Why do rabbits bite their cage? Is it normal? Should you be concerned about it? If you have a new rabbit on your hands, you might be asking these questions. However, you do not have to worry. We will be answering these questions and so much more today!
Without further delay, let us hop into this question now.
5 Reasons Why Rabbits Bite Their Cage
If you are a new rabbit owner, you might have already formulated many theories about why your rabbit is biting its cage.
For one, you might be thinking the little furry guy is trying to escape. On the other hand, you might think it is only curious. Still, you might be assuming the little guy is trying to tell you something.
So, which is true and which is not? Well, let us take a look!
1. Biting is Normal for Rabbits
Biting is a normal rabbit behavior. It is one of a rabbit’s ways to navigate through its world. It might even be odder to find a little furry friend who doesn’t engage in this activity that often.
If you see your rabbit biting its new cage, you might not have to worry. It might only be curious and trying to investigate.
It might be a good time to note that this behavior might not go away, but if your bunny is biting its cage because of its curiosity or nature, this behavior should lessen in time. You might see your rabbit doing it occasionally, but if they don’t engage in it often, all should be well.
At this point, it is still normal behavior. However, it might be robbing you of much-needed sleep. In that case, you might want to invest in some earplugs.
Some might advise you to cover your rabbit’s cage. It could work. However, we don’t recommend it. Depending on where you live and where you place your rabbit’s cage, you might accidentally introduce a health problem to your rabbit. As you can see, earplugs seem like a safer choice.
On the other hand, some might tell you to put unpleasant things like hot sauce on your rabbit’s cage. This method often doesn’t seem to work. It might even do the opposite if your rabbit decides it likes spicy things!
Additionally, do you really want to go through the trouble of covering your rabbit’s cage with hot sauce and taking it off in the morning? It’s a messy task that might not even work. Again, go for the earplugs instead.
If your rabbit has been using the same cage for some time already and this behavior suddenly occurred, it might be another thing then. Check out the other possible reasons.
2. A Rabbit Might Bite Its Cage Because It Wants Attention
On the other hand, a rabbit might bite its cage to get attention. Rabbits are social creatures. They need lots of love and attention.
If you are taking care of a single rabbit and you find this behavior often happens when you are not with your rabbit, it is could be the little guy is making a fuss to get your attention.
In this case, many would automatically resort to telling the little guy off. However, it might not be the best way to handle this situation. Rabbits love attention. Any attention is good attention for these little guys.
If you want to take care of this problem, you might want to get your little guy a pal then. As we have said, rabbits are social creatures. Ideally, a rabbit should not live alone unless you can give the little guy all the love and attention a bunny pal could.
If you and your bunny are starting to have a problem in this area, consider getting a new furry friend your bunny could bond with.
Bonding could be a long and tedious process. If you want to avoid this bunny problem in the future, you might want to opt for bonded pair from the get-go. Your local shelter should have tons of bonded pairs.
3. A Rabbit Might Bite Its Cage Because It Is Stressed
If the behavior persists, you might have a bigger problem on your hands.
Biting and chewing is normal for a rabbit, but if it starts to get too much, the little guy might be trying to tell you that something is wrong. Too much biting and chewing might mean your little furry friend is stressed.
It might have something to do with the food, enclosure, or temperature. It could be anything! Our little guys can’t tell us outright when something is wrong.
These episodes might not be the most pleasant things to deal with, but you want to watch out for when it happens. It might be the only tell-tale sign our rabbits are going through something, and they need our help.
It could also be that your rabbit is sick or in pain. In that case, you might want to set up a date with your local vet to make sure your little one is okay.
4. A Rabbit Might Bite Its Cage Because It Is Bored
Rabbits are crepuscular creatures. Simply put, they are awake at times we are often asleep. They are most active in these hours. As you can imagine, it could be pretty boring in a cage when you have so much energy that you want to use to wander and explore.
Your little guy might not be trying to wake you up by biting its cage. It could simply be doing so because of boredom.
In this case, you can employ the help of rabbit toys. However, use your toys wisely! If you don’t, they will eventually get bored of it too, and you will be back at phase 1.
First, you want to get or make your rabbits a variety of toys. However, you don’t want to just dump all the toys in their area all at once. You want to swap your bunny toys from time to time.
Additionally, you might want to have toys specifically for nighttime or when you are not there. Don’t include these toys when it’s playtime. This way, they will not get bored of these toys immediately.
5. A Rabbit Might Bite Its Cage Because It Needs More Space
Finally, it could be that your rabbit is biting its cage because it wants to go out and have more room to roam around. It is a little like how dogs or cats paw at the door when they want to go out.
Whatever animal you want to take home, you always have to consider how much space it would need. Rabbits are no different. They require room to roam around. If they suddenly start biting their cage, it could be they have finally outgrown it. An expansion might be needed.
Generally, rabbits need at least 12 square feet. However, this measurement could still change depending on the size of your rabbit. It could also depend on how many rabbits are in the cage.
We can’t forget to mention that it could depend on how many things would be in its cage. Toys could be a good idea. However, it could also be a bad idea if you don’t have that much room to spare.
The more toys you put in their enclosure, the bigger the space you need to provide. We mean, imagine trying to hop in a place crowded with toys! There would be no room!
Other Things You Might Want to Keep in Mind with Rabbits Biting Their Cage
You now know the reasons why your rabbit could be biting its cage. We’ve also let you in on how you could stop this behavior. Before you go, allow us to share a few more tips with you in how to deal with this problem.
Lay on the Hay
One reason rabbits might chew on their cage is that they’ve run out of things to chew. As you might already know, their teeth don’t stop growing. They need to file them, hence why they might chew and chew. In addition to chew toys, make sure they have an unlimited supply of hay in their cage.
Check their Cages
As we have said above, chewing is one of our little friends’ ways to navigate through the world. You can expect a rabbit to chew a new cage. In that case, make sure you always opt for enclosures that don’t have harmful components in them.
Summary
Why do rabbits bite their cage? Well, you now know why your little one keeps biting at its cage.
It could be your rabbit is simply a curious little critter trying to get to know its world better. On the other hand, it could also be your furry friend is trying to get your attention.
Still, it could be your rabbit is stressed, bored, or simply wants more room. In addition, we also discussed how you could try to stop your little guy from engaging in this activity!
We hope we were able to be of service to you and your little furry friend. Feel free to visit our other discussions if you have any other puzzling bunny problems like this one. Our burrow is open for you! See you around then!
