · May 9, 2007

I should add that I already had fenced off apart of my living room with NIC panels also. These have worked finewith Usagi but Thumper scales these with ease and aplomb then startslooking for things to chew. I did get some rabbit fencingwhich is 28 inches high. When I put that around the futon itkeeps Thumper off it.... but it also keeps me off my futon

My futon is within this NIC-fenced area and Usagi seldom hops on thefuton. Even when he does he simply sniffs everything. He'sbasically a sniffer, not a chewer. When wandering around aroom Usagi resembles a tiny black bloodhound.

When Thumper hops on the futon, which she does very often, sheimmediatelty starts eating anything there, pillowcases, sheets,blankets and even the clothes I'm wearing.

Thumper is really a sweet loving bunny but yes, she sure is trying my patience ! She is just full of mischief.

I haven't started bonding them yet because Thumper is still gettingover her surgery. This may also help... that is if they don't pick upeach other's bad habits. (Thumper eats hay and timothypellets while Usagi is a junk food junkie and refuses anything butkaytee fiesta and he shuns hay as if it were poison) I plan on startingto do that about next Wednesday when she'll be 2 weeks out of hersurgery. At the moment I am allowing them to see each other.

Usagi_Chan

Flashy · May 9, 2007

My buns are chewers, well, two of them specifically.

Try to give her loads of things she can chew on, wood chew, things likethat, and rotate and change them regularly. Try hiding hay insidethings (i.e.boxes)to give her a challenge to getto. My buns also seem to like if I give them a sealed box (usingcareful bending and folding, no glue or sellotape or anything) withthings inside, they will spend ages getting into the box and then playwith the things inside, things like hay, wood chews, treats, mineralblocks, smaller toys, a huge variety of things.

Some buns don't mind water, I have one who positively loves it, lol.Maybe try something like gently ringing a bell maybe. Or don't give herany attention for it, just turn her 180 degrees around from where shealready is, lol. That worked quite well with some of my buns.