Help me solve my bunny mystery!

[jen92473]

We have an almost 3 month old intact Dutch who has a large cage and free run of our den all day and night. I'm in there with her first thing in the morning for about an hour, talking to her and petting her. My daughter also picks her up and loves on her before and after school. Sometimes I let her out in the house and she follows me around. We've given her several toys (none of which she plays with), a cardboard tube (she's run through a couple of times), a TP tube with hay in it, various wood blocks and chew toys (she doesn't chew them), and even a cat scratch ramp like this one, but with holes so she can climb in and out of it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CGN5PS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
The thing is, she's chewing up the carpet in the den. I've put my desk legs over one spot, and her carrier over another spot (which has become a time out area when she completely exasperates me), and now she digs and has torn up the carpet down to the floor under the French doors to the room. We can't spend every second with her, and I always go past her cage and talk to her or giver her a quick pet when she's in the den hanging out. We've given her all the above-mentioned toys at random intervals-she hasn't had them all at once. What on earth do I do now? Is she just bored? Is she just in the bunny version of "the terrible two's"?Any thoughts? My husband built her cage with two levels and hidey holes, but she can jump out now-do we need to enclose it where she has to stay in there and only allow the free roam in the room at certain times? Help please! I've given up on my carpet, but can't give up on my bun. ullhair:

 

[PaGal]

There are a few things you can try/do.

Provide her with a dig box. A cardboard box can work or you could use a plastic storage box. Fill it with cardboard or paper she can happily and without harm chew and dig at. Telephone books with the cover removed make excellent dig materials. Buns dig burrows in the wild and this instinct may be driving her behavior so providing an alternative may stop the unwanted digging of your carpet.

If you want to make it even more interesting you could cut a circular hole in the side of the dig box and attach a concrete form as a tunnel that you can get at a home improvement store in different sizes and inexpensively or make your own tunnel. Let your imagination run wild! Be aware some buns will use their dig boxes as litter boxes but not all buns.

You could provide her with a rug that she is allowed to dig but this may not stop her digging at all carpet. Also you want to make sure she is just digging and not ingesting the carpet as that could lead to a digestive blockage.

Getting her spayed will lessen the behavioral affects of raging hormones which may cause her to stop this behavior but it is not guaranteed.

Keep her confined to her cage except for those times someone can watch her and stop her from digging the carpet. Of course, over time if she is dissuaded from digging often enough then she may stop this behavior or maybe not.

If you have a room in your home that is not carpeted you could allow her to have free run time in that room.

Or simply replace your carpeting in your den with a different type of flooring material such as tile.

I understand how frustrating this can be as I have two intact females and they love digging as well and especially the one loves digging at the carpet in the bun room. I also have some bare spots. They mostly seem to prefer digging in corners so I lay a large piece of carpet at the corners which can be held down by the edge of their cage to hold it in place and I replace once they have dug or chewed through it. I hate the carpet but still do not want holes through it and once we can afford to continue on with the home renovations we began I plan to tile the bun room instead of carpeting. Good Luck!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Over the years and 42 rescues, we have had a couple of carpet diggers. The only way you can stop your carpet from getting destroyed is to remove and replace it with a different surface. We use tile flooring and base and then get a cheap piece of carpet from Home Depot--they have roll ends at reduced prices, plus, I always offer them less than the first price quote and it's worked well. I bought enough to do the bunny room more than twice over for less than 40 dollars and leave the edges bare so they can lay on the tiles if they want. We also consider all furniture in the room as sacrificial--the one time I forgot the barricade, Coal, who'll travel on any surface dug a hole in our brand new couch. Can't blame a bunny for being a bunny.

 

[selbert]

I have two carpet diggers and I've tried everything! Dig boxes, long walks so they can (and do) dig outside, towels for them to dig in. The dig box is a favourite, after of course the carpets!

You could buy a pen with a base and only have your bun free roam when supervised? This is what I do now, then when they go to the area to start digging I say no or hey, this seems to work with one rabbit who quickly hops off to cause mischief somewhere else! The other, completely ignores me until I go and pick him up and carry him away! Though this works for me because I work mostly from home, understandably not everyone has much time at home.

Hope this helps, all the best.

Selina
:brownbunny

 

[lovelops]

I have two FIXED female carpet diggers. They just love to dig and do it no matter what. I have bought carpets from the thrift store that I just don't care about that are office carpet, not residential and they both seem to ignore that one. The like the ones that have longer loops on it, not the tight ones that they use in offices. I have also placed cardboard over those areas and also have an Xpen that came with a fabric base.

Looking at rabbits, what they do in the wild and in the yard is what? DIG. We can't change a natural inborn trait they have. When I take my outside they happily dig like mad and seem to do it less when I bring them back in. Unfortunately now we have tons of snow outside I can't do anything. I have put together dig boxes for them and also bought cat scratch boxes and toys that they also use and seems to help a little bit. You might want to give that a try as well.

Keep us posted and let us know what works!

Vanessa

 

[JBun]

Best thing would be to cover or replace the carpet with something like linoleum. Some buns just love to rip up carpet and there's not much you can do to deter them. Plus chewing at carpet poses a danger if any of it is ingested.