# Im not sure if this is already a topic but HELP.



## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm going bonkers @[email protected] Ceaser has started chewing on his cage, and water bottle. but its not really chewing its more like biting and pulling at it.I keep him out all day until bed time or when its time for me to go to work, andi make sure he has toys and everything. >___< can someone help me? im trying everything to make sure hes not bored or anything. and all ive been able to do is wave my hand infront of the cage and tell him no....>__> andi really dont like being woken up at 3am when i have work the next day..more or less yell at that one XD. we both share a room. i dont want to put him on the balcony....=/ it seems like its too hot out there, plus theres ants. ive given him card bored. wood (from the pet store it was part of a toy) a fake carrot with twine? i think around it. salt lick and whatever else i thought would help. he also has a problem with chewing on the carpet =/ and thats really starting to make my mom mad...


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## Flashy (Jun 22, 2009)

How big is his cage? Have you had his teeth checked?

Unfortunately, rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk, and what with dawn being so early, they will inevitably wake you up (I share wih 7 rabbits in large NIC cages, so I can really sympathise).

Could you maybe let him out into your room (either free range or in a pen) during the night?


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

my main this XD i have alot of cords laying behind the tv. and i'll be killed if they get chewed up. but i totally would let him out at night, i just dont trust him that much lol. im thinking about investing in a pen. and his cage isnt small. but its not huge either. id say it was 36" maybe? im not sure, i wish i had a tape ruler.


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## Flashy (Jun 22, 2009)

3ft is quite small for a bun, even if they do get free roam all the time. Is there any way you could make it bigger for him? If he has more room to move about then it might help his behaviour. In the UK they say the minimum width should be 5ft by 2ft. If length/width is not an option, could you give him shelves?

I use a pen in my room because I, like you, have wires everywhere, and it works really well for mine. It means they can get out far more and it has also made them much quieter.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

his cage doesnt seem that small, i mean he can hop around and everything and move just fine, is 3 feet too small for a lion head? i might be able to get him a new cage once my check comes out. right now im also trying to save up to go to this wedding with my friend. and thats in west virgina. i gotta go to the petstore today, i'll look at cages too and price them out.


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## Flashy (Jun 22, 2009)

Have you heard of NIC cages? They generally work out much cheaper, more flexible, and often bigger than the shop bought ones. If you haven't, maybe have a look through the photophiles forum for the threads on NIC cages. It might give you some ideas.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

where do you get NIC cages at? =/ ive heard of them before, i just dont know where to get them, or how to put them together.


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## Flashy (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm shooting in the dark here, because I'm in the UK, but Walmart?

They are Wire Storage Grids. I think you have to get the smaller ones, not the bigger holed ones because they pose a risk ot the buns.

There is a thread somewhere, maybe the Bunny 101 forum, that is a guide for how someone puts them together. I think realy everyone does it in a way that works for them, and there is no set way to do it.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

ahhh ok lol i see i see. yeah theres a walmart down the street pretty much from me XD
i'll have to check it out sometime. thanks =D
XD now i just gotta figure out how to get him to stop chewing the carpet. my moms about to kill me


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

If you have a exercise pen you could put the ex-pen from side to side of the cage. Justlay a peice of vinyl down on the floor so he won't eat the carpet. You can buy a peice cheap pre- cut at Lowes or Menard for $20. That's what I do, cause Rascal does the same thing. Bites on his cage. He don't like the cage even though it's a Ex- large cage. I had to seperate him and his sister til their spayed and neutered. I havea NIC cage. When he can go back in the NIC cage, he'll go back in there. It's really big. Like 5 ft by 4 ft. with a second floor.

 April


Edit: That way he can jump in &out of his cage. It will give him more room to run.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

oh wow. thats huge XD
yeah the place i work at is selling pre-cut carpet 2 for $3 im thinkin about stocking up on some. i dont know if i can afford to make a huge nic cage for ceaser right now. my cat is working on getting his teeth cleaned and getting declawed x__x my cats pretty sick right now with the teeth. i didnt realize they got really bad until we noticed a really bad stink comming from his mouth (my poor baby) the vet says if its worse then they think theres a possiblity he has to get his teeth removed =(


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

Poor kitty. You don't have to make a NIC cage that big to start out. You can add later. Or just use cable tiestoattach aex-pen to his cage. Sounds like he just needs more space. 

 Good luck, April


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

this is his set up right now. sorry its a bad picture, its from my phone XD





ignore the cardboard in there XD i was trying to give him something to chew on


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

Thats like the cage I have. But mines purple. Rascal has plenty of room but he's not happy in it either. He'll bite on the wire. He'll act all depressed. Then when I add the ex-pen, he's happier. He can come out and run around. He got use to having all that room in the NIC cage. I had to take him out til hes neutered.


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## Flashy (Jun 22, 2009)

I can imagine that attaching a pen to that would be quite easy.... until he figures out how to jump it


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

XD omg lol if he jumps it i'm screwed lol im a pretty heavy sleeper and so is everyone else. i wouldnt want him to get hurt. or anything like that.

oy! i just gotta find a temp fix for the carpet chewing, no matter what i do he just goes back to doing it i move him, i clap, i whistle. i shake a box anything just to get him to stop, but he just keeps doing it. =/ id see if bitter apple spray would work but thats for dogs



Edit: :Xhe just chewed on my power cord for my laptop....his teeth are fine. i dont know what his deal is....is it bunny puberty??? is he THAT bored??? even with all his toys? and random box towers.....x___x......


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## Flashy (Jun 22, 2009)

Is he neutered? How old is he?


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

no hes not neutered, i think hes still too young. id say hes probably 4 or 5 months?


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

Mineis really tall. 29 inches tall.It's suppose to attach to the cage. I'm guessing it's called a ex-pen.


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

*Platypusstar wrote: *


> no hes not neutered, i think hes still too young. id say hes probably 4 or 5 months?


He's probably old enough to be fixed. The vet would have to see if his testacles have came down. Unless you know how to check.


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

This is what I have. I attach it to my cage. It's tall enough they can't jump it. You can get it at PetsMart. $39.99


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## Boz (Jun 22, 2009)

Dolla and Marley have both scaled a 3 foot high pen. (And Marley is a big french lop!). Dolla would have no issues jumping that pen, but that's my two bunnies. 

On the other hand Domino has been in a pen that's 2 feet high and NEVER jumped out. So it can go either way. lol

Do you have a Target near you? That's where I got my panels for the Cube Condos (NIC Condos).


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

Wow!! I've never had a bunny jump like that! My NIC cage has no top except the second floor. Learn something new everyday. Her Ceaser looks small though. I was just giving her another option cause Ceaser isn't happy at night.And My Rascal does the same thing. So I was just telling her what I did. Thanks, April


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

i got him some new toys today, maybe that will help his boredom. im going to look into carpet squares from work and then when i have more time and everything go to target or walmart to check out and price the NIC cubes. i already have tons of twisty ties XD if thats what your suppose to use to tie them together. and no im not quite sure how to tell if a rabbits umm "nuggets" XD have dropped yet lol. i was kinda thinking it would be like a dog or a cat. were you could actually see them.


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## SweetSassy (Jun 22, 2009)

Nuggets.LOL :laughsmiley: NIC cubes use to be cheap, but the price keeps going up. I had to order mine from Walmart. Ship "Site to Store". Targets were way more expensive.


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## BethM (Jun 22, 2009)

Katrina,

In the Kansas City area, most Target stores carry the NIC grids. They're under the "Organize It" or "Re-Organize" brand (same product, different box), in the Home Organization section of the store. I think each pack is $16.99, but you could get it cheaper if you can wait for a sale. If you get the black or white ones, half the cubes have wide openings in them that can't be used for a wall piece (bunny could squeeze through). I just got a pack of the silver ones, and all the cubes have the smaller grid. If you study the pictures on the front of the boxes, you can tell the difference. I have seen blue ones on store shelves (at the Shawnee Mission Parkway Target store) that still have small grids on all the panels.

If you're more interested in an ex-pen, look up a place called Dressler's Dog Supply. They have a website (just google it), which will tell you the location, it's local. I got my ex-pen there, and it was less expensive than at PetSmart or PetCo. The web prices are lower than the in-store prices, because of shipping charges. I got mine in-store, about 3 years ago, and it was quite affordable.

Lowe's has recently raised the price of it's pre-cut linoleum, to $27.99, and the Home Depot locations I've been to don't carry those anymore. 

PM me if you have any questions about locations. (I'm in Shawnee.)


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

XD holy crap lol your not far from me at all! but that sounds awesome i'll have to check it out. both the prices of the expen compared to the nic cubes. im thinking about just doing the pen, my dad doesnt like ceaser inside, so he would have to be on the balcony on the weekends =/ and making a home made cage sounds like it would be hard to move XD


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## elrohwen (Jun 22, 2009)

Check out Bed, Bath, & Beyond for NIC cubes as well. I bought some there for $14.95 this past weekend. They also only had the silver variety with small grids, but not sure if that's the case everywhere.

You can compare the prices between NIC and xpens, but you can easily use NIC panels to just make a pen (rather than a whole NIC cage) and attach it to your current cage with zip ties. Then just find some type of tile or vinyl flooring to put under itto protect the carpet. 

For height, I bought a 36" xpen just to be safe (part of his permanent cage set up, which is a cage just like yours, but with an xpen attached), but I also use NIC panels to fence off areas of the house when my bun is running around, and he hasn't learned how to jump even one panel (which can't be more than 18"). It all depends on your bun, but you might be able to get away with something just 2' high unless he's an escape artist. Also, you can try clipping a sheet over the top of the pen as a roof (especially at night) because he won't try to jump out then.


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## BethM (Jun 22, 2009)

*Platypusstar wrote: *


> XD holy crap lol your not far from me at all! but that sounds awesome i'll have to check it out. both the prices of the expen compared to the nic cubes. im thinking about just doing the pen, my dad doesnt like ceaser inside, so he would have to be on the balcony on the weekends =/ and making a home made cage sounds like it would be hard to move XD


Is your balcony covered and climate controlled? It is really too hot in this area for domestic bunnies to be outside. Especially now, when it's hitting 98 degrees plus humidity.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

theres a storage shed, i gotta get a fan and put it in there on the weekends. its an open balcony. i feel bad when i have to keep him out there =/

and i got a call from the vet when i was outside T__T theres a chance my cat might have feline lukemia....im so bummed out right now.


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## BethM (Jun 22, 2009)

*Platypusstar wrote: *


> theres a storage shed, i gotta get a fan and put it in there on the weekends. its an open balcony. i feel bad when i have to keep him out there =/
> 
> and i got a call from the vet when i was outside T__T theres a chance my cat might have feline lukemia....im so bummed out right now.


I'm sorry to hear about your cat. That sucks.

You will need more than just a fan in the shed to keep it cool enough. The heat index here has been well over 100, with high humidity. It would be very easy for a bunny to get heat stroke in these conditions. I would really encourage you to not keep the bunny outside at all when it is hot and humid like this. 
I have a co-worker whose bunny died from heat stroke by being outside in the summer. The bunny was in the shade and had access to water, but it's just too hot here.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

=/ i might be able to just keep him in my closet when my dads here, or just see if my friend Jeff can watch him for the weekend. honestly i hated putting him out there. i felt sooo bad....


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## BethM (Jun 22, 2009)

What is the issue your dad has with Ceasar?


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## Platypusstar (Jun 22, 2009)

my dad just doesnt like animals...=/ hes weird...


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## BethM (Jun 22, 2009)

Where does Ceaser stay? Is his cage in your bedroom? If so, is it possible for you to just keep your bedroom door closed when your dad's there, so he doesn't have to see Ceaser? 
Does your dad know that you have Ceaser in the house normally? 

Sorry for all the questions, I would just like to help you figure out the situation so it will work out for you, Ceaser, and your dad.


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## SweetSassy (Jun 23, 2009)

Sorry to hear about your kitty cat. ray:

Wow, if it's that hot out there. Hope you can work something else out.U would think your dad would be ok with you keeping your door shut. Good Luck with that.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 23, 2009)

he doesnt know ceaser stays inside during the week XD but he knows i have him. my mom actually talked him into letting ceaser stay. i'll just keep him in my closet. he'll get over it. not like he hurts anything, plus hes litter box trained...speaking of which XD i gotta put new litter in his box *runs off to do so*


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## Platypusstar (Jun 23, 2009)

you know...i just noticed something about the carpet chewing...it looks like hes almost trying to groom the carpet. he licks and nibbles, sometimes he pulls it but he mainly licks it...do you think hes trying to find a companion?


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## BethM (Jun 23, 2009)

One of my bunnies will like the carpet while he's chewing it, too. He has a companion, though, so I don't know if that is why. 
Is there a certain spot he likes to chew the carpet? Mine like to go into a corner and chew. If there is one spot, and Ceaser is just chewing, but not eating the carpet, here's a trick you can try: Get a carpet sample and just put it in the area Ceaser likes to chew. Then he can chew the sample but not ruin the real carpet. When it is all chewed up, just replace it. It's not that pretty, but if you have company you can just take it up.
I get my carpet samples from Big Bob's Flooring Outlet on 75th Street; they are $2 each. 
My bunnies only like to chew on the "normal" carpet, not the low Berber type, so sometimes I'll use one they don't like and they'll just leave it alone.


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## Platypusstar (Jun 23, 2009)

well i live in an apartment lol, so im trying to break that habbit. and i have "normal" carpet. do you think its maybe just how it feels on his tongue? its actually a couple spots he licks and chews on. and ive also been noticing hes kind of nibbling the wall. the paint doesnt have lead in it but im still a little worried about that. im going to be talking to the vet tomorrow about getting him neutered. im going to be working on pricing that out, maybe it'll stop some of his behavior. i mean XD i'd really like kits from him but hes startin to erk me with some of his aggressiveness as far as biting and kicking. he even thumps at me a couple times lol..

Edit: now hes digging at doors @[email protected] its not too bad, i mean lol atleast his claws arnt digging into the wood. its more annoying then anything


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## Maureen Las (Jun 23, 2009)

Neutering him will cut way down on the aggressive biting ...


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## Platypusstar (Jun 23, 2009)

his biting doesnt hurt, its just annoying, i mean yeah if he really wanted to bite me he could chomp through my finger (a finger is that of a carrot) but those pinches are frequent, he gets my hands, legs, feet, arms, just whatever he can whenever he wants. he'll lick me for a good 5 to 10 minutes and then just turn around and nip. im not scared of him. i think we've actually gotten closer to bonding more. i just need him to quit the things hes doing.


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## Maureen Las (Jun 23, 2009)

neutering can make a male rabbit better able to be trained. When intact he is just a bundle of hormones. believe me there are alot of differences as I see unneutered bunnes at the shelter .

it will usually improve all behaviors including marking with urine .


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## Platypusstar (Jun 23, 2009)

he doesnt pee on the floor surprisingly enough. hes done that maybe once or twice and stopped. its mainly little pellets but thats few and far between. he goes in his litter box most the time =)so im pretty happy with that


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