Destroying my carpet

[camilleeb]

Poppy LOVES destroying my carpet by chewing and digging in it, and I'm not sure how to get her to stop.

I've given her a bunch of toys and things she can chew and dig in, but she still prefers the carpet. She doesn't do it in her pen. I'd really like to give her free run of my apartment, so I'd like to find a way to channel her digging and chewing elsewhere.

I've tried moving something heavy on top of the spot she digs, but she just starts somewhere new. It is always under my desk though, so I was wondering if she could be trying to make a tunnel. Could running a tube she could run in behind my desk work?

I also thought about giving her a square of carpet she was allowed to dig, but would that just teach her it is okay dig on carpet?

I'm a new rabbit owner and would appreciate any advice

 

[rabbit_friend]

It does seem that they prefer to dig their carpet "tunnels" in corners or at obstacles like desks and doors. Your idea of a tube is a good one -- make it out of cardboard. A friend's rabbits used to dig up the carpet behind the sofa (in the alley between the sofa and wall). She put long cardboard tunnels behind the sofa and problem solved. She only had to watch for when they had dug through the cardboard and down to the carpet. I have cardboard tunnels for mine as well and can testify that they love getting in them and digging up and shredding the cardboard floor -- must awaken some innate instinct for creating and enlarging a rabbit den

Cut a few windows along the tunnel's length and they will peek out (good photo ops!) and also remodel the window to their heart's content.

Also, if she isn't spayed, spaying will usually reduce the digging behavior (as well as preventing uterine cancer, which unspayed rabbits are at high risk for).

 

[rabbit_friend]

Here's a picture of what I meant by a cardboard tunnel (the long one going across the other boxes, though of course you'd put it directly on the floor where she could get the most support for her digging): http://bunyaboy.blogspot.com/2010/12/bunny-care-cardboard-jungle.html

and: http://www.therabbithouse.com/blog/2010/06/25/cardboard-tunnels/

 

[camilleeb]

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely give it a try! She is spayed, so I hate to imagine the damage she'd do if she wasnt.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I agree getting a tunnel for her may be a good option. I recommend getting cardboard Concrete forms (Sonotube) from a building supply like Home Depot. It comes in 8 and 10 foot lengths, but can easily be cut down with a utility knife. It's sturdier than regular cardboard so won't need to be replaced as often.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Nancy McClelland]

One note of caution with cardboard--they can dig thru that and then into the carpet, so the little monsters will bear some watching. That's the reason we put down tile--dig all you want to, and Nikki will spend hours at the same spot but so far the tile is rabbit proof unlike so many of our other attempts.

 

[rabbit_friend]

The sonotubes are great for just hiding and running through, but the attraction of the cardboard (for the bunny) is precisely that it can be shredded and dug into. Plus flat-bottomed tunnels (rectangular or triangular) don't put their feet at a splayed angle and don't roll

 

[middlemuse]

They DEFINITELY can and will dig through the cardboard into the carpet. Source: my poor, doomed security deposit. *sigh*

I find Aria only digs at the edges of the carpet, usually only in corners with some kind of shelter. So I put down something very flush, like a strip of plastic chair mat, maybe with a nic grid over that. In out next place I'm planning to actually staple the mat down, because I'd super love to actually get the security deposit back just one time in my life for goodness sake you silly rabbit.

 

[samjo08]

That's a great idea! I'll have to remember that next time we move. I'm considering just pulling all the carpets out of the bedrooms and playing stupid when we move out. "Carpets??? We never had carpets in here! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

 

[geekgirl101]

Sometimes spaying doesn't stop their instinctual habit of digging, shredding and mating, in some cases it makes it worse. How old is she? If she's just a couple of months old this could be her teenage stage where they're ultra destructive and testy. I'd suggest covering the area where you don't want her destroying things and providing boxes - lots of boxes! They just love to shred boxes and it'll keep her busy and off the carpets. When she does start to dig the carpet raise your voice at her and clap your hands. They don't like loud noises and it'll deter her from going back to the carpet for a while. You could try spraying vinegar on the carpet but some people say that vinegar sometimes acts as an attraction rather than a deter and the rabbits may like the taste of the vinegar.

 

[PaGal]

Laverne and Shirley love to dig, especially Laverne. They have done some damage to my carpet. On one side of their cage I placed the plastic storage box lid (the bottom of the storage box is their litter box) on the floor and set the very edge of their cage on the end of it so it is held in place. They no longer dig there.

So they just moved to destroying another area. I tried them with a dig box shortly after getting them but they used it as a litter box. I decided to try again as time has passed and they have been litter trained for a longer period. So far it is working. They do not use the dig boxes as a litter box and they have stopped digging and chewing the carpet.

The boxes are larger than them but not by too much. If your bun has a dig box and doesn't use it much then maybe try a different sized box. I just put an old phone book with the cover torn off in the box and they have done the rest.