Bunny-Proofing your home

Bunny-Proofing your home

Bunny-Proofing your home.  Anyone who has ever met a rabbit can attest to the fact that, although cute, fluffy and cuddly, they can also be destructive, territorial and feisty. Those teeth may chew through wires, skirting boards, your favourite jumper and books, and they may also dig up your carpet. 

Getting annoyed at your bunny for merely practising its natural instincts would only be counter-productive. What you can, and should, do for both your sanity and your rabbit’s safety, is bunny-proof your home. 

Wires 

Most people who have a rabbit will know the struggle of constantly losing phone chargers and headphones. However, if your rabbit chewed through a mains wire, you could end up losing your rabbit as well as your electrical power. 

Cover all wires in your home with hard plastic sleeves or flex tubing to prevent the rabbit from chewing through. If possible, also keep all wires out of reach. Flex tubing is easy to find and can be bought at pretty much any hardware or electronics store. 

Skirting boards 

If you are in a rental property, avoid losing your deposit by protecting your skirting boards. Anything that blocks the vulnerable areas will work: if you don’t want to have ugly plastic boards all over your home, you can get creative and crafty by making and decorating your own skirting board covers. 

Stairs 

You may wish to prevent your bunny from going up and downstairs to keep the bunny-proofing simple. To block your rabbit from entering certain parts of your house, simply put some child doors in the way. 

The important factor to note with these is they must be made of metal rather than plastic. Also, ensure that you choose a gate with slats that are close together, and one that is high enough that it cannot jump over the top. 

Carpet digging 

Bunnies are burrowers and will attempt to dig up anything. If you can, identify particular parts of the carpet that your rabbit seems to like digging in, and cover them with furniture to block it off. You can also cover loose bits of carpet with tape or linoleum to protect it. 

Poisonous plants 

Naturally curious chewers, bunnies don’t always know what plants are safe or toxic for them. Avoid poisoning your rabbit by choosing houseplants that are safe for them to eat. Tomato leaves, tulips, cherries and daffodils are among some of the plants poisonous to rabbits. A full list can be found here. 

A rabbit run 

Although rabbits should not be kept in a hutch all the time, they like to have their own space that they can sleep in and feel in charge of. This allows them to be territorial in a contained space. 

Rabbit runs should have metal bars, to prevent chewing, and use a soft and absorbent substrate that they can dig and burrow in. Some good ideas for rabbit bedding are sawdust, hay or grass. 

Play with your bunny! 

If your rabbit is stimulated, happy and well-attended, it will be more likely to behave well. Buy them rabbit chew toys and encourage them to chew those, rather than your wires. You can even get them a special rabbit harness that will allow you to take your bunny for walks around the neighbourhood. 

If your rabbit is tired out from activities and mentally stimulated, it will be less likely to behave destructively in your home. 

At Trusty Pet Supplies, we stock a fantastic range of toys, food and accessories for your rabbit, and other small animals. These will help them to live an enriched and fulfilled life, and protect their belongings from the peril that is a bunny’s jaws. Click here to peruse our collection of rabbit accessories.