Rabbits are very lovable and innocent creatures. Whatever they do, we find it very cute. However, sometimes the owners get confused after seeing their rabbits’ unexpected behaviors. For example, many of them have seen their rabbit flipping its food bowl, but why. Why do rabbits flip their food bowl? What are the reasons behind this type of behavior? Let’s find out all your answers in this article.
Rabbits flip their food bowls when they get bored and want to do something fun. However, other factors like anger or disliking food can make your rabbit flip their bowls. Consider attaching bowls to the cage and providing soft toys to your rabbit to prevent such behavior.
This article will discuss the other possible reasons why rabbit flips their food bowl and how we can stop them from doing this. So let’s find it out.
Contents
Why is my rabbit flipping its food bowl?
Chewing habits in rabbits are natural. They love to chew, nibble or bite due to their growing teeth and gums. A rabbit’s teeth grow 1 cm each month ( 1 mm a day), And because of this, the rabbit’s teeth may itch, and they chew things.
However, this is not the only reason. There are many other reasons that your rabbit flips their food bowl.
Rabbits love to play with things, just like food bowls. Chewing or flipping can also be a reason for joy. If you provide a lightweight plastic food bowl, it would be easy for your rabbit to pick it up with its teeth and throw it.
A cage can also be the reason behind this behavior. Sometimes rabbits get bored and angry after living in small hutches for hours. In addition, they consider themselves living in jail, which can make any rabbit frustrated or bored.
They show this behavior by throwing things and chewing the metal cages inside.Â
These types of behavior show that they are bored and want to play outside.
Therefore, if you have a rabbit, you must allow them to play outside the cage in a restricted area for many hours a day. Naturally, they would love you for this.
Also, ensure that you provide a large spaced cage for your rabbits so they can roam, lay down, stretch out, and do other activities. In addition, you should also provide some soft toys and a full-sized litter box.Â
Why is my rabbit flipping its water bowl?
If your rabbit is flipping their water bowl, they are bored and want to play with it.
Rabbits show this type of behavior by chewing on things.
Sitting in a small cage can make your rabbit bored; they always play around.
However, sometimes the water and the water bowl you provide your rabbit can also be a problem.
Make sure that you are serving fresh water to your rabbit. Also, do not forget to wash the water bowl daily.
Some rabbits don’t like to drink from bowls because of their shape and texture. You can provide a lighter metal water bowl or a flat bowl with no tip.
Click here to see the best food bowl and water bowls available on amazon for your rabbit.
What are the reasons behind your rabbit flipping its food bowl?
Most rabbits flip their food bowl because of boredom.
It is natural if your rabbit chews on things. They love to do this when they are energetic and want to play with something.
However, there can be some other reasons that your rabbit does this type of behavior.
Here are some of the reasons behind your rabbit flipping its food bowl:
1) Anger
Anger can be the reason for this type of behavior.
Rabbits express their feelings or anger by flipping their food bowls or chewing on things.
Rabbits are very calm animals. Anger issues are not common in them. However, if your rabbit is sad about something, it may express anger with this behavior.
Your rabbit can become angry if you put them in a small cage for hours. Also, a new pet, too much light, an unknown visitor, or loud noises can make your rabbit angry and frustrated.
If your rabbit flips their food bowl infrequently, try to figure out its emotions and reasons for doing this.
Also read: Are Rabbits Aggressive?
2) Boredom
The common reason behind your rabbit flipping its food bowl is boredom.
If your rabbit is alone and has nothing to play with, it may become bored.
Due to this, they wanted to play with something that made them energetic and happy.
They start playing with the things that seem attractive to them ( like food bowls).
3) Food
Sometimes rabbits flip their food bowl because they don’t like the food.
It is essential to feed good quality food to your rabbit. There are many branded pellets available in the market that you can buy for your rabbit.
Nobody wants to eat rotten or expired food. So make sure you are providing fresh food to your rabbit.
Rabbits have more taste buds than humans, according to some research. As a result, they can be choosy and cause quite a fuss while choosing their food, what they enjoy eating and what they don’t.
Another reason behind flipping food bowls is the variety of food. If you provide different types of food, then they can become habitual to it. Therefore, they may flip the bowl if they do not get their desired food.
Also read: Why Is My Rabbit Not Eating?
4) Food bowl
Some rabbits like to eat their food but dump it because of their food bowl.
The noses and whiskers of rabbits are very sensitive.
The food bowls may make the rabbit’s nose cold and irritate their whiskers, which they don’t like, leading them to flip their food bowl.
The food bowl can be the only problem if your rabbit eats the food from the floor after flipping the bowl over.
Sometimes it also depends on a bowl’s size, texture, and smell.
If the food bowl is small, rough, and smells odd, your rabbit may try to flip it.
5) In a mood to play
Rabbits are very active animals. They love to jump, run, hide and hop all around.
Rabbits’ lively personality makes them energetic.
They become curious about things ( like food bowls) and try to chew them to make them exciting.
If your rabbit usually does these types of things often, then the behavior of throwing the food bowl is not surprising.
However, this behavior might not be exciting for the owner if they do it regularly.
How to stop my rabbit from flipping its food bowl?
Most rabbits do these types of behaviors when they are bored or angry with something. However, it is essential to know the reasons and try to comfort them.
If your rabbit is flipping its food bowl continuously whenever you offer food to them, that means they are developing a habit of this.
This kind of behavior not only messes up the food and takes time to clean but also wastes money on wasted meals of a rabbit.
It is essential to stop your rabbit and figure out the reasons behind this kind of behavior.
Here are some ways that can stop your rabbit from flipping its food bowl:
- Heavy stone food bowl:Â It would be best to use a heavy stone bowl instead of a lighter metal bowl. From this, your rabbit cannot move this bowl and eat its food without creating any mess. However, these bowls are expensive. You can use any food bowl that contains some weight as an alternative.
- Attach bowls to cage: Attaching the bowls with the help of wire in your rabbit’s cage is the most inexpensive solution to this problem. You can use any light weighted plastic bowls or used cans as food and water bowls so that your rabbit will not be able to turn them over. Or else you can buy them online or from pet shops.
- Non-tip bowl with ridges:Â If your rabbit cannot eat properly due to a bowl with high edges, you must provide a non-tip bowl. These bowls do not allow them to tip over, even if your rabbit is standing on the bowl’s edges.
- Toys:Â Most rabbits flip their food bowls due to boredom. Providing soft toys to your rabbit will solve this problem. They may get busy playing with their toys and not interested in flipping food bowls. You can buy rabbit toys from the market or provide the items available in your house, like empty toilet paper, cardboard boxes, sticks, and many more.
- High Quality food: Every rabbit has different tastes. Some rabbits prefer certain brands but others don’t. However, it is essential to provide high-quality pellets. They will love to eat it. Try to offer the food that your rabbit like the most.
- Hygiene: Rabbits always like hygiene. They don’t like their bowls to smell odd. So make sure you are providing clean bowls to your rabbit. Try to wash it properly once or twice a week.
- Fresh food and water: Always provide fresh water and food to your rabbit daily. Rabbits don’t like rotten or stale food, which may lead them to flip their bowls.
Conclusion:
- Rabbits can flip their food bowls when bored or want to play with them.
- The chewing habit of rabbits is natural because of their growing teeth.
- Apart from boredom, there are many other reasons behind your rabbit flipping its food bowl.
- There are some ways to prevent this type of behavior.
- You can buy toys and a heavy food bowl for your rabbit.
- There are many toys and food/water bowls available in the market.