BUNNY PROOFNG YOUR HOME
Before giving your bunny free roam of your house, take a look from a bunny point of view. Are all of your valuable books and magazines out of reach? Is furniture arranged to where bunny can’t play hide and seek, and possibly get smooshed when someone sits down? Some rabbits are very explorative and will jump on a chair to gain access to the table top and maybe chew up bills or homework. That would be a great excuse: “Sorry teacher, but my bunny chewed up my homework.” What about phone cords and electrical wires, are they all out of bunnies reach? Those “vines” are impossible to resist. Remember, rabbits have a natural urge to chew, due to their teeth constantly growing. We should not discourage that behavior, but rather direct it to the correct items. Some simple changes can go a long way. Supervise your rabbit very carefully and see what needs improving. It will take several free runs before you know what else needs to be rabbit proofed.
Electrical cords
All electrical cords should be out of reach. If some can not be hidden, simply place them in PVC tubing. There is great stuff on the market from simple PVC tubing to the eye pleasing cord away that comes in cream colors and attaches neatly to the base boards. See your hardware stores.
Furniture
Sure we can’t all live without a sofa, but arranging a few items will help. Make sure no antique furniture is in the room your bunny is allowed to romp free in. Antiques are especially tasty, just like wines, the older the better. Throw blankets across seats and sofas will help protect from claw and teeth marks. Some “rabbit slaves” even go as far as placing furniture legs in pipes or other similar items. Take toilet or paper towel rolls and place them around furniture legs. They are inexpensive and can be thrown away when chewed on. Place furniture in a way where your rabbit can not get hurt or stuck in someway. Pay special attention to rockers and recliners. Rabbits love to go under them to hide & might get hurt if unnoticed.
Houseplants
Not only would they not look so good if chewed on but some are also very toxic to your rabbit. Make sure they are all out of reach. Rabbits will stand on their hind legs if something is interesting enough. Make sure they are high enough even when bunny stands on his/her haunches.
Carpet
Some rabbits love to dig or even chew on carpet. Chewing and digesting carpet fibers is very dangerous and should be at all cost avoided. If carpet fiber gets clogged into the stomach to where all the “plumbing” comes to a halt, that could mean your rabbits end. Surgery is possible but there is only a 3% chance that they will survive the healing process.
Helpful tools for rabbit proofing
Electrical cord covers (wrap around or tubing available)
Plastic clear corner protectors
Throw covers
Straw mats
Plexiglas
Seagrass rugs
Give your rabbit plenty of chew toys. Untreated wicker baskets, untreated woods, fruit branches, paper or toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes without print, and brown paper bags are all very inexpensive and safe toys. The pet industry is coming out with more and more safe toys for rabbits, birds and hamsters. Usually bird and hamster chew toys are safe for rabbits as well. Plastic slinkies are also an all time favorite by rabbits. They love to throw it in the air and hear it land. Plastic toys with bells are also very well liked by rabbits. They love to pick it up and hear it jingle. The Busy Bunny (www.busybunny.com) is one of the best places to shop for rabbit toys and treats. They have an array of safe rabbit chew and toss toys, baskets and grass mats. Watch your bun in action and he/she will quickly communicate to you what kind of toys he/she likes. They love to hide and jump, make him/her a house of cardboard boxes. Be creative and have fun!
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