Why do I bother?

[bethepoet]

I just spent about an hour and a half cleaning out and jazzing up the crates.

I've decided to switch them to fleece, so I put some pretty new ones down. But because they're AWFUL diggers, I've been running around the house trying to find as many makeshift boredom breakers as possible to distract them from my lovely blankets.

But I know I'm going to wake up tomorrow and have a mental breakdown when I see what they've done to it

Why do I do it? Why do THEY do it?!

 

[LakeCondo]

Do they have cardboard to tear up, try to dig, etc. I use flattened boxes all the time for Honey.

 

[Imbrium]

because destroying your pretty fleece makes them happy? >.>

I just replaced my fleece with this non-slip clear vinyl stuff that came in a 2' wide roll that I found at home depot for $10 last time I was there... they'd ripped up the fleece, pooped all over it, gotten hay stuck to it and there were some pee spots from worthless little bunnies standing in the boxes and peeing over the side (never mind the boxes are more than big enough). mine dig at fleece no matter how many toys they have - I even gave 'em a dig box and they'd rather rip up the fleece

 

[bethepoet]

Yep! I put: a flattened cardboard box, a phonebook ripe for destroying, a cat toy which is like wood wrapped in hard twine with a rattly thing inside it, a wooden garland thing they can chew, some hard plastic balls with little holes in them, with a treat inside so they can roll it to get it out, a balled up sheet of paper and some chunks of veg wrapped in more paper stuffed in a toilet roll tube.

No sane bunny would pay more attention to the fleece .. right?

Also, Imbrium, I hate fleece for that exact reason, but then I hate loose bedding even more because it creates BAGS AND BAGS of soiled bedding that take up my entire outside bin.

But the fleece, with the poo and hay and straw and food and litter and everything else under the sun stuck to it is DESTROYING my washing machine, and that's just from my two guinea pigs. I need to figure something out.

 

[Imbrium]

here's the stuff I just switched to... I unrolled a few feet of it and set it in their pen for a couple days to make sure they didn't mind the little plastic nubs (on the bottom side to stop it from slipping) and they apparently couldn't care less. I figure it'll be very easy to sweep out with the little hand broom I just got.

 

[bethepoet]

Oh right, I'll have a look for something similar next time I'm out. They'll probably chew that up too though, sigh.

 

[LakeCondo]

I just keep adding layers & layers of flattened cardboard boxes.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Layered cardboard is great and cheaply replaced. For ours that like to dig, I got a gigantic litter and fill it full with hand shredded newspaper. They love it, not that messy, and can be cleaned up with our gigantic shop-vac.

 

[bethepoet]

I am soooo proud of Harriet and Alfie! They paid *no* attention to the fleece AT ALL. They ripped up their phonebook, chewed up their cardboard and only today, when I was cleaning out anyway, did I see one little corner of fleece dug up. They had been digging in the litter box, but that's not new. So yay for them.

Jessie, on the other hand, is apparently a different rabbit since she came back from the hospital. She'd been on fleece for a few weeks before she was spayed, no problem. Went in this morning to find all the fleece bunched up in the middle of the crate, with three huge pees on the floor, her litter box fully upside down and litter everywhere. She's been so naughty since she came home.

 

[CharmmyBunny]

i use carpet because its cheap and i can just cut it to size and then replace it i buy the 15-20$ area rug from home depot and its like 6+ feet long and 4-5 feet wide i cant remember how long it is exactly but she doesnt eat the carpet but she likes to dig on it and then i have a cardbpoard box too for her i take out at night so i can sleep otherwise she just digs in certain corners of her cage