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babymommy

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, Georgia, USA
I'm a new bunny owner. I got our little Baby for my daughter for Easter. We are loving getting to know her and all her little habbits. I know that digging is natural to rabbits, but I keep her inside. We try to make sure we let her out of her cage at least 4 hours a day to play. However, lately she's destroying my carpet in a couple of spots. It looks like she's trying to dig a hole under a couple of doors. What can I do????
 
Hmmm my bun is chewing carpet also but not too much. I have told him a firm "no" then he just runs ...or i use a waterbottle to squirt his butt...that seems to be helping I also have a ton of chew toys for him but he is more into wires and carpet for some reason!
 
I am trying that approach myself. I can usually get her to stop, although she can be abit stubborn when she wants. Usually the spray bottle worksbest. I guess my biggest problem is that when my daughter is home without me, I think she gets on the phone and doesn't pay as close of attention to her as I do. By the time my daughter notices it's too late. My house is new, so the idea of replacing carpet already isn't appealing. Maybe I just need to tell my daughter if she's not going to watch her that closely, she can't get her out unless I'm there.:? I hate that though, cause I know she likes to be out of the cage.

What kind of cage do you have? Mine is just the starter cage for now. I think I may need to invest in a larger cage to keep her entertained when I'm not home.:D
 
Welcome babymommy,

I think it would be in the best interest of the bunny, your house, and your daughter to tell her that if she's not watching the little one, then s/he must stay in its cage.

Rabbits love to chew, as you've found out: especially wires and things they're not supposed to. Because she's just a baby bunny, theurge to chew is even stronger. The watergun does work, butyou really have to catch her/him catch it as it happens or else theydon't register why they're getting it.

It's actually a good lesson for your daughter because it's a good habit to get into to know where your rabbit is at all times when it's roaming around the house. Too much can get destroyed or go wrong if its not closely supervised.

-Carolyn
 
Thanks. Baby is agirl. We keep all the bedroom doors closed so that we knowwhere she's at. But she is very quick to go to her favoritespots to dig. She only gets squirted when she's caught inaction. Just like a child, if you wait they don't understandwhy their in trouble.

I've discovered she LOVES to chew on paper. Isthis ok for her? She's mostly just playing and tearing it,but I know she'll eat some too.

Also, if i got the bunny from the pet store how can I tell how old she is?
 
batman has been digging in front ofthe door alot lately...theres already holes & i put anarea rug over them & hes tore that up too. hopefully after hesfixed hell calm down. otherwise, ill be buying new carpet when i moveout. :?
 
It's okay that she plays with paper. I give my rabbit an old phone book to chew on. He loves it.

Since you got it at a petstore, it's hard to say how old theyare. Some petstores tell people that the rabbit's aredwarves, when they're just baby rabbits; some sell their rabbitsearlier than they should be weaned from the mother.

How big is your little one? Do you know how much sheweighs? Can you post a picture? A rabbit-saavy vetwould be able to tell something by the teeth, but we've got some peopleon here that would be able to help you if they saw the rabbit and knewit's size, I would hope.

-Carolyn
 
She loves magazines. She looks like alittle puppy tearing the paper, and the other night there were a coupleof loose sheets to the magazine. She got them out of themagazine and tried to carry them around. The sheet of paperis bigger than she is.

I'll have to bring a disk with a picture on Friday. I'll beout of town tomorrow. I don't have a scale at home, but Iwould imagine no more than 5 pounds.
 
Will getting her fixed help that problem. It looks like I'll be doing the same if I ever move.
 
Some one told me if your rabbits doing somethingnaughty and you spray it (gently) with water they wont do it again.(please correct me if I'm wrong!)

wuv 4rm

loz n ebs n fidget

oxoxox
 
Loz n ebony is right.

Almost all rabbits hate being sprayed with water. You can use suchthing as a spray bottle or a small water gun to squirt her when therabbit does any unwanted behavious (for inside rabbits only). Yourrabbit will associate this with such behaviours and will learn to notdo them.

Laura

 
Ah... digging at the carpet is the bane of my existance...

Umbra seems to think that he mustfind every possible spot to dig on my carpet and then carry out hisevil plans. I swear some days he'll dig with his front pawsevery other step as he's hopping about! The worst... wasunder my bed... You see, I let him out in my room, which,like most rooms, has a bed. So Umbra would go under said bed,and I didn't mind. There was plenty of room under there, andit was his little 'safe spot' if he ever got scared bysomething. However, around the time he matured, he decided todig up the corner of carpet under my bed. Which is not good(since my family rents). OH! Oh oh oh! Ijust had a great idea for myself!! WHY didn't I thinkof this before?! I could re-arrange my room so that my bed isnot in a corner! This is great! I'm so glad Ithough of it. Sorry, had to let out someexcitment...

Anyway, a squirtbottle worksgreat, but sometimes your bunny might get stubborn. LikeUmbra will simply be so intent upon his chewing that he will NOT stopat any cost. Those are times that I actually physically haveto go over and shoo/lightly push him away from what he'sdoing.

--Melissa and Umbra
 
Hehe I know that all too well! When I kept Oreo inmy bedroom, I'd let her out to run in the hallway (closed all thebedroom doors & blocked off the stairs so she could run) Shedug at the corner of the carpet by my bedroom door.. eventually sheknew that wasn't getting her anywhere.. so she started to pull on thecarpet lol ripping out the lil carpet pieces 1 at a time. Now ourhallway carpet has a bald spot in the corner by my door lol Good thingit's junky carpet & is eventually getting replaced :D

I had a question about the phone books.. is it ok for them to shreadthe whole thing or only certain pages of it? There are some pages inours that have like a glossy finish to them.. wasn't sure if thosepages are ok or not. Thanks!

~pam
 
I have a starter cage for now also. Plasticbottom, but i clean that thing a few times a day all his poops.....andi have hanging chew toys in there a tp roll empty of course...and awooden chew carrot in there. Im kinda thinking about the wire bottomcage but this is perfect height the cage i have now so when he liftshis tail he cant" hit my walls" lol Try the squirt gun orwater bottle i use that to "scold" my lil one
 
The water spray did help some of mine but I foundbuns to be either diggers or climbers. So they can enjoy digging I madethem a digging box for them to dig in. If we catch them digging therugs we spray and then put in digging area so they can do that wherenothing gets hurt. I also agree she should be supervised whenout. Hard feelins come quickly when something very importantto some one get destroyed. Wires can be covered. I am so paranoid aboutthem becasue I had a championship level English Cocker was chewed themicrowave cord and was dead when I got home. If the bun hasenough to keep busy when left out they are less likely to destroy butbuns will be buns
 
Sounds just like my cage. Ineed a few more hanging toys for her. But aside from that,sounds like we have the same set up.:D

I saw a neat looking, much larger cage at the petstore. I think it was for rabbits as well as ferrets but i'mnot sure. It'smostly wire like most, but it alsohad a ramp they can hop up or climb up to the second level with anotherplat form. Does that sound safe? I'm not sure sinceI'm so new to this. Has the pull out tray at the bottomtoo.
 
I like the idea of a separate diggingbox. I know she likes to dig and scatter her litterbox.!!!!!
 

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