I have a house rabbit who lives mainly indoors, especially over the winter. When she is out of her run for any period of time in the room, she will invariably start to chew the carpet. Is this likely to be harmful, and is there any way that I can stop her?



This is certainly not to be recommended. Before long, the fibres could very easily impact in her digestive system, with serious if not fatal consequences, and of course, you will also be left with a bare carpet. The most likely reason for this behaviour is a shortage of fibre in her diet. Be sure to provide a tray of hay therefore, so that hopefully, if she becomes hungry, she will hop over and browse here, leaving the carpet alone in the future.



If this fails, the only other alternative will be to restrict her run in the room, by laying an offcut of lino on top of the carpeting here, and placing a barrier around here, to prevent her hopping out and reaching the carpeting, or indeed, the edges of the lino which she may also then decide to gnaw, as an alternative. Using linoleum also eliminates any risk of the carpet becoming soiled. It can be wiped off easily and cleaned, before being rolled up and stored when not in use.