Newbie - anxious rabbit mum

[DodoAndChloeBuns]

Hey guys 👋
I hope you're all well and your bunnies are happy!
I adopted two female sister bunnies from the RSPCA a couple of months ago and named them Chloe and Dodo. I'm keeping them as free roaming house bunnies and am struggling with how destructive they are of my carpets. If I'm honest, I'm struggling with lots: they don't trust me to touch them so I can't check their nails or anything like that or get them out in the garden so I worry about what happens come vet time. Re the biggest worry, the carpet, I'm using lots of cardboard, rugs, barriers but they find a fresh spot and boom - fresh carpet hole. I don't expect them to stop but I'm really struggling to find ways around it. I don't want to put them in a cage, I hate that idea. Don't want to give them up, but the carpet thing - it's really bad. Does anyone else have carpet munchers? What do you do?

[joey&boo]

Welcome to RU. I've had carpet chewers in the past & its a stress many of us will be able to identify with. I never found a solution & I think covering it as completely as possible is the only option - you know what bunnies on a mission are like. Theres a chance providing them with lots of safe bunny safe things to chew might distract them - this is good practice anyway. Things like chill & chew mats, willow balls, tunnels, a digging box if possible, apple sticks are popular

[Motty]

One of mine is a chewer, I would be interested if you can find an answer!
We had to "adjust" our free range ideals to a 8' x 8' pen and free ranging when we are around. To be honest, I think she slighly better nowadays, I can make a cup of tea and use the loo without coming back to a fresh hole

[DodoAndChloeBuns]

Thanks! It's so stressful, I had no idea. Lots of alternatives are good, I want them to have the opportunity to be themselves. But they don't completely stop them from going for something I don't want. They just spot a new spot and go for it

Sent from my SM-J415FN using Tapatalk

[Craig 1965]

Hello and welcome. I’m sorry that you are having problems with your two bunnies being destructive. As you will probably see , your not alone in having carpet chewers. I think many of us have suffered with it, and many of us have bunnies who take out diy on other elements - sofas, wallpaper, skirting boards etc.
They are displaying natural behaviour - they would dig outside so it’s not a deliberate attack against you or your home.
It may be a boredom issue with your bunnies? There are boredom breakers you can get that might divert their minds away from the carpet.
I’m sorry I can’t offer better advice for you but I know some of our ru experts have many years of experience with this problem so hopefully they can give you some pointers.
Craig x

[DodoAndChloeBuns]

It might be boredom but they have access to lots of cardboard boxes and foragey chewable things. I will keep trying and find more things. And you're right, I'd not try to make them stop chewing and I want them to be themselves. It's finding that balance between happy bun and presentable house!

Sent from my SM-J415FN using Tapatalk