Me and my girlfriend have just adopted a lovely floppy eared rabbit. We got an indoor hutch that I have put together and I've put newspaper down and then woodshavings, both in the main compartment.

In the sleeping part, I've put newspaper down and since I've not yet got a bed, I've put one of my old gym towels down there so at least he has something soft and comfy to lie on.

However, he's now in the main compartment and he's ripping away at the newspaper, his hutch is now a bloody mess, lol!

Is this supposed to happen as if it is, what's the point of putting the paper down?

Thanks!

It can do. They love chewing things. Have you rabbit proofed you house as they will if they get the chance chew wires. You can litter train them as well. If you get a fabric bed he might chew that as well. What sort of cage have you got. A lot of rabbit people use vet bed which can be washed out.

Hi, thanks for the reply!

The hutch we currently have is this one:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/poppy...-at-home-16028

WE've got no wires around, apart from at the back of the TV and under the sofa which is unaccessible to the rabbit.

At the moment with the hutch package we got, there was no litter tray or bed. All we got was the hutch, timothy hay, water bottle, feeding bowl, wood shavings and adult rabbit pellets.

I was thinking of getting lino as I've heard it's easy to put in and it's good for the bunny. At the moment, I've cleared one of the Guinea Pig cages and put the bunny in that asI put him in the hutch but he made a mess of it by ripping up all the newspaper.

My missus seen him in the pet shop and fell in love with him. He seems to have a really sad demeanour but he's lovely. However, I don't think she realised that we wasn't ready to get one yet until I reminded her that we still need to get half the stuff.

I'm sure he will be her favourite, which I don't mind because I've got the two guinea pigs that seem to like me more than they like her! lol.

is the hutch larger? if its the mess you dont like and thats the only reason hes in the guinea cage then put him back in his one, they make a mess, its what pets do. if you give him stuff to do, toys etc or freedom to run around he may not do this tearing up the paper thing. he isnt going to just sit around bored all the time. its got to be boring sitting in a wooden box, and tearing up paper seems a better thing to do than sit and look sad doing nothing i would think if hes enjoying it, let him carry on, its his house

They do get bored easily-they're very intelligent animals that need a lot of mental stimulation, and they can get very depressed if they don't get it. It's usually a good idea to have a pair rather than one (neutered, obviously) so that they have company. Unfortunately, a lot of people think rabbits are good first pets for kids as they think they're dull, solitary animals that don't need much attention. Result: unhappy rabbit.

I had the same hutch and it isnt that big. The trouble is that the shelf on mine did start to break. Its a good starter hutch though. What ever you do please dont feed your rabbit on lettuce as it can make them very very ill.

Cabbage is good. And ours love carrots and apples (though too much apple is not a good idea). Best thing is hay, though.

I have house rabbits. Great website for information on rabbits is Rabbit Rehome, which has a forum.

too much carrot is also a bad idea

leads to bladder stones in guinea pigs and puts excess weight on rabbits if given too often.

bunnies tear newspaper like there's no tomorrow, i never bother with it with my lot (that said though, i'd need a heck of a lot of newspaper for all my cages)
you can just give him a pile of hay or straw to use as a bed, rather than having to buy one

things like vet bed and towels are easily chewed, destroyed and if eaten can cause problems for your bun as they're non digestible

make sure you give him lots of toys and things like willow sticks to chew

with the poppy den i would take the extra shelf out of the bedding area, as with a full sized rabbit i imagine it will give way sooner rather than later.

as far as newspaper eating goes, if he is actually eating it, i would say to try not to use it, as it's okay in small quantities if he gets into it, but it's not something he should be able to do constantly

I wouldn't give carrot to Guinea pigs. And it's not a great idea to give rabbits access to Guinea pigs either. Can prove fatal for the GP. we tend to put fine wood shavings in whichever corner of the hutch or cage they use as a toilet-soaks it up nicely. And straw for bedding, though we don't bother with that for a few of ours as they just eat it, it's simpler just to give them hay.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm going to get a few things tomorrow, lino, toys, chew sticks etc and hopefully we can turn him from a sad bunny into a happy bunny.

I wouldnt recommend the chew sticks - I dont know why they make them and market them for rabbits, they are basically just junk food (seeds and carbs that they cant digest). This is on advice from the vet who is based in Pets at Home - where they sell said chew sticks - tho he also said not to tell anyone on pain of death

willow sticks are fine, and sisal balls, but the seed sticks are awful things

i was given a huge bag of the things, i gave them tot he mice & hamsters instead, rabbits didn;t seem interested in them anyway

Hay. Lots of it.

Our 4 often tear up paper but don't actually eat it.

Those seed things are sugary shite.

On a light note, perhaps it is an intelligent rabbit, it has seen the utter crap that is written in our media and feels that it is not worthy of sleeping on.

Hi, I was told by my local vet that you should'nt give newspapers to rabbits as some of the inks could be poisonous. Instead if you have a shredder any shredded paper ie letters, junk mail etc they love as they not only chew it but if you put enough in they will make a burrow.
If you shred envelopes then make sure that any ones with the plastic see through window where the address goes is removed and discarded as this can be dangerouhope this helps.

I'd also avoid the wood shavings.

We get Megazorb, which is made from dried wood pulp - safer for bunnies. And WAY more abosrbent than wood shavings. It has the added advantage that it doesn;t smell and as it's meant for horses, it's very absorbent.

If you can get your local farm shop/pet suppliers to stock it, they'll bear the cost of postage. I pay about £8 or so for a sack of it that lasts a couple of months and I have 3 bunnies.

Gods alone know why large pet chain stores persist in selling stuff like wood shavings that's unsuitable for bunnies and piggies.

Well for 's sake, don't leave it in the same room as the telly!!