Have you ever had a pet chew your instrument?

[Beginner Bass]

Well I think the title says it all.

[paperbag1213]

uh.

I'm gonna have to ask for a picture

[Beginner Bass]

OK. Explanation:

I got a 7/8-month old puppy. I'm worried about leaving my bass out of the bag, for fear of her chewing it. I was wondering if anybody else had ever had a pet chew on their instruments.

[onosson]

My cat likes to claw up my gig bags, but not the instruments inside them. Can't speak for dogs, though.

[Don C]

For some reason only known to him, my cat will chew on the end of my extension if I lay the Bass down.
I've solved the problem by either putting it in a stand, or if I lay the Bass down, I put a small towel over the end of the extension.

[major10th]

Google bitter apple spray, it's natural but most pets don't like the taste of it.

[doberman]

I was worried about the doberman I was watching doing this, he was surprisingly fine around my instrument and also didn't seem to mind when I practiced. I did catch him chewing on chair legs, the table, shoes and one time had his head entirely in the trash can though, so I never left the bass out when I wasn't around and mainly kept it in a room with the door closed. The basset hound didn't seem to notice the bass. As for the pitbulls, I wasn't going to risk it, they got into enough trouble without having the instrument around.

[Paul Barsic]

My cats have shown some interest in my gut strings, so I stand it up in a corner. Check the ingredients in the bitter apple spray. It may contain an all-natural solvent for your finish. Looking at your profile, you're a bass guitar player, right? So you could use a string swing or some other similar product to keep it out of reach of your dog.

(I'm lurking from the dark side, so when you said you have a "7/8 month old puppy" my first thought was that you were giving the size and age of the dog! Damn! What's his mensure (scale length)?)

[Beginner Bass]

She, not he. And I doubt highly that she's reached 7/8 of her full size.

Also, I don't have one of those. If I did, then the very weight I would think would tear it out of the wall.

[Mike Goodbar]

We have a West Highland terrier, who so far has been cool about leaving the instruments alone. She has, however, pissed and crapped several times on the carpet in the music room.

I'm thinking a) Several of my music students carry in the scent/hair from their own dogs on their bass cases, and our dog is marking her territory, or:
b) She fancies herself some kind of music critic.

I vote b.

[AClark]

One time my cat thought it would be fun to sit on my bow while It was on my stool. It did not break or anything but it was extremly furry.

[CauliColin]

Can cat scratches my amp, but then my dog walks in, scares the cat away and falls asleep right in front of the amp (because it makes the floor vibrate).

[KalTM]

I used to have issues with my cats using my speaker cabinets as scratch posts. Worst part about it was that they were actually my roommates cats :/
Never had issues with my basses being disturbed though.

[NorthArchRising]

my little border terrier used to chew on the end pin of my double bass when i played it, think the vibrations and hard metal was nice for his teething lol, he never went near my guitars or basses or piano when i wasn't playing them though, all dogs are different though so i'd keep an eye on her and bag up your instruments when you go out

[Marcus Johnson]

A friend had his bass' tailpiece completely destroyed by his luthier's dog, just chewed to bits while both were closed in the shop overnight.

I've also heard of animals chewing up gut strings. Makes sense. I keep the bass in the bag at home... don't want to wake up to find the cats have eaten my guts.

[iiipopes]

My son has the usual small, indoor caged pets: gerbils, birds. And I have a couple of tropical fish in a small aquarium. Now the birds, if they got loose, I'm not to worried if I have to clean up a deposit. But rodents chew. He's been warned. If they get loose and chew on an instrument, they're dispatched. Now, with that in mind, I keep my instruments in their cases, with the exception of my DB that currently resides on a stand until better arrangements can be made. And the house we live in has an extra bedroom converted to be a room just for my gear, with the door shut. So it should never be a problem.

Advice to all pet owners: keep your instruments in their cases and in a room that you can shut the door properly. This takes care of 99% + of all situations. If your pet can open the door, you've got bigger problems than this thread.

Also, I'm going to rant: I have no sympathy for owners who bitch about their cat spraying the cab or their dog gnawing the neck. You know better than to leave them out and around - either the instruments or the pets.

[skychief]

Yes. I had a blonde 50's - something Kay when I started playing DB. It was in near-perfect cosmetic condition.

I didnt have a stand at the time, so I'd just lay it on its side when it wasnt being played. Anyway,, my girlfriend had 2 alpha-male dachsunds who made a meal of the headstock (which was now at a convenient level for the dogs to chew).

The damage was so extensive, the scroll carving was barely discernable. When I tried to sell the bass, I got some stupid-low offers for it. So, as it was set up very well, and played great, I ended up donating it to a local school.

[ChuckCorbisiero]

My mini lop rabbit Gina loved computer and electrical wires. She lived for 8 years and was never hurt by the electricity, plastic, rubber and metal. Here's a picture of Gina. She's the only rabbit I know who liked to ride around Venice Beach in a basket on a bicycle for extended periods of time. She knew exactly where she was going every Saturday.

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

My Cane Corso had an interest in an Ibanez Acoustic Bass I had. Never bit it, but he would sniff it and nudge it with his nose if I left it out for a few minutes unattended. Ended up trading it for a decent combo amp. Neither of the dogs has shown the slightest interest in any other musical Item in the house.

[Swing Doom]

My dog is afraid of both my electric and upright basses.