Rabbits are curious and playful animals. How well you need to bunny proof depends on your rabbit's personality and your space. The rabbit should be housed in an area of the home that is active so that your rabbit can have his or her social needs met. Still whether the rabbit is free range or just out for some exercise, it's important to keep bunny proof the space for the safety of the rabbit and for preventing damage to furniture and other belongings.
First Steps
Before you bring your rabbit home, take a look around the space that your rabbit will be in. Get on your belly and look around from a rabbit's perspective. Are there wires sticking out? Are there house plants with tasty leaves? Rabbit proof these items first as an initial go around.
Once the rabbit is home, do not start off by giving your rabbit free reign of the home. Instead, start with a rabbit pen and observe your rabbit's behavior during exercise time. Look for any items that the rabbit is particularly interested in that you may have missed. What interests a rabbit will largely depend on the rabbit, one may be determined to chew on the table leg while another will ignore it entirely but go for the wires. Getting to know your rabbit will inform you of what to watch out for. But be aware, bunny proofing is an evolving process and as the rabbit get familiar with their space, they may find new things that catch their interest or all of a sudden new interest in items that never caught their attention before.
Once the rabbit is home, do not start off by giving your rabbit free reign of the home. Instead, start with a rabbit pen and observe your rabbit's behavior during exercise time. Look for any items that the rabbit is particularly interested in that you may have missed. What interests a rabbit will largely depend on the rabbit, one may be determined to chew on the table leg while another will ignore it entirely but go for the wires. Getting to know your rabbit will inform you of what to watch out for. But be aware, bunny proofing is an evolving process and as the rabbit get familiar with their space, they may find new things that catch their interest or all of a sudden new interest in items that never caught their attention before.
Key Items
Wires
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Wires are especially concerning because not only can the rabbit swallow the metal pieces, they can also electrocute themselves if they bit through a wire. Headphones, chargers, lamp cords, TV cables, and others are all fair game. Wires should be lifted off the ground, hidden behind furniture, or otherwise made inaccessible to a curious bunny who wants to pick a fight with "the snake in the living room." Another good strategy is to cover the wires with wire tubing (pictured to the right). While it won't prevent the bunny from chewing through it and getting to the wire underneath, it will slow them down and make a noise to alert a hoomin to come and remove the wire.
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In addition to the corrugated tubing, you can also get flexible vinyl tubing (normally used in plumbing applications) in places like Home Depot. It's not pre-split like the corrugated tubing so you'd need to split it yourself with something like a utility knife, but the advantage is it comes in a huge range of diameters (1/8" to 2"), is tougher than the corrugated tubing, and can be found in longer lengths than the corrugated tubing. Ideally you wouldn't have ling lengths of exposed cords, but if you do have something you can't hide, it's an option.
House Plants
House plants, especially ones that are toxic to rabbits, should be elevated or removed from the rabbit's space. The House Rabbit Society website provides several lists of plants that are toxic to rabbits. If your rabbit consumes any of these plants, contact a rabbit savvy veterinarian immediately.
List of Toxic Plants
List of Toxic Plants
Baseboards, Walls, and Corners
Wooden boards or plastic coverings can be used to cover baseboards. However, rabbits should also be taught not to chew on baseboards. Clap your hands or say their name sternly. Never yell at your bunny. Additionally, the rabbit should be given alternative toys to chew such as toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes (which can also be filled with shredded paper to create a digging boxes), willow twigs, or other alternative chew toys so that they can engage in their natural instincts to chew and dig. For more information, check out our enrichment section for some toy ideas. There are also many great ideas for DIY rabbit toys on Pinterest.
If you have surface area you need to cover inconspicuously (for example if you have a drywall chewer) there's something called bannister guard that's used for baby proofing. It's clear plastic that comes in rolls. It's a little expensive but it's a one-time installation and if you can split it lengthwise you'll get twice the useable length. And it's cheaper (and more flexible) than Plexiglass, which some people use for similar purposes.
There are also corner guards, angled strips of metal or plastic, usually in 6-foot lengths, used to prevent dings on wall corners (also available at hardware stores and the like). Some are a couple of inches deep, metal and quite heavy-duty, intended to be screwed into the wall, but there's quite a range of sizes and materials, all the way down to clear plastic you can cut with heavy-duty scissors or a utility knife and is less than an inch deep. The lightweight stuff has an adhesive strip rather than needing to be nailed. If you're concerned about removing it from a wall (if you're a renter), it can be inconspicuously mounted with small brads that would just leave a pinhole to be filled. A couple of six-foot strips cut to rabbit height could cover a lot of corners!
If you have surface area you need to cover inconspicuously (for example if you have a drywall chewer) there's something called bannister guard that's used for baby proofing. It's clear plastic that comes in rolls. It's a little expensive but it's a one-time installation and if you can split it lengthwise you'll get twice the useable length. And it's cheaper (and more flexible) than Plexiglass, which some people use for similar purposes.
There are also corner guards, angled strips of metal or plastic, usually in 6-foot lengths, used to prevent dings on wall corners (also available at hardware stores and the like). Some are a couple of inches deep, metal and quite heavy-duty, intended to be screwed into the wall, but there's quite a range of sizes and materials, all the way down to clear plastic you can cut with heavy-duty scissors or a utility knife and is less than an inch deep. The lightweight stuff has an adhesive strip rather than needing to be nailed. If you're concerned about removing it from a wall (if you're a renter), it can be inconspicuously mounted with small brads that would just leave a pinhole to be filled. A couple of six-foot strips cut to rabbit height could cover a lot of corners!
Furniture and Beds
While many rabbits may show no interest in your furniture other than jumping up and down from it, some may climb underneath and dig their way inside, creating a nest and sometimes getting themselves stuck. If your rabbit likes to crawl under the sofa or bed, it can be blocked off with a piece of wood or by putting storage boxes underneath. Chair legs and cushions may also be enticing to a bunny. These can be treated in the same way as baseboards, with clapping when the rabbit is seen chewing on furniture and an acceptable toy is offered in its place. Furniture legs can also be wrapped with old socks and tied off with twine as an alternative chew toy.
*A special note on deterrents such as Bitter Lime or hot sauce*
While common, the results of using these as a deterrent are often mixed. Some rabbits even find the taste of these deterrents palatable. They should never be used as the only line of defense when there is a safety concern (such as wires) or to protect anything of significant value where limiting access is probably a better solution.
A bored bunny is a bad bunny! Rabbits are curious burrowing animals. What we see as destruction is often just a bunny engaging in their natural instincts. By bunny proofing and offering enriching toys to engage these instincts, we can create a safe environment for our bunnies while minimizing the damage to our wallets. As mentioned before, the level of bunny proofing require will vary by bunny. Younger bunnies often require more bunny proofing due to their high levels of energy while an older bunny may be less interested. Getting to know your rabbit will help you establish what needs to be addressed and what you can leave with your bunny without worrying. However, some items such as wires and toxic house plants should always been rabbit proofed and made inaccessible for the safety of the rabbit.
While common, the results of using these as a deterrent are often mixed. Some rabbits even find the taste of these deterrents palatable. They should never be used as the only line of defense when there is a safety concern (such as wires) or to protect anything of significant value where limiting access is probably a better solution.
A bored bunny is a bad bunny! Rabbits are curious burrowing animals. What we see as destruction is often just a bunny engaging in their natural instincts. By bunny proofing and offering enriching toys to engage these instincts, we can create a safe environment for our bunnies while minimizing the damage to our wallets. As mentioned before, the level of bunny proofing require will vary by bunny. Younger bunnies often require more bunny proofing due to their high levels of energy while an older bunny may be less interested. Getting to know your rabbit will help you establish what needs to be addressed and what you can leave with your bunny without worrying. However, some items such as wires and toxic house plants should always been rabbit proofed and made inaccessible for the safety of the rabbit.
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