Urgh, Boomer is chewing the underside of the couch!!!

[BoomBoom]

Hey everyone! The past few weeks, Boomer has been obsessed over chewing the bottom of my couch. He first made a hole through the fabric lining and is now inside the couch chewing on the filling. I tell him no, to which he responds. He comes out and flies to me. He goes back later when I'm not looking or I'm preoccupied (cleaning or washing).

Any ideas how to get him to stop? I already give him timeouts when he gets carried away with biting me, I don't want to have to give him more time outs on account of this. He's been quite a handful lately.

Some ideas I thought of, what do you think?

- put a scary toy like a spider under the couch of in the hole he made (I'm worried it will give him a phobia)
- put his nemesis down there (a toy remote control that makes sounds)
- block the bottom of the couch with pillows (ugly looking)
- keep saying no, then time out (as in above, I feel with how often he does it, he'll be in the cage all day and evening which sucks)

Help! This little chicken is such a handful lately. If he wasn't so cute I'm tempted to make teriyaki conure out of him.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Ha, this sounds SOOOOO much like Skittles! He likes to chew up and regurgitate on the curtains above the right side of my kitchen table. I use the "get over here" and 'finger snap' and it usually works. When it doesn't, I get up from my chair and then he obeys.

I never considered putting something up there on the curtains - so I'll be curious to see how you resolve this.

I think the second and fourth option are probably your best bet - using them together. I wouldn't worry about the first. Haven't you heard? Suns are afraid of NOTHING. LOL.

I never thought of teriyaki conure before. I always thought of just baked conure.

When Skittles gets me super aggravated I say to him "hey, you wanna go in the oven at 325degrees for 20 minutes?"

LOL.

 

[BoomBoom]

Ahh Skittles, they seem to mirror each other so much. Boomer also regurgitates in the couch too. I'll let you know what solution works for him. I really need to put an end to this couch obsession because the materials could be toxic. Also, I think it may be putting him on a scary hormone trip because of the nesting simulation it creates.

I'll do 2 and 4, and 1 for good measure since I have a fake tarantula somewhere lol! I also added a nice little basket of toys and chews on the floor right next to the couch. So far, he goes to the basket but it doesn't hold his attention long enough, the way the couch does.

 

[Mimsy01]

I'm going through this with Foo right now. She is eating my dresser. She is terrified of the fly swatter and if I put that there it deters her. However same as you I'm worried of causing some kind of psychological damage.

 

[JellyBean]

The aviator harness works for me all the time - JellyBean HATES it.. I put it on once after carefully watching the video and complying with all the instructions.. He cannot stand it! Try that under the couch! Lol....

 

[Aquila]

I don't know if this would work or not, but what about a feather safe tape like masking tape faced outward from the hole? Sticky enough to be annoying but not dangerous? Just something to deter from going to that spot since it's unpleasant.

 

[Flboy]

It's called OCD, good luck!

 

[BoomBoom]

Thanks for the suggestions! I forgot about the harness. He hates that too. I'll try it tonight but I feel like he will destroy it too (I'll explain why). The masking tape is a good idea! I'll try that if all else fails. I hope he doesn't try to eat the glue because it might be toxic?

So a small update. Last night, I put the toy remote, a scary black plastic rat with vicious red eyes, and a felt-covered tarantula under the couch and inside the hole he made. For extra measure, I added two spray bottles which I used to mist him with. This morning, he literally took the spray nozzle head apart. It also seemed to rile him up so I don't know if I should keep it there.

I'll provide updates later.

 

[BoomBoom]

You know what else? Maybe those rugs with hard nylon bristles? Maybe he won't want to step over them. It just looks so bad under the couch :/

 

[Mariar]

Sissy eats the arm of the couch..just the end so i put towels down..now she rips those but they look ugly,but when i say 'no'she says 'dont do that' shes very bity latley ..she still molting..let me know what works for you and i might try it

 

[BoomBoom]

Quick update. He was not scared of the toy rat and spider. As far has he knows, they're all buddies hanging out in that fort he built for himself under the couch. So I need to find other solutions. Here's the situation so far.


Tried, Didn't Work:
- Providing distractions (the box of shredded paper only got his attention for 2 days)
- Scary toys (rat and spider are his homies)
- Objects he hates (he dismantled the spray bottle and knocked the toy remote around)


Still Trying:
- Saying "No" or walking out of the room so he follows me instead (works 25% of the time)


Haven't Tried:
- Reversed masking tape to cover the hole (I'll try this tonight)
- Spikey rug under the couch (ugly looking)
- Stuff pillows under the couch (probably the most effective, but so ugly)
- Buy a new, taller couch (I'd rather not)


What do you guys think I should do? Should I just let him have the couch? He seems so content in it. It's not like I can see the damage. BUT I'm worried it will make him territorial and 'nesty' at some point. Not to mention of the safety hazards with the couch materials.

 

[Aquila]

This is my other suggestion, watch out not to get it on your hands though, it does taste really bad!
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Grannick-Bitter-Apple-Spray-Birds/dp/B0002AR22M"]Amazon.com : Grannick Bitter Apple Spray for Birds 4oz : Pet Deterrent Sprays : Pet Supplies[/ame]

 

[BoomBoom]

Ahh yes, I forgot I bought a bottle recently for this very reason. Problem is how to apply the spray on such a wide area? Hmmm I'll work on it tonight. Thanks for reminding me!

Updates in the next few days to see if it works.