Carpet digging

[HocusPocus11018]

Hocus Pocus is approx. 11 weeks old, we’ve had him almost 3 weeks. the past few days he has started to dig and chew more, he’s been chewing the baseboards, I applied soap to them before we brought him home so I will do that again but how do I get him to stop digging and chewing the carpet? my husband is getting mad at me and doesn’t want me to let HP out of his cage unless I can directly supervise him but I try to leave him out all day when I’m home and I can’t watch him constantly because I have 2 small children as well

[Deleted User]

He’s honestly just being a bunny. Bunnies chew and dig things. Mine constantly scratch and dig at the hardwood. Keeping him in his cage will only make him resentful, as he doesn’t realize he is being punished. A lot of people want to squirt bunnies to train them, but please don’t do that, because again he’ll recognize you with fear. You can spray bitter apple spray, not soap, around baseboards and other areas you don’t want him to chew. Soap can be very harmful and toxic to bunnies. Bitter apple spray is a non-toxic deterrent. To help him chew you can leave out hay toys or cardboard boxes as a chewing alternative. For digging, you could make him a digging box out of sand or scrap papers or something like that. Also laying out fleece for him to dig on is a good idea that my boys love.

He’s also at that age where he could start losing litter habits soon due to his hormones, just as a warning. Using vinegar is a great way to get rid of the smell and stain of any markings. Hope this all helps

[Rio and Buns]

Does he tend to dig near the edge of walls/corners, or does he do it in the middle of the carpet too? For edges, you can put untreated wooden boards flat on the floor, and you can put them up against the baseboards too to stop the chewing. You’ll have to make sure he can’t just move them away though. Cardboard works too but can be noisy because he’ll most likely make it his life’s mission to rip it to shreds. It’s cheap to keep replacing though, especially if you order a lot of packages, and will give him something to focus on. You can also try getting him a variety of different chew toys and put them in the spots that he digs and chews… that’s never worked for my buns, lol, but it could work for yours.

[HocusPocus11018]

everything that I read suggested that plain ivory soap was perfectly safe. thanks for the tips!

[MountainBuns]

Ah, one of the most annoying bunny behaviors. My bunny does it, your bunnies do it, Im pretty sure EVERYBUNNY does it. HocusPocus is trying to mimic digging underground in a burrow. Its good exercise for them as long as they dont eat anything,lol.

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