My bunny is afraid of the hallway carpet – how can I train him to use it?

[Matty]

In my railroad-style apartment I have hardwood floors that my bunny Turbo hates, so I bought a 17 foot long carpet runner to connect the living room area (his domain) to the rest of the house.  I was hoping Turbo would use the carpet to race up and down the hallway to have fun, get exercise, and hopefully visit me in the bedroom or kitchen (he’s free range).  Before I bought the carpet I put down carpet pads on the floor and he loved running up and down them, but for some reason, he hates the carpet and won’t go near it!  The previous owner let me know she used to have dogs and cats on the carpet, so I’m thinking there may be some residual smells there, but it smells perfectly clean.  I’ve sprinkling treats all over the carpet and manually placing him on it, but he just ignores the treats and goes straight off the carpet into the livingroom again.  

I could professionally clean the carpet, but it would cost $200, more than I paid for the dang thing.  I was thinking maybe I could train him to come to the carpet for food and treats but I haven’t had much luck yet.  Any advice?  I hate that he doesn’t have anywhere to run!

[BinkyBunny]

Their sense of smell is very sensitive and so even if the carpet smells perfectly fine to us, it may still have a residual smell of other animals and people. Do you have any friends that have steam cleaner you could borrow? The other thing you could do is take some dirty clothes of yours and rub them on the carpet. (since you’ll have to wash them anyway) I know that sounds completely weird but if the scent of the carpet becomes more familiar, Turbo may feel safer.

Also, in time that carpet will end up smelling like your place and he may zoom on it again. How long have you had the carpet?

[jerseygirl]

Is the carpet dark in colour? I’m wondering for a test, if you lay some newspapers on top of it and see whether he’ll venture onto it? Another thing you might want to try is put the carpet pads you had before back down, and this newer carpet off to the side. Perhaps he’ll reuse the pads and become less afraid of the runner so eventually you could put it back in place. You may even be able to out the carpet pads ontop of the runner for a test also.

[Sarita]

Is the runner new? Sometimes the smell of the dyes and stuff seems to be the problem with new carpets. I got a brand new large area rug in my downstairs living area and Pepe who is pretty much free range will no longer come downstairs since I got that carpet – I figured it was the smell that deterred him.

[Beka27]

That’s a good point too, new rugs sometimes have a strong chemical smell to them. It takes some time for the smell to wear away…

[Balefulregards]

It just may be time too. Coco was VERY reluctant to use the runners from room to room for the longest time. It was as if she had an invisible barrier… Over time, she would come out and peek….then come out a little further and peek more.

Honestly, it wasn’t until Jackson that she fully took advantage. Once she saw him walking over the runners (and even the wood floors) she followed suit.

Rabbits are very, very cautious creatures.

[Monkeybun]

Ok, what I’m getting is that you bought the carpet from someone who used to have cats and dogs on it… even though it may LOOK clean, there are undoubtedly cat and dog smells still in it. I suggest getting some carpet cleaner and cleaning it yourself, much cheaper than a professional.

[Balefulregards]

good point monkey – nothing like a carpet that smells of unseen Predators to make you uneasy about walking out into the hall….

[Beka27]

You could try to lay a piece of fabric over the top to see if the bun will run on it covered and if she will, gradually reduce how much is covered by the fabric… I don’t think you’re going to be able to solve this problem quickly… it may take several months for her to be comfortable with that area…

[bunnytowne]

what great suggestions.    Hopefully bun will come around soon.   Isn’t that funny tho.   You would think he would be happy for a carpet. 

[KytKattin]

You know, wouldn’t it be nice if rabbits would avoid things that you wanted them to avoid?

[Karla]

Posted By KytKattin on 12/25/2009 09:58 AM
You know, wouldn’t it be nice if rabbits would avoid things that you wanted them to avoid?

Yes, it would!!
 

[Furface]

Does the carpet have a pattern on it?
I moved to a place once apon a time with a diamond pattern on the carpet. Both my 3 year old cats would not set paw on this carpet for months. They would walk across the electric wall heater, leap to the table, then to the couch. To get off the couch they would back to the far side, race to the end & leap off twisting their bodies (binky like movement) to turn the kitchen corner in mid air to land on the tile floor. The cats had never seen a snake but I think they were instinctually afraid of the diamond pattern – I could be nuts too. LOL

[jerseygirl]

From a previous post, I think Matty said it’s a persian rug. I wonder what would happen if you just flipped it upside down? Does the carpet slip a bit? Does it have something to keep it in place? Keep us posted if anything works for you and Turbo.

[Elrohwen]

Another suggestion – could you put it down in the living room over the existing carpet? Maybe he’ll get used to it in an area that he’s comfortable with and start walking on it because it’s in his way. Once he’s comfortable standing on it, you may be able to move it back to the hall.

[Matty]

Hi everybun, and thanks for all the responses! Sorry I’m late in responding, I’ve been busy with family and holidays and such. Here are some answers:

1. It’s a persian rug so I don’t think it’s very new at all and there’s no new dye or chemical smell to it, and I’ve had it for 3 months now. Because it’s Persian, I need to get it professionally cleaned if I’m gonna clean it, but annoyingly the cleaning costs more than the carpet did But in the end, I think this is what I’ll need to do.
2. I have tried putting the carpet pads over the run and he’s not budging, even when I put his food there.
3. I could try running my dirty clothes on it, are you thinking sweaty tshirts or something? I’m not put off by the idea, but I just want to make sure I get it right.
4. the hallway it’s in is very narrow, so I can’t put the carpet pad alongside the rug as a test.
5. I have tried to lay it down over the living room carpet that he likes and he won’t go near it, even when I’ve laid it diagonally across his domain.

So, the thing that kills me is that he used to run up and down the hallway doing binkies and racing the Bunny 500 before I had my runner carpet. Of course, that was also before he was free range, so maybe that was just an expression of joy at being outside the cage. But since I put my runner down (3 months) I only get stationary binkies now, and that’s only when I’m about to feed him, and he never races around anymore ’cause there’s not enough room in the livingroom for a straightaway. Otherwise he seems fine but I want him to run and cavort and race around! I’ve tried putting his food on the carpet runner and he just looks at it from afar and after a couple of hours my heart breaks and I put the food back in the living room.

So, should I try to train him to use the carpet by keeping his food there (tough love) or should I shell out $200 to get it professionally cleaned?

thanks!
Matty & Turbo

[Monkeybun]

Try the sweaty shirt thing, or even an unsweaty shirt that you’ve worn a couple days. If it smells more like you, you may have more luck. Provided, of course, that your bun likes you

[Beka27]

What if you put him in the hallway? Does he just “skedaddle” back to the living room? I wonder what would happen if he was temporarily relocated to the hallway as a living space with gates up?

[Elrohwen]

I like Beka’s idea!

My bun has hardwood floor fears and I’ve found that while he’s being phobic, switching things around helps a lot. He has gone through periods of being ok with the floor, then periods of not stepping on it (or any rug on it) for anything in the world. If I just keep changing things up, moving things around, he eventually gets over it and figures it out again. If I just leave things the same, he seems to forget about even trying. So hopefully all these new things you’re trying will shake him up enough to get him moving!

[Beka27]

I will also clarify that this might or might not work with him! I have rather resilient, fearless bunnies. So they’d be ticked off and inconvenienced for a couple days, but they’d quickly get over it. Other people have buns that freak out over any change in location/routine. So you need to make the final call if that would work for your guy or not. You don’t want to traumatize him, but sometimes it helps to be a little more decisive in your actions.

Again, this isn’t for ALL BUNNIES tho…

[jerseygirl]

I was surprised to read DIY guides to cleaning them on the internet (reliable info that it is..).  Most said you can really wet the carpet down unlike normal carpets where  you’re not supposed to get the backing too wet.  I also checked out Nature’s Miracle and they claim it can be used on oriental carpets – you just have to check a spot to see it’s colour fast.  So if you’re feeling brave…

[Matty]

Hey Everybun,

I have been putting Turbo’s food crock on the floor just in front of the carpet runner and moving it an inch towards the carpet runner every day. Turbo is not thrilled about any of this, but he eventually inches up to the crock and eats out of it. I have finally reached the carpet runner and will continue moving it back a bit every day. Sheesh!

also, a few answers:

1. Yes, if I put Turbo on the carpet runner, he just skedaddles back to the living room, no matter how many treats I put on the carpet runner, he just passes them by.
2. I tried rubbing a worn t-shirt all over the carpet and no luck.
3. I will go get Nature’s Miracle and try it today!

Thanks everybun!

-Matty

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