HElP..my rabbitt keeps digging up my kitchen floor

Question
I have an inside rabbit who I have had now for one year. I got him from a lady at work who said he was one year so he should be two now. I got him a bigger cage, let him out different times during the day for exercise and attention. He has chewed up the corners of my carpet in almost all my room in my house. His cage is now downstairs in the kitchen so even if he is in the cage he still hears us. I use a babygate to keep him in the kitchen when I let him out. He digs and scratches when I leave him out for hours and it removes my floor (not a deep home but the top of it).He has also done this in my foyer on the floor. He is a good rabbit other than that. He is litter box trained and not aggressive to me at all. Occasionally he is (charges at or scratches but not often)to my six year old but I figured it is because he has a bond with me and feels unsure with others. I am the one who provides him direct attention. My husband and son acknowledge him put don't pay much attention to him. He is not neutered and have had no spraying incidents. He has already ruined my carpet and now is working on my floor. He got out in the backyard once that is fenced in (by accident) and loved it. He was jumping, chewing the grass etc.. but I put in immediately inside since I was scared he would dig and get out under the fence. Any advice to help with his chewing and digging habits?

Answer
Hi Jennifer

I have diggers also and understand your frustration.  I am going to attach a few web-sites that should help.

What I do personally is buy apple bitter spray online from the ferret store and I spray it in the spots they like to dig.  I also get a big cardboard box and fill it with paper shedding, fleece type towels (with no lose strings he could swallow), and I let it go to town.  I also give them rabbit safe toys so that they have something other than tiles, furniture etc to chew and dig on.  You can also place a piece of marbled tile down in the particular spot he likes to dig.  It may make him want to dig in another area but who knows it might help and you can usually buy them at any home improvement store.

I wanted to mention something about your little daughter and the scratching.  Sometimes wee little one's don't know how to correctly hold the bunnies.  Make sure you teach her how to hold his rump and his feet so that he feels secure.  When rabbits feet are dangling they feel like they are falling and it scares them.  You are also right about the bond with you.  My house rabbit hates my boyfriend.  When he comes in the room he thumps to tell me that he doesn't belong in there and as soon as he walks out my rabbit will give me a nose nuzzle again as if to say 'whew we are safe now'.  Rabbits are very sociable and without another rabbit they tend to develop a bond with certain people better than others.

While he is outside let him dig.  Just make sure you don't leave him out there alone, that way if he seems to be ready to escape you can stop him.  I actually use a small run within a bigger run.  If they make it through the smaller run I move the whole run to a different area of the yard.  Just be careful to make sure there are no pesticides on the lawn or any poisonous plants.

http://www.allearssac.org/poison.html

Here are the sites about chewing and digging.  I sure hope that they help but if you need anything else please let me know.  

Thank you

Pam

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/chewing.html

http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/behavior/rabbit_digs.html

http://www.cramptonarts.com/rabbits/r_misc.html