3
how do I keep my rabbit from chewing on the walls and the furniture?
Skamp chews on everything, so I’ve gotten in the habit of having all the doors to other rooms in the house shut when I let him out. Sometimes, he’ll just start chewing away at the baseboards, the wall or the legs of an old chair that belonged to my grandmother – it’s an antique! At first, I just clapped my hands and said, “No, Skamp, no!” and he’d stop. Now, he just blows me off as though I were doing a rain dance or something. I don’t want to scare him or hurt him and I don’t want him locked up in a cage all the time – I just want him to stop chewing!
It’s a lot easier than you’d think, but not necessarily your first impulse. If you’re a dog person like me – yelling is instinctive – but this is not how rabbits communicate. Unlike cats, who think they are your superiors, and dogs who think you are their superiors – rabbits think you are their equal. They know you might be boss rabbit, but they want respect and dignity.
Rabbits teeth never stop growing through their entire lifetime – so they will need good chewing alternatives such as apple wood sticks, old telephone books, cardboard boxes (sans staples), etc… just make sure it’s rabbit safe.
Rabbits have a photographic memory for their surroundings, so it won’t take long for them to remember what is off limits and what is ok to chew.
While Skamp is chewing on your wall or furniture, get a reward food handy and move him to a new location where he can chew and give him the reward. I used to give Weber cilantro for this – he loved it and the smell was strong.
I did not give him the reward during every step of training, because I didn’t want Weber training me – getting a reward by chewing on my diningroom table.
Before I approached him, I’d say, “Weber – please don’t chew on mommie’s table!” Did he understand any of that other than his name? Probably not – but he got the gist of it – the tone of my voice, his name and me approaching him. After the 2nd or 3rd time – he pretty much left the table legs alone – but like any child would sometimes forget – his teeth itched and he needed to chew on something – and the table was about as perfect as your grandma’s chair. 
After he knew it was a no-no, I didn’t even have to get up anymore to go after him. I’d just say, “Weber!” (I’d say it, not yell it) and he’d look up to see what I was yammering on about and then I’d say, “please don’t chew on that,” and it was like his thought bubble read, “Oh yeah – oops, sorry. My bad!” and he’d then hop away and start chewing away on his Cottontail Cardboard Cottage. On occasion, after he would do this for me, I’d wait a few minutes, then get him a little treat and tell him how wonderful he was. Rabbits thrive on positive reinforcement – they do not respond to negative reinforcement. You can smack a dog on the hiney when they do something wrong – never spank a rabbit… you can hurt them and they will not respond the way a child or dog will. This is not how rabbits think. Rabbits in the wild correct one another with gentle nudges or a gentle pinch (not a bite) with their teeth.
Rabbit teeth can do a lot of damage really really fast. You need to make sure your house (or at least the room Skamp has access to) is bunny-proofed and he should never be left unsupervised. Rabbits can jump an amazing distance, especially when you’re not looking! If you’re not willing to let grandma’s chair go through a few more training sessions, then it needs to be moved into a room where Skamp doesn’t have access. Once Skamp ‘gets’ that chewing on the wall and baseboards is a no-no – you can begin the process of repairing those areas. Make sure Skamp sees you repairing it – if he sees his surroundings have been ‘modified’ without his knowledge, he might modify them back to make things look the way he left them. My Weber used to throw tantrums if something got moved when he wasn’t looking. He’d move it somewhere else in protest – whether it was a dog’s toy, a chair, or anything else.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeWow. That was a quick and very thorough response – I didn’t expect anything so detailed so quickly. Thank you! I have read this and will re-read it and print it out and start applying this. I might have other questions later.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeBe sure to give your bunny some wood to chew on to keep his teeth ground down. Something safe like willow. My bunny loved to chew on record covers and books. I bought some inexpensive cologne, mixed it w/ a little water, and lightly sprayed where I didn’t want chewing. The chewing stopped immediately!
Some people don’t like to do this, because the perfume can upset a bunny’s tummy, but mine didn’t get close enough to try it.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislike