Jelly Bean won't stop eating the carpet. Help!

[laina182]

I got Jelly Bean as a Christmas gift a year and a half ago after some clever pestering of my boyfriend. We adopted him from a local shelter, and he quickly broke all of the rules we set for him. His cage moved from the office to the hallway to our bedroom. He then was let out of his cage all together and has been allowed to roam freely throughout our apartment because he doesn't chew wires and is very good about using his litter pan. He does have a bad habit that we have had a hard time breaking, and I'm at a loss of what to do about anymore. He chews the carpet in our apartment. No, I take that back. He eats it. There are whole patches of it missing now, and the only thing that might save out butts is that the woman at the leasing office said it was on its last life anyway. I don't know what she'll say when she sees whole patches of carpet fibers missing, but I'm hoping we can find some way to cover it up... but that's not the issue at hand.

We have tried squirting him with water, saying no, and clapping when he eats it. I went to a local pet store and got a bottle of Bitter Apple, figuring if it keeps pets from chewing themselves it would keep Jelly Bean from chewing the carpet. It worked for a couple days, then once it wore off he was right back at it again. I shouldn't have to reapply this stuff all the time. It isn't cheap. He also licks it from time to time, and I don't want him to get sick from it or get used to it all together.

My only solution right now is to keep him in his cage all the time. That won't be fun. Jelly Bean likes running around, and my boyfriend and I like having him around. We can't have him chewing our carpet though. He has plenty of food and timothy hay, as well as treats and toys. He has a lot to chew on besides the carpet. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

What about letting him run in the bathroom or kitchen instead?

 

[laina182]

It's an idea. I just wish we could have him out with us, he's so playful and fun to be around.

 

[tonyshuman]

You could put things that are safe to dig on and eat in his area, like old phone books or newspapers. In particular, if he has a few spots he likes to dig at a lot, that would be a good place to put the books.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Gus is a carpet chewer. He does it when he's bored and wants attention.

I've covered up the spots he likes to chew the most with some carpet samplesI bought from the building centre of $2 each. That somewhat helps.

But what seems to help the most is keeping him occupied and entertained.

If he keeps it up, though, I put him in his cagefor a time out. (Gus is free roam during the day.)

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[bunnyluv96]

My baby bun has recently discovered the fun of carpet digging too! When he's out playing I put an old blanket on the floor and let him dig at that instead. He seems to like it fine and it protects the floor but sometimes my little rascal figures out how to move the edges to get to the carpet! Lol. You might try the old blanket tip and see if that works!