carpet chewer

[kmaben]

So my little (11 pound)**** Kai has been chewing up the carpet in the spare bedroom. He has a willow ball that he likes to toss and chew and other toys as well. But I guess he likes the upward tugging motion? He wont shred paper or toilet paper rolls for some reason as I've already tried that. He doesn't even chew up his own mats or the carpet pieces he has in his pen. He's barred from that bedroom now but I can tell he's just looking for a new spot. Any Ideas? I was wondering if maybe I got him grass? If he would like to pull it up maybe and leave my carpet alone? He's about to be six months old so maybe he'll out grow it?

If he wasn't so cute and such a baby. Grrrrr

 

[LakeCondo]

My thought would be a dig box with some layers of cardboard at the bottom & top, maybe with starter holes so he gets the idea.

Is that carpet different from your other carpets [if any]? I'm guessing it has either loops rather than tufts, or tufts that are long enough to get a good tooth-hold on.

Is he hormonal? This wouldn't be a typical symptom, but I suppose it could be partly that.

 

[BabyRue]

I have been wondering this too. Rue is in love with shredding my carpet! I didn't realize how close I had the back of his cage to the wall and he ripped the carpet on the wall(our apartment seems to have carpet where there should be base boards). Then when he is out of his cage he rips up the carpet floor which are little tufts. I don't know how he gets a good tooth hold on it but he does.

So what would a dig box be? I have given him tons of toys when hes out of his cage and he still does it. Im interested in this dig box idea.

 

[Ellie]

A dig box is a box where you put in shredded/whole paper, treats, etc. You take a deep box, litter box, or whatever you can get your hands on and put some of this in it and the treats at the bottom to give them extra incentive to dig it up. You can also put phone books and other things in it to dig.

Some others may have better ideas. I just made one yesterday morning for mine, and he hasn't touched it. I think he's confused, he seems to think it's a comfy place to lounge.

Good luck with the carpet thing... mine's 3 and still loves to dig. It's usually just in the area with the barrier though - I think he thinks he's going to be able to dig under it somehow. :rollseyes

 

[silversky2668]

Honey has a specific spot on the carpet where he chews in the morning when he wants to come out of his pen--he does it just because he knows it will get my attention and he doesn't do it any other time. I bought some cheap carpet squares and put them down in that area so he can tear them up without my caring. Maybe you could put a spare carpet (of the same type that he likes to pull) in your bedroom where he likes to tear it up. That way he can still have fun but he's not destroying the carpet you actually care about.

 

[LakeCondo]

Lounging in a dig box is a good 1st step. I've got some washed gravel in the box, too, [as the bottom layer] so when Honey wants to really dig, she can. When she really goes at it I have to scoop it from the carpet & out it back in the box, but that's easy compared with dealing with chewing on carpet. I hope she never swallowed any of the carpet fibers, but want to at least keep it to a minimum. Of course if it were cotton fiber or jute or something non-synthetic [and also not dyed] I wouldn't be concerned.

 

[kmaben]

Will try a dig box. See if he likes it or not. I may just be resigned to putting up carpet pieces I dont care about. He hasn't picked a new spot but he hasn't been out as much either. The only thing is the carpet fibers are pretty long and he gets them stuck in his teeth. He's very strange. He was neutered about a month ago. Maybe it's the last influx of hormones leaving him

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Some of ours loved to dig the carpet--the only solution we came up with is keep the door closed or replace the carpet.

 

[MyJuneAngel]

Rascal, mother to our three, chewed up every bit of carpet she could get her teeth on. She also chewed through cords and everything else imaginable. We couldn't let her out of her cage for more than a few minutes before she'd find something to destroy. My carpet has holes in it where she pushed against her NIC cage panels enough to get it off the plywood base we had it on and chew the carpet. She was undeterred by anything we tried.