What can they chew/gnaw/trim teeth on?

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Zab

Zab

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Well, besides tree branches, that is :)

They finish those poor tree branches so fast I need to look sor other things for them, to keep them from biting on the cage. They don't bite on it yet, but..

They have hay and straw to eat. Pellets once a day. What sort of things can I put in there to keep them occupied? :)
 
A piece of lumbar ... just make sure it isn't pressure treated, but any hardwood board will do ... if you have a scrap piece that is from lumbar that has not been pressure treated, they can gnaw on it ... in fact, I am surprised they aren't already gnawing on the wood you built the accessories out of LOL
 
A soft wood block will get a lot of action. I also give mine a Berry/apple/Timothy/alfalfa horse treat to chew on. The treat contains, cured Timothy grass, cured alfalfa, human grade cranberries with apple juice. and natural bentonite. It's press into one inch square cubes that are as hard as most soft woods. One of the cubes 2-3 inches long usually last 3-4 days and the buns also get a nutrition benefit.
 
Thanks for tips :)

They have lots of wood they could chew on (not saying I wnt them to *lol*) so I need something better than what they have. My best guess on why the cage is completely unharmed is because the woodstructure is centuries old oak, massive (and partly protected by the net). The new little buildings I have made are done with cheap floor boards. They have a hard and probably not too healthy-if-they-eat-it surface which they probably don't prefer to chew much on.

They have leftovers from the apple branches I give them, but they just chew off that,..what's it called? Not ''shell'' but you see what I mean? And leave the core intact. I could give them a bigger piece of apple wood, but they'd chew it clean in an hour or so and then leave it.. I think.
Or is the core good enough if they feel like chewing something other than hay?
 
"They have leftovers from the apple branches I give them, but they just chew off that,..what's it called? Not ''shell'' but you see what I mean? And leave the core intact. "

Bark?
 
:lol: is it really bark? That's the swedish word for it, probably why I couldn't remember the english one :p
 
Zab":33w0a52q said:
:lol: is it really bark?
Click to expand...

:rotfl: Yes, it is. :D

They will chew the inner wood, too, but there isn't any nutrition to speak of in it. They prefer the cambium layer which is just under the bark and contains some nutritional value.

Ann Claire mentioned giving them lumber- that is what I do. It is usually pine or fir. To make it more appealing, you can soak it in salt water or even berry juice, but I haven't tried either option. Sometimes I soak the pieces in apple cider vinegar, but that is when I am thoroughly cleaning the rabbit cages.
 
Yea, it's bark. Doesn't bark, but still bark.
Give them thicker, longer tree branches?
 
Thanks for the advice :)

Well, even the thickest and logest ones are chewed down fast, and I only have one fruit tree..
 
Let's face it, rabbits love to chew on wood. And nothing else we can provide them (other than total freedom) will be able to replace that.

I use small pieces of firewood - fortunately, in Oregon, USA, there is no shortage of firewood - ! My husband mixes hardwoods such as oak, cherry, and ash into his cordwood. I have found that the dry, 'seasoned' oak and cherry wood is excellent for rabbits. It is not unusual for me to take a handsaw to a piece of firewood and cut it into slices for the buns. They grind it down all soft and smooth, like a bar of soap as it gets used up!

I also provide my rabbits an endless supply of cardboard boxes to shred, scratch, hide in, perch on, potty on and otherwise destroy. I don't think the cardboard does much for their teeth but it keeps them entertained. The end product (little soggy pieces of paper) can be composted with their manure or allowed to dry and then put in the burn pile (not everybody can burn debris outdoors, so composting may be the better option)
 
Cardboard is an idea :) I'll try tp soak a piece of firewood in applejuice too
I can probably put it in their pen without sawing in it :)
 
Mine love pine cones. They also love rosebush branches and dogwood branches. I have both pecan and oak in my yard but I've been afraid to offer either one. Is pecan safe? Seems I read something somewhere that made me believe it is not but can't find it now. I think oak is safe but the branches that are coming off my oaks are pretty much covered in lichens (Usnea and lettuce). The branches look like this:

Mystery+moss+on+trees.jpg

I have no idea of the safety of feeding that to rabbits so my oak branches go into my Back to Eden garden beds. (One day I need to figure out how to harvest the Usnea since it supposed to be "good medicine". First, I need an official id because USNEA is more a Northwestern lichen rather than a Southeastern one.)
 
I am resurrecting this thread because it is exactly what I was searching for...

As for pine branches - any species OK? Bark and all? Or only the inner wood?

I need some options for my heavier chewers! They are destroying their water containers and buckets :x and pretty sure I see some newer marks on the actual hutch. I have a limited supply of apple branches (younger trees that can stand only so much pruning)... I also have an out of control thornless rose that I guess is OK as well. Pinecones were well received by a few of them, others left them untouched. Need to see if I can find some more somewhere, the ones I had ended up soaking in rainwater because I left the basket on top of the hutch and was too short to notice it for a few days :lol:
 
Zab":44qi29by said:
Well, besides tree branches, that is :)

They finish those poor tree branches so fast I need to look sor other things for them, to keep them from biting on the cage. They don't bite on it yet, but..

They have hay and straw to eat. Pellets once a day. What sort of things can I put in there to keep them occupied? :)
Click to expand...
I make tons of different toys out of toiled paper rolls :) Try different cuts with scissors, different shapes and folds- there is one your bunny is bound to like! My ND's favorite one is the one with all of the cuts down the sides to the middle- like frillies made out of cardboard :p
 
This list is meant for debarked parrot perches but it's one of the most complete with scientific names that I have found online http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml I would say oak is safer for rabbits than listed on there especially if using boards. Fresh, easily chewed items like acorns, leaves, and small twigs you may not want to feed. Another problem with the list is you will find pear wood on both sides due to lack of info and controversy. I give pear wood to my chinchillas.

I found something interesting at our hardwood store. They have a bin of $1 boards. These are everything from 1x2" to 2x6" boards that are far too damaged to be useful. Everything in it is $1 each. Some pieces look more like someone started to make a boat out of them. :lol: Check any stores in your area that sell and cut their own lumbar. It makes great chew toys if you can make sure to avoid any pressure treated pieces.
 

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