Furniture legs are often the victims of rabbit teeth just like baseboards. For those of you who dont have this option or who need a cheaper solution, you can set up a row of flattened cardboard boxes against the wall. But dont worry! I now. You can use wire and plastic storage cube pieces that snap together and lean up against the wall, short pieces of wooden fence pickets individually attached with removable adhesive pieces (i.e. Youll want to make sure you refresh the toys and treats in the box every now and then, but this is a happy way for your rabbit to partake in her natural behavior without hurting your house. It has made me realize the time required and the level of intervention needed. But you can also choose to rabbit proof your whole house so your rabbit has more space to be free and join the family. I have links to the products that I found useful, so you dont have to go searching for some of these obscure items. They come in so many different shapes and sizes so you may have to get a little creative with coming up with an option to protect them. This is the best long term solution, but it does take a little more skill to implement. But cardboard and applewood sticks are also good options. Chewing is a natural rabbit behavior. Don't panic, use our simple step by step guide to fix the damage from your bunny chewing and digging your carpet. Having hay as the main part of their diet is very helpful for their dental health, but rabbits also need a variety of chew toys. I put together a guide that goes over all the basics of rabbit care so you have it all in one place. Digging and chewing are natural behaviors for your rabbit, so you need to give them an opportunity to use their natural instincts without being destructive. These can be rabbit-proofed. Rabbits will chew the bottoms and corners of these doors so in order to protect them you can put a kick plate the very bottom of them. Amy Pratt is a lifelong rabbit owner who has been specializing with rabbits at the Humane Rescue Alliance. So youll want to take some steps ahead of time, to make sure this doesnt happen. Plastic carpet runners are sheets of flexible plastic that are placed over the carpet to protect it. Plants that are toxic for rabbits include all plants that are grown from bulbs (such as tulips), many fruit and vegetable plants, and flowers such as foxglove, lupin, and larkspur. If you need to keep wooden furniture or exposed wires in the room, dont worry. If you are okay with this likely potential, then that's fine (just make sure they aren't actually eating what they dig up). For any piece of furniture that you cant or dont want to block off, this will work well to keep your rabbit from destroying the rug. Instead this comes from an instinct based in their burrowing roots. Death is possible from the initial electrocution or side effects of the damage it does to the mouth. Rabbits can dig and chew through cardboard relatively quickly, and you dont want them to get all the way through to the rug. Rabbits also have a tendency to chew on things that we really dont want them to bite. You do want to make sure you get mats that have at least some thickness to them though. To rabbit-proof your home, cover any wires with plastic tubing so your rabbit can't chew through them, or tape them up high so they're out of reach. Without all three of these aspects, you are going to continue to face challenges with your indoor rabbit. If you don't use metal baby gates to keep your rabbit contained, then you probably have wooden doors that do the job instead. Plastic tubing is also called polygon tubing, plumbers tubing, and vacuum tubing. How to bunny proof your carpet and stop the damage from chewing and digging using bitter sprays, covers and ceramic tiles. You want to cover any wires that your rabbit can reach with some plastic split loom tubing. My rabbit, Elusive learned how to open cabinet doors. They tend to be frightened of people until they get to know you. Avoid vinyl-covered or plastic baby gates as these are chewable. This has honestly been a life saver (wire saver?) Appliances such as heaters and fans can be dangerous for our curious bunnies. Whats behind your bunnies carpet chewing behavior, Repair small or even large areas of damaged carpet. Learn how to create a happy, healthy home for your pet. No, your rabbit did not chew through your favorite headphones just to spite you. We show you the best ways to cover trouble spots as well as the best things to use to cover a whole area that will keep your carpet damage free. If youre going through this guide and find ideas that will be useful for you, check out my list of items I use to bunny-proof my own home. She helps to socialize the rabbits and educate volunteers on the care and behavior of these small mammals. While you are unlikely to be able to block off the entire perimeter of the room, you will limit the amount of work you will have to do. When you're bunny-proofing a room, you want to make sure that there is nothing in the room that could be hazardous or unsafe for your rabbit. If you are concerned about your rabbit being underneath the recliner, tightly stuff old blankets and towels in the space so that your rabbit cannot get in. Great job! Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 49,591 times. All plants should be off the ground and out of your rabbit's reach but ideally, the room your bunny frequents shouldn't have any houseplants at all. This is especially true of female rabbits. So put them behind a gate or put them up on a ledge. Its natural for rabbits to chew, so stopping all chewing activity may not be possible. Then you will receive tips and tricks about rabbit care straight to your inbox so that you know youll be taking excellent care of your new rabbit. You could use crumpled up or shredded paper, some of their wooden chew toys, some toilet paper rolls, etc. Youll need to go through your home and look at it from a rabbits perspective. If youve got one of these really smart and determined rabbits, just install a childproof lock on your cabinet doors. The best thing to do is make sure these appliances are out of your rabbits reach. This means that your rabbit will chew through the cardboard rather than the wood. Use zip-ties to connect the panels together, and use command hooks to attach the fence to the walls or furniture. Voila! I attach them to the wall using command hooks. If you have a recliner, always check underneath before you put it down. First I want to point out that you wont cure a rabbits digging habit. The first option you can try is to block off the area underneath your sofa, bed, cabinet, etc. The mats are the ones that are made to be able to wrap around the leg of a table so they can also be used to prevent your rabbit from chewing on furniture legs. Rabbits can be litter trained so that they can roam around the house, like a cat, without the worry of cleaning up a lot of smelly messes. Rabbit proofing, also called bunny proofing, is when you go through your home to: The goal is to allow your rabbit to exercise or roam free without having to keep a constant watch on them. No matter how many times you tell them to stop their natural instinct to dig and chew will always return. You can set up hooks along the wall and behind furniture to make sure your wires are lifted and your rabbit cant get to them. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. We also show you the best toys to use that will give your bunny an acceptable alternative to exercise their natural behavior. A solution that Ive seen mentioned on some old forum posts is buying planks of wood and attaching them to your baseboards. Wires look like roots. It also includes houseplants that are poisonous to rabbits, candles, and human food that your rabbit might get curious about. With just a little more work, you can keep your rabbit from getting into anything dangerous or destroying anything important. And two, if your rabbit does go for the tube, it will take them time to chew through the plastic cover to the wire inside. list of items I use to bunny-proof my own home, I recommend this online store called Small Pet Select. There is a misconception that rabbits are aloof creatures. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years. 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