He's a digger?

[ijRoberts]

My new bunny, Jake, is obsessed with carpet. He likes to pull on the little nubs. Since I paid a $300 NON-refundable deposit on my place, I really couldn't care less if he tears up the whole carpet, but I don't want him to form that habit for when I move from here...

I have tried just about every different toy and distraction I can find; cat balls, apple wood sticks, wooden baby blocks, baby's rings, ball of twine, phone books, all kinds of cardboard, plastic shopping bags, paper shopping bags, tissue paper, towels - basically every piece of advice I've run across in this forum. He'll play with the different items scattered throughout his room for a minute or two, but then it's right back to the carpet. He'll even try to hide in places he thinks I can see (or hear him) and go at it.

I've been conditioning him by saying "No!" the first time, then if he continues I'll say "No!" while snapping my fingers loudly several times. On the third time, I go to him and guide him away from the spot. Now he's gotten to the point where he'll keeppulling on the carpet through my warningsuntil he sees me move then hops away before I get to him. Argh! =)

Apparently he's a "digger" - so I need to find something for him to dig into. He doesn't seem interested in a paper bag filled with hay - what else do you recommend for diggers/pullers?

 

[tonyshuman]

I would put down cheap throw rugs over the areas he wants to chew on, or seagrass mats. I also know that some people have sand boxes for their bunnies to play in (supervised), which would be a good way to give him something to dig on. I think some positive reinforcement once he's stopped chewing after you tell him "no!" will also help. Once he stops, say "good boy," or "good job" or give head scritches.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

my bunnies have litter boxes full of shredded newspaper that they use to get rid of their digging urge.

 

[Amy27]

I agree with Claire on the cheap pieces of carpet. Pet Supplies Plus sells cheap pieces here ranging from $0.97-$1.98 depending on the size you get.

One time I put a box on itside and tape a lip to the front on the bottom. I then filled the box with hay and shredded paper. My bunny's hated it lol but it might be something your bunny would like to dig in.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Jake isn't consuming the carpet, is he?

 

[ijRoberts]

Hi guys, thanks for your great responses.

I've been looking for some spare carpet around that he can have as his own, but haven't found anything. The throw rug idea is a good one - I'll be sure to check that out.

I also want to stop by a Petco and see if they have any of the grass mats you were mentioning. He's completely uninterested in a box full of hay to dig in, so unfortunately that didn't work. =( The sandbox is a good idea, I'll have to think about a way to do it that won't create a huge mess!

Autumn, I've been making sure that Jake isn't actually eating the carpet. For one, I try not to let him get far enough as to actually pull out any pieces, but on the chance he manages to get one he seems to either put it down or I get the loose piece away from him pretty quickly.
I've been very careful about that after reading how he could get all blocked up by ingesting non-digestable materials.

Thanks again for the suggestions, if there's any more out there, I'd love to have as many options as possible! =)

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Good stuff... my heart was racing for a minute. My guys chew holes in blankets, and I always look and wonder what if this time...

You may be able to get carpet remnants at home depot/lowes flooring store.
Seagrass mats are often available for placemats (which would be cheaper than a petco likely)

 

[tonyshuman]

Seagrass mats are also sold for taking to the beach, and since it's the end of the season they should be on sale. I got some at Walgreens last fall.

 

[ijRoberts]

Ooh, good tips, thanks! I picked up a package of two 4x4 mats (really not that big at all) for about $2 at Petco and he really seems to like them. So now I'll see if I can find some bigger mats to put in the places that he seems to like to dig the most.

Thanks for all your suggestions, they've been very helpful!

 

[PossumsMama]

Does anyone know if those seagrass mats are safe for buns to eat? I worry that they are made overseas in places with less strict regulations than here and may have some sort of anti-fungal or insecticide that might not be safe for buns.

 

[tonyshuman]

Well, I don't know exactly. There was a scare a few years ago about seagrass mats from Pier One, I think. My guys don't eat them intently, so they don't get enough into them to cause a problem. If your bunny's going through one a week, and ingesting most of that, then you should worry!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Yes, Seagrass Mats are safe for buns mostly, I would check out the ingredients in the matt firstly, some may not be safe. Not totally sure on that.


Another digging thing to try is sand out in a sandbox, buns tend to love that as well.

Keep us posted though, very interesting, silly bun.