Two Questions

[lmbrown]

Hi everyone,

Spencer likes to pull at the carpet and is starting to leave holes in certain areas. If we cover up a spot that he tends to enjoy, he moves on to find another spot. He stays in my daughter's bedroom which is wall-to-wall carpet. Any suggestions to get him to stop doing this?

Also,Spencer has abasket that we fill with shredded kraft paper.He loves it, but tends to eat the paper. Will he get sick from the paper? I made sure I bought paper that wasn't printed on so hopefully it's safe. What do you think?

Thanks everyone!

Lisa

 

[bunnybunbunb]

I have the same problem with Dillan, only she does it because she gets pissy and wants to get out of her gated off area. She is just 3 months old so although she uses the litte rbox now she may not in the future so I do not want to let her run loose and then stop using the box. Plus, when she is out of "her area" she will not come to me unless I shake the pellets. So until she has bonded enough to me to not run and hide where I can't get her for 5 hours *gripes about what happened last week* she will stay gated up. So what I plan to do is get fleece and put down.

Since your guy is in a room this will not work. I am doubting there is anything you can do to stop it, sprays may be toxic, covering it does not work you said, I doubt you would limit is area. Is there one part of the room he does it exclusively? If so maybe it is something about that part? If it is one part maybe block him off from that part and let him have the rest?

 

[lmbrown]

No particular area. Once we see that he's favoring a certain area (always under something or behind a door, etc.), we either block it or put something over it. He then just moves onto something else. Ugh ... well, he's not chewing the furniture or woodwork (yet) so that's good anyway.

Oh, and I just reread my post and wasn't sure if my question about the basket made sense. It's not his litter box (his litter box is inside his cage which is left open for him to come in and out). We just found a big square basket and filled it with shredded paper so he could burrow and dig. But he really likes to eat the paper ...

So much to learn ...

 

[bunnybunbunb]

Ok, maybe it is a bored chewing thing? Does he play with many of his toys? Dillan perfers things she can chew(apple wood, food, haha. However, Becca likes things she can throw. Burke likes things that hang. Mousse likes things to hide under, because she is lazy. Have you found that type of thing he likes? Sounds like he is an eater....

He looks like a big boy xD

 

[lmbrown]

I tell ya, lately it's all I do is make him toys and read about other types of toys to get him. It's too funny. He has toys in his cage. I found a toy mobile that attached to my daughter's play changing table for her dolls that I hung in his cage. Plus he has other chew things in his cage. Then outside the cagehe has the big basket of shredded paper, plastic keys, paper towel rolls, a basket of other toys including a slinky, a few different houses to go into, and more. I can't believe he's a bored bunny! Although maybe he is ... but geesh, how much else? haha!

We adopted him about 5 weeks ago at a 4H fair (my daughter belongs to the sheep club ... another story for another day) and Spencer was there asking to be adopted. He was abandoned and found on the side of the highway. So we named him Spencer because that was the name of the town we were in at the time. He weighed 6.5 lbs then. I'd say he weighs a little more now since he's a piggie boy. But he only eats good stuff like veggies supplemented by Sweet Meadow pellets.

 

[bunnybunbunb]

Dillan gets bored. Her highlight of the day is feed time. I have been looking for new ideals for more toys but you can only do so much with wood scraps and apple tree twigs. I have been trying to find pine cones low enough in the trees but nothing so far, except in that one yard but I do not know if they spray the grass or not.

Dillan's favroite time of day is 6 am. She wakes me up binkying up and down the ramp, sliding, thumping and jumping. She is a goof.

 

[lmbrown]

I have read that pine cones need to be aged for 3 months before they should be given to bunnies. I would try to grab some up higher and let them sit for a few months to dry out.

It's so funny that they say rabbits binky. In the guinea pig world (we also have 2 piggies), it's called popcorning. Different words, same cuteness!

 

[DazyDaizee]

If a lot of the carpet chewing is behind a door, he may be looking for a way out of the room. My rabbit hates closed doors and will rip carpet up and dig at doors if we close them. Like Spencer, she'll also pull carpet up under things. Seems to be an attention getting thing, because she doesn't really do it if we're not home.

Where are you guys while he's tearing up the carpet? Maybe he hears people in another room and wants to get to you? Or maybe he just likes tearing carpet up. The best way to deal with an issue like that is to give him something similar to do that's acceptable, and preferably something he likes more. Praise him for the appropriate behavior and do what you can to deter him from the areas of carpet he's chewing now.
You might want to try a dig box for him, or my rabbit loves loose blankets to dig and pull at. Sounds like you have lots of toys currently, but it may be interaction he's craving. Maybe he could be moved to a room that people are in more often.

With the paper.. I'm not sure. I know that my rabbit chews paper every chance she gets, and she's never had any issues... but that doesn't necessarily mean anything..