Thanks to their cuddly stuffed toy appearance, rabbits have become one of the pets of choice among children and adults. They are very docile animals and for a house they require little care. But when they come home, especially those who have a lot of things, they must take certain precautions so that they don't bite everything they find.
On our site we want to help you so you don't panic and know what to do to avoid reaching a crisis. What to do if my rabbit breaks everything? It is a question as frequent as the presence of these small rodents in the vets.
Educate him from day one
All pets should be educated, to the extent possible, when they enter a human home. In freedom they have much more space and possibilities to bite and play with things that, perhaps, in our houses they should not. This always helps, both for the animal and for the humans who spent their days by their side. The smaller the home gets, the easier it will be for both parties. From the first day we must work to create habits that favor coexistence.
We must remember that rabbits are lagomorphs, so here we have two very innate behaviors that we will never eradicate, but yes, we can control. Gnawing is one of the main entertainment of these little ones, but they are also very nervous or easily stressed animals. We must always keep this in mind as yelling or punishing them will be a very negative way of teaching them and, what is even worse, we can promote cardiac arrest
Rabbits are very intelligent animals that learn quickly if we offer them some incentive and, in general, food is the most used to educate him on hygienic habits and feeding areas.
The adaptation to their new habitat is usually complicated for these species since, in nature, they would have km and km to run and explore. Closed environments are not the best for them, so we would rule out cages or boxes, only in extreme cases and for no more than a few hours.
We must provide him with a quiet space so that he feels safe and can move freely. The first few days at home it is not recommended to leave him loose if he will be left alone, accidents may occur during his exploration.
Tendency to bite
The tendency to bite is something that we can never avoid in these little animals because their teeth are constantly growing andthey need to "gnaw" to file them down Otherwise, they can suffer from excessive tooth growth, which is very painful for them. Being in a new place they can have a real feast, biting everything within their reach including cables, wooden furniture, etc.
Not only should we educate our rodent but there are some expert tips that we can use. We will limit access to cables and objects that could harm you. In the market we will also find specific products that they can chew, such as wood to chew, blocks or minerals Offering them an alternative will be essential.
It is important to recognize that both biting and digging are normal behaviors in our rabbits and that they increase in situations of boredom or stressThey are highly territorial animals, so anything that gets in their way will be investigated and often nibbled to destruction. We must not take away everything within his reach, but give him what we do want him to bite like his toys, with different shapes and materials.
Other customs to know
As a burrow or resting space, they will choose places where they feel safe, under a sofa or bed. They like to choose sites that have a roof, walls, and an entrance. Then we can put a blanket on them and respect their decision. We just have to keep in mind not to block the entrance or exit because in that case, it will dig to get out.
They can also destroy and/or eat houseplants or garden. We must provide hay available, basic in the rabbit's diet, so that when it feels hungry it can calm it down and not go looking for other things. They can also stress-eat excessively, leading to obesity.
Finally, the rugs are victims at times. If there is a particular area that you like, we can cover it with an old blanket or cardboard so you can keep doing it, but not on the carpet.
