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I've had enough :( *pics*

Fiski23

Young Bun
Hey guys,

You might remeber my post about problems at home. Well Joe has moved back to his Mums and I'm living in the apartment with Billy.

We had the apartment valued and we would lose too much if we put it on the market so selling isn't an option. I'm now looking into putting the mortgage in just my name. If I do that, I will not have much money left a month paying it all myself.

This is stressful enough as it is but Billy is driving me mad, I'm at my wits end!! He has made yet another hole in my carpet, it's in my living room and looks awful, he has now made three. The thing is, because I don't have much room and have him in my living room, I can't protect the carpet with something else as it's my main room. I don't want him taking over where I live and make it look awful. He just doesn't listen to me when I tell him no. I have given him plenty of boxes and toilet rolls etc to play with but they only interest him for about 10 minutes!!

This is the damage he has caused

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Here are pics of my apartment and Billy's set up so you can see. This is the only space I have for him to be.

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I just don't know what to do with him. I can't put up with all the stress with the house and then trying to deal with him. I'm just doing so much for Billy and not getting anything back from him. I just cry :cry:

Is there a way to deal with him differently or would I be better off giving him to someone who is more flexible with space etc?

Please help me!

Fi x
 
Sorry to hear this. You could try putting mats or blankets down and letting Billy chew at those. Dusty regularly chews up her cheapy mats and blankets, but that really isn't a problem. Clover (now no longer with us) made a right old mess of my carpet once, and my OH managed to wedge a few ceramic tiles into those areas so she could no longer get at the carpet. She was a very cross bunny, but she got over it! :D
 
can't you lay something on the floor where is space is or get laminate flooring. Unfortunately this it what rabbits do, Can he not go outside if you can't stand the damage he may well do. You would be more than stressed if you saw the hole in my carpet and I mean a hole or the hole in the back of my leather sofa. I have a new design of skirting boards it is called the chewed effect:lol: but it matches the corners of the walls where they have chewed them, I even had to go back to just painting my walls cos they use to rip the wallpaper off.
 
Nip down to your nearest DIY store and buy a cheap off-cut from a roll of vinyl and lay that down so that it is a bit bigger than Billy's area. That will prevent him from getting a hold of a corner and eating it. It's much easier to keep clean than the carpet as well. I've covered the bedroom carpet with it while Tim and Floss are living there and it works really well. No worries about random accidents either:lol:
 
My house is laminated downstairs and its fantastic, I buy the 99p rugs from tesco and dot them round the house to be chewed/dug up/layed on and the buns seem happy enough :)

If money is an issue try an advert on freecycle and you may get enough laminate flooring just to cover his area and that would look fine.

Sorry you are having a rough time :(
 
Nip down to your nearest DIY store and buy a cheap off-cut from a roll of vinyl and lay that down so that it is a bit bigger than Billy's area. That will prevent him from getting a hold of a corner and eating it. It's much easier to keep clean than the carpet as well. I've covered the bedroom carpet with it while Tim and Floss are living there and it works really well. No worries about random accidents either:lol:

Thats a cool idea!
 
How about keeping him in the kitchen where there is usually not carpet, if he can't do too much damage in there then maybe he doesn't need to be in the pen which will make your kitchen look nicer! I once saw a couple who had a baby gate on their kitchen door as they kept their rabbit in the kitchen. Or a bathroom if it is a decent size. He could come out for a run around when you can supervise him all the time. Or if that's not possible, how about you put a big rug or offcut of carpet under his pen in the living room so when he chews he's not ruining your proper carpet. Hope you manage to sort this out and get a bit less stressed soon!:)
 
As KayJ said, unfortunately this is what rabbits do!
If I were you I would buy some carpet runs (the plastic type to protect carpets) or a piece of lino and put his pen over that.

Also, what are you doing to correct him when he does go to chew the carpet? have you tried squirting him with water, or shaking a container with beads or something in every time he does it?
 
Good suggestions from everyone here. If he cant go in the kitchen and the vinyl doesnt work id really consider putting him outside if possible...its no good you being so stressed for either of you, and buns can enjoy time outdoors and be brought in for a supervised run. Also a lady friend may help calm him, although i understand this is potentially more of a workload

Good luck
 
when I had Benny indoors he was very destructive and I discovered this was down to wanting to chew hay - but not being able to remember where I put the hay :roll: I don't see a lot of hay in your photo, so I would get him a bigger litter box, like an underbed storage box, and put a big bundle of hay in there - in fact get him a couple of those as all my rabbits like to have 2 - and try dotting cardboard boxes with hay in around the house where he chews too - they get in habits and you need to break the habit by changing things around - if you put a box of hay on that bit by the door for instance.

the other thing I've found with rabbits it they need to be shut in with their hay or they hop out and forget all about it - I give a big bundle of fresh hay morning and evening, and shut them in with it - that ensures they eat lots. If he's not keen on the hay you buy, you need to look around for a better quality supplier, like at a riding stables or farm shop, or online. I pay quite a lot for mine from west wales, but I see it as an investment, because it's the single most important thing for their care.

Quite often you'll find that rabbits that eat carpet go on to get tooth problems as they're not eating enough hay - hopefully if you follow my advice that will be another problem avoided too :)
 
Hmmm this is a tough one. From your photos it looks like Billy needs distraction. Rabbits are natural chewers and diggers and if you keep them in the house they do tend to take over. Some people get around that by confining the rabbit to one room or to a conservatory.
If you don't have a spare room I would suggest buying cheap mats/rugs which you can find in £1 shops and Au Natural. Give him a couple of cardboard boxes which he will happily nibble at but also fill them with plenty hay. Rabbits need to constantly chew so more hay might keep him busy and out of mischief. He might also be lacking a bunny friend, someone to groom and cuddle up to.
Now you are currantly under a lot of pressure which isn't going to help how you feel about Billy's misdeameanours. It might be too much for you to take on another bunny for example. You also mention not wanting the house taken over, thats very natural and understandable. I've worked with many animals and rabbits are the hardest creatures to keep indoors in terms of the mess they make. Billy is young and in his teenage years therefore more inclined to be mischevious and inqusitive.
I hate to say it but you might have to rehome Billy if things are getting you down that much. Cats and dogs give a lot of affection very willingly but rabbits are so different and a lot of people aren't used to that. Its not your fault, don't worry, the species is dominated by it's status as prey and much of a rabbits behaviour demonstrates this.
If you kept Billy and gave him time to settle (has he been castrated?) grow older and so on, his naughty nibbling might stop. Then again his behaviour might get worse. I kept Emrys indoors for about 5 months, he was going to be a housebunny but he wrecked my carpets and skirting boards. I saw that he was yearning for life outdoors so eventually I built him a run and he is much happier for it. I'm aware not everybody has a garden to do that but you must remember rabbits are active animals.
So after all my long windedness I suggest you sit down and have a good think and do one of two things: Completely change his set up/living area or rehome him (If you went for that option I'd love to have him but I think Scotland is a bit too far). Whatever you decide let us know and good luck :)
 
My kitchen is in the same room as it's open plan so don't have the option to put him there!

It's just annoying having the put anything down over the carpet as my place is so small. I want it to look nice and because I only have the living room it's where I am all the time and when I have friends over. I have so many bills and fees to pay for changing the mortgage etc so can't afford anything at the moment.

Thanks for all your idea's but I just can't see a solution in the position I am in!

I feel so bad not being able to do anything for him to keep us both happy! I love him to bits but now I feel guilty for even getting him :cry:
 
yeah I think you have to compromise on the 'looking nice' thing when you have any free range herbivore as they need hay - can you imagine a horse or a sheep wandering around? :rolleyes: I guess that's why people tend to keep cats and dogs as there's no hay - and I have to say hay is the biggest headache for me with all my little herbivores - my house is always a mess as it gets everywhere - but that's what they need - same with little kids and lego :roll:
 
we bought a cheap carpet to allow destruction when we werent about to watch the buns... £7 for a 4m x 2m offcut at a carpet place... takes away the stress of it all.... if only id done it where the chippies are... stella has ruined the carpet under the cage so ill have to replace the whole room when we leave now :roll:
 
Awww...it is tough sometimes. My jess was like that when i first got him and i got him a wifey and he settled down immediately. Dont get me wrong, he's still a pain in the :censored: at times, but much more er...distracted than he used to be. Twinkle's proper sorted him out! :lol:

I know what you are saying about not being able to afford another but to be honest, it's not that much more for stuff. And the money it would cost you in insurance, and vets stuff, you'll save on replacing everything the little dear destroyed!!!

Lisa and crew xxx :wave:
 
Aww dear.

All i can advise is...as you know me and my boyfriend just moved in together...(things okay so far lol) and our puppy is pulling up our carpet same as Billy. So we have lined his "puppy pen" with towels, this seems to have worked. When we let the puppy out - (Benji) we keep a close eye on him. No matter how many times we tell him NO it doesnt seem to sink in.

Hope this helps?


Natalie x
 
Why not,if you can afford to,get an indoor cage for your bun.It looks more attractive in the lounge and you could shut your bun away when you want your place to look neat[if having visitors].If the cage a good size you could leave him shut in there unsupervised then let him be free range when you're around.Ive had houserabbits for 15years[still learning though!]and they've all had cages if i need to shut them away for any reason.I always shut b away at night as she tends to be un energetic[is that a word?!:lol:]but she is free range all day.I have just ordered her a pen though as she keeps weeing on sofa-see we all have these little hiccups!
 
Thank you for all of your replies.

I would like to get a bigger cage for him but they are so expensive for the size i would need.

I'm going to have a really hard think about what is best to do over the next couple of days. I just want what is best for Billy.

Thanks again x
 
Thank you for all of your replies.

I would like to get a bigger cage for him but they are so expensive for the size i would need.

I'm going to have a really hard think about what is best to do over the next couple of days. I just want what is best for Billy.

Thanks again x

As other have said get some cheap lino.. I like my house to look nice but I also realise with 2 housebuns it usually doesn't always looks spotless.. You not going to rehome him are you just because you don't want to put some lino down in your living room ?
 
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