Housing
Rabbit Proofing Your Home
By Chandra Moira Beal
There are three things certain in this world: death, taxes, and that rabbits must chew. Rabbits' front incisors grow continuously throughout their lives, and must be kept worn down through chewing. Chewing also gives bunnies psychological pleasure. Given this, it is the caretaker's job to ensure that bunny has something safe to chew at all times.
Very young rabbits may not be problem chewers because their teeth are still developing. However, when they hit adolescence (as young as three months), most rabbits begin to chew like there's no tomorrow. They attack carpet, baseboards, antique furniture (the more expensive and rare, the better!), books, and electrical wires (among other things). Maturity, and spaying and neutering, will help ease this hormonal rage, but chewing is a life-long issue that must be addressed.
Bunny-proofing your house is essential if you want to live with a rabbit, whether they're confined to a cage for part of the day or have the run of the house. Proofing not only saves your house, furniture, and personal belongings, but it can save your rabbit's life. Electrical cords can electrocute your pet, and ingested foreign objects and materials can cause serious gastrointestinal problems. Therefore, prevention of problems is far preferable to treatment after the fact.
Where to Begin?
How extensively you bunny proof your house depends on your situation. If your rabbit only has access to one room, you can customize the environment fairly easily. If your goal is to let your rabbit run free, you'll need to get more detailed. Start your rabbit in a small, confined area of the house and gradually increase their running room until can be left unsupervised safely. Don't just turn them loose and expect them to know what they can and can't chew.
If you can eliminate wall-to-wall carpeting, that's one temptation your rabbit can avoid. If not, you should get to know your rabbit's habits and decide for yourself if they can live safely in a carpeted room.
You should also remove any knick-knacks, books, and decorative items from low shelves. Anything below two feet is fair game for rabbits. They are curious by nature and will investigate any and all nooks and crannies.
Rabbits are inexplicably drawn to electrical wires. Some people think that they can hear the frequency of the electricity pulsing through the cables; others suspect they treat wires like roots they'd find while burrowing, which is why they snip them in two to create an unobstructed path. Whatever the reason, cords are a terrible danger to rabbits. There are a number of ways to protect your wires.
The easiest way is to arrange your furniture so that it blocks the rabbit's access to cords. This way you can avoid covering each and every wire in the house, but it may be at the expense of aesthetics. Be creative, and think like a rabbit. Remember, they can squeeze through very tiny spaces.
Polyethylene tubing, found at building supply stores, can be slit down the middle with a utility knife, and the cords tucked inside. You can also buy pre-split hollow plastic tubing at electrical and home-improvement stores that comes in a variety of diameters. However, some rabbits will still chew through this tubing. For these tenacious critters, there are hard plastic covers that attach to the wall or baseboard so that wires can be run along the floor.
For the very destructive rabbit, you can buy flexible metal tubing or PVC pipe and run wires through them. It's not the most attractive alternative, but your pet's safety is worth it. These are the only materials that rabbits have yet to chew through.
Make sure that your house contains only non-toxic houseplants, and place these at least two feet above the ground. Use plant stands, boxes, tables, bricks, etc. to get them out of reach of bunny's jaws. Even non-toxic plants may be treated with pesticides or chemicals, or the dirt may contain microorganisms harmful to rabbits.
Other bunny proofing items that I have found helpful: an over-the-door hanging shoe rack to keep your lovely shoes out of their reach; a cordless telephone‹no wires to chew; baby gates to block access to rooms or stairways. Check out the childproofing section of your local hardware store for your own ideas.
But They Still Need to Chew
When your environment is secure and you're ready to let your rabbit roam safely, you must still provide something they can chew. For rabbits with a penchant for carpet or baseboards, try grass mats or willow baskets. Grass mats are sometimes sold as flooring in import shops. You can buy them by the square or get enough to cover an entire room. These mats are edible and rabbits love to dig at them, especially if one end is secured by a clip or heavy object. Watch them tug and chew away! Willow baskets (untreated) are widely available at crafts stores and thrift stores and are inexpensive.
Hay is not only essential to the rabbit's diet, but it is fun to chew. Always have fresh hay available for your rabbit. You can fill willow baskets or cardboard boxes with it and provide nutrition and fun at the same time.
Some rabbits like paper and will shred old telephone books, catalogs and magazines, and piles of junk mail or newspaper. Others like non-toxic wood twigs or blocks. Experiment to see what your rabbit prefers to satisfy their chewing urge.
Remember, rabbits will not outgrow their need to chew. Just as cats have to scratch and dogs have to bark, you cannot stop them but you can modify your environment to save your sanity and your rabbit's health. It is up to you as their caregiver to provide them with safe chewing alternatives. Most bunny proofing can be done one time, then checked periodically to be sure that covers are intact. Sometimes rabbits will help you find the weak link in the system, such as an opening you never thought they could get through. Help your rabbit adapt to living in the house with you, and you will be greatly rewarded with their companionship.
© Copyright by Chandra Moira Beal. All rights reserved.
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