Digging up the carpet

[Isabelle]

Dutchess will not stop digging up the carpet! She is getting absolutely terrible. She can never be left out ever unattended now because of this, not that we ever let her out much unattended anyway. She doesn’t have any sort of special favorite spots, she’ll dig anywhere. A little body splash on the spot will deter her for a few hours until it wears off, but nothing else works. Even then she’ll got to another spot to dig. I put her back in her habitat if she is digging excessively. I realize this is a natural bunny thing to do, but she won’t dig in her dig box. She has tons of cardboard that she can rip up and dig on and destroy as well, which she does, but she won’t stop going for the carpet. The biggest problem is that I don’t get home from work until 5:30 or 5:45. My dad gets home at 3:45, and he used to let her out then, giving her an extra two hours out. She started this digging when he let her out last week, and he couldn’t get to her because she was under a table doing it, so she dug up tons. Now he doesn’t want to let her out until five or after, and she’s having some issues at night when she’s not out long enough, which I don’t blame her over. I’ve about had it with her digging, and picking up the mounds of carpet pieces!

[GrumpyBun]

I’m wondering if she’s bored. What else does she like to do? Will she play with chew toys? If you got some cardboard boxes could you build her a couple of house, a fort or a tunnel? A big box of hay or shredded paper with treats hidden in it?

[Beka27]

Rabbits seem to like carpet more than loose paper in a diggy box. They also like baseboard wood better than a loose wooden chew stick. I have to think this is because of the RESISTANCE when they chew or dig. Carpet stays put, baseboards stay put.

Can you get junk carpeting or carpet squares (assuming she isn’t eating the fibers) and lay those down as spots she can dig?

[LBJ10]

Mine do this too. The only thing that stops them is putting something heavy over the spot (like a brick).

[Isabelle]

grumpybun: She’s got a hidey tunnel, jingle bells, a rolling ball, links, baby keys, a toy carrot, a blanket, and other chewy stuff that is out all the time. I do rotate the toys as well, and I sometimes put out a chair and cover it with a blanket so she can hide under it. I don’t think it’s boredom . . . I’ve been thinking about ordering her a cottaintail cottage, but my parents said it’s too big and there isn’t a place to put it, but I think I could fit it in my room, so I might have to think again about getting one of those.

Beka: I haven’t seen her ever eat the pieces, thank goodness, I’m on my hands and kneels crawling under tables picking them all up. That is probably it, she likes resistance of it. She hasn’t gone for the baseboards (if she does I might have two very angry parents), just the carpet. That’s a good idea to get some carpet squares, but how could I teach her that the carpet squares are okay and the regular carpet isn’t? It might encourage her to keep ripping up all of the carpet. She doesn’t know clicker training yet, I was going to put her in rabbit agility this spring when the snow melts. Could that help her with this at all?

[DawnT]

This will not make the stop digging completly but you may want to check Dutchess’ nails, they maybe to long or she may have one that is broken.  I noticed when my buns want to dig all the time I check the nails and that usually helps.  My buns get down right defiant with it.  Can you spray some perfme on the carpet. 

[Isabelle]

Dawn: I do spray some light body splash down, which she stays away from. The problem is she doesn’t pick just one spot to dig, she’ll do it anywhere. And her nails get regular trims, I take her in very frequently, a little sooner than she probably needs it to keep up on getting it done. I’ll check on them when I pick her up later tonight, but I’m pretty sure they’re okay.

[Otti]

Well, these suggestions might not work since your rabbit digs everywhere, but since my rabbit only tears up carpet in corners and along walls in specific sections, I either do the perfume thing like you said, and/or put down strips of straw mats in his favorite spots.

What mainly works for me though is having trained him to understand when he’s being disciplined and asked to stop. Whenever I hear him chewing or scratching at the carpet, wherever I am, I say NO or No Sammy loudly, then I snap my fingers. Works best if you have a straight visual to them so you can look at them menacingly in the eye during this LOL

If he doesn’t stop, I’ll try doing the NO/snap drill again, then if he keeps going I get up (sometimes just my going over there makes him stop) and physically remove him from the spot he’s digging at. I usually just gently drag him to the side a bit. I’ll stay standing over him for a few seconds to make sure he doesn’t go back to digging/chewing, and if he does I’ll do the NO/snap, and removing procedure again, as much as needed.

This used to be a laborious process back when I was just starting to discipline him, but now I rarely get up at all. One or two NO/snaps and he stops right away. Also now works when he’s chewing his pen bars.

[LoveChaCha]

I agree with Otti, raising your voice. I do it to Chacha rarely, but when I do, she looks up at me “Am I in trouble? What did I do?” look.

Body spray may not be good enough. Do you have smelly perfumes? i had to dab some down in the apartment I moved into. Now, she doesn’t bother to touch the carpet.

[Beka27]

Posted By Isabelle on 03/10/2011 09:01 AM
That’s a good idea to get some carpet squares, but how could I teach her that the carpet squares are okay and the regular carpet isn’t? It might encourage her to keep ripping up all of the carpet. 

Well… that is the OTHER issue.  Some buns chew or dig in ONE spot and a carpet square can help in that area.  In your siutation, that might not help.  How big is her play area?

[Bren]

My Nilly likes to tear up carpet and other things. I took the suggestion of the perfume the smelliest one I have, and spray it on all the wood baseboards and carpet once per week, so far, knock on wood, she hasn’t touched it. I have no idea what I will do if that fails! lol.

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