Om nom nom...CARPET!

[qtipthebun]

I woke up this morning to Q shredding the same spot in the carpet again. She pulls out the fibers one by one. It's only in this little spot...about three inches across. I sent her to her cage and got on here for advice.

She's done it once or twice before (same spot). I put a piece of cardboard over it and it deters her until she realizes she can just move the cardboard. Same with a towel. It's right next to the wall, right in front of her cage.

I wouldn't consider it to be so much of a problem except that I rent....If it's noticable, I'm going to have to pay to recarpet my bedroom! Just for that one little spot!!

I tried moving her cage up to cover the spot for now, but now she can get behind her cage. She hasn't dug anywhere else, but I'm worried she'll go behind the cage and start digging.

Any suggestions??

 

[MiniLopHop]

I had a similar issue with Sophie last week. It was just the edge of their rug, but I was afraid she would get going on the carpet too (we also rent). I put a tile over it. I have 12 inch square floor tiles that they like to lay on during the summer because they stay cool. They were about $1.50 each at Lowes. She hasn't messed with it since. They are much harder to move than a piece of cardboard or a towel.

 

[zebraprint]

I have hardwood floors which took Abby forever to adjust to, and even then she's still kinda cautious so in her cage I put down a welcome mat. She occasionally chews at the edges by nothing big - you may consider just laying her own piece of rug (like a welcome mat) over the area she's chewing.
Obviously rabbits shouldn't be ingesting rug fibers in great amounts so if she keeps chewing at it my advice is to get her some new toys. When Abs kept chewing her old rug I threw in a ton of cardboard rings and she's been occupied with those now for a few weeks.
Anyway, hope you find a solution - it's so stressful when they pick up random bad habbits. Good thing they're so cute!

 

[zebraprint]

p.s. Q-Tip and Abby look like twins !

 

[qtipthebun]

Update. I just looked at the floor. Same spot, about an inch further. She got it again. Shredded the whole thing.

Don't have time to get a tile tonight. Any immediate solutions??

So mad...Gonna have to pay for that carpet. I'll stop typing before they bleep me out. Good thing that rabbit's cute....

 

[BunMommaD]

Oh man! I ws gonna suggest tile too... In the mean time... Could you spray the area with something that would taste gross to her? Lemon juice? Vinegar? Rubbing alcohol? (plea research before and don't just use my suggestion... I've never used any of these and have no idea if they would be dangerous or not in ingested!)

Good luck! And hey Q, give your mom a break!

 

[qtipthebun]

Nothing tastes gross to this creature. She'd drink hot sauce if I let her (yes, I've tried putting hot sauce on stuff and she licks it off).

Right now I've got a big heavy board game covering it...we'll see what she does.

No idea why she's doing this...it's a new habit.

 

[BunMommaD]

Omg! Hot sauce!?!?! Wow... That's crazy lol I hope she leaves it alone, til u find a more permanent solution.

 

[deaners]

Oh, no is Q-tip spayed? Our Munches did this before she was spayed. She also destroyed the upholstry on one of our chairs. She stopped pulling up the carpet once she was spayed, but for the chair we had to get it re-upholstered in a material she didn't find so nummy. I hope you can find a solution.



ETA: I hear you on the hot sauce. We used everything on that chair to get her to stop - bitter apple spray, garlic, cayenne pepper - nothing worked.

 

[qtipthebun]

Yep, the Tipster is spayed. No idea why this habit just popped up. We just got back from being home for a week...maybe she's just relishing having her freedom back?

And yep...all of those things that are supposed to be icky to rabbits...she LOVES them. I've tried like 8 different hot sauces (don't judge...I totally have that many lying around...I love hot sauce), but she's a true Texas bunny....she loves them all...the hotter the better.

 

[MagPie]

I put a big heavy book over the spots that Harvey likes and he leaves them alone. He is chewing holes in my sofa tho.

My carpet was bad to begin with. So when/if I ever move out they're going to replace it anyway.

 

[qtipthebun]

See, my bunny is an intellectual. There will be no books within her reach because she just DEVOURS them! She LOVES books....unfortunately, not to read....but I've got a board game over it and a towel. Thankfully she can't read and see that the game says "apples to apples". She loves apples...

 

[MagPie]

Hahahah yeah Harvey's actually eaten one book. Granted I did leave it in his spot. Mostly he leaves them alone. I've been trying to get him to eat this one book XD

 

[MiniLopHop]

Gary is more partial to Joshua's pants. He went out once with holes nommed in the butt! ROFL Teach him to leave his clothes on the floor!

 

[MagPie]

*snorts* Oooooh Brandy I've had a similiar prolem haha. Not with my pants but a long sleeve t that he had pulled thru my hamper holes to nom on ....



As for books, Harvey has a taste for my romance novels. :whistling Don't judge :laughsmiley:but they are a kind of guilty pleasure for me. Harvey too.

 

[LaylaLop]

I'd probably take away her freedom until you can get something to cover the spot... A day or two cooped up isn't going to kill her, and you can let her out for supervised playtime and try maybe a squirt bottle of water if you see her going at the spot?

When my bunnies misbehave I put them back and it's not like their cage is exactly time-out since they like it so much.

Oh, but I do rent too and am not even allowed the rabbits. I noticed some chewing on the baseboards from when they were out and painted it over with some white nail polish! Haha... bonus is they don't like the smell from the nail polish so they don't go back to that spot.

 

[jujub793]

Just an FYI, a hole, especially a small hole, can be "patched" without replacing the whole room

 

[Samara]

I was recommended by my vet to try Bitter Appple (for dogs/puppies) if chewing starts. Thankfully it never did, but maybe it will do the trick?

 

[MagPie]

Ooooh that nail polish idea sounds great. I might need to do that in a few spots. Luckily I was able to break him of that habit.

 

[BrittsBunny]

Wrangler has picked up an addiction for carpet *again* as well. When I first got him, he picked at the carpet a little bit, and then I bought him his own little rugs and he stopped. But I've had him for a couple of years now and he has picked the annoying habit back up. And I rent my apartment as well. He also doesn't chew in just one spot, so it makes it a little more difficult. I'd be laying tiles everywhere! He does prefer to pick at the carpet underneath the couch or in his other favorite spots. I don't know why he thinks this is a grand idea. I've bought 3 straw mats for him and he tore the largest one up in a matter of a day. The other 2 small ones he just tosses aside out from under the couch. I may lay down some small tiles underneath the couch.

So, I feel your pain. I've tried multiple times to spray him with water...but he does not care whatsoever. And of course he doesn't listen to me when I say "NO!" :-/

The clear nail polish sounds like a great idea as long as it won't hurt a rabbit. I know for a fact that Wrangler doesn't appreciate the smell of nail polish...because I have caught him sniffing my freshly painted toes before - and boy does he turn his nose up!