| Bunny-Proofing |
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Bunny-proofing is an important thing to do to keep your rabbit safe and to protect your property. What bunny-proofing is: Bunny-proofing basically is making sure everything where your rabbit can get to is protected to keep your home and rabbit safe. The basics: Always keep in mind that rabbits are explorers and will get into places you think they won't. The first major step is to get down to Bunny's level. Put plants, magazines, books, etc. up on higher shelves. Cover up wires and electrical outlets. Push chairs under tables. Cover it up! You can use many things to cover up cords, wires, and outlets. Simply re-arranging your furniture may do the job, but it might not be enough. For example: In my living room there was one corner where there wasn't any furniture. A gap between the couch and the bookshelves made the perfect entrance to this spot for Cloudy and Magic. This spot made a great hiding place and place to explore for the bunnies, except, there were many cords from lamps. I opted to stuff a pillow in the entrance, but Cloudy and Magic kept hopping over them. I moved the pillows out of the gap and pushed the couch against the book case. Still, the bunnies would hop onto the couch and down into the corner. The point of this story is: if a bunny wants to be someplace, he'll find the way to get there. You can also use other forms of cover-ups. Plexiglas will protect hardwood floors, linoleum, walls, tables, etc. Seagrass mats are great for bunnies and cats, and they work well to protect rugs and carpets. Untreated wood can be tacked onto furnitrue and baseboards. Rabbits love to chew this! Blankets and towels can be used to cover furniture and floors. Polyethylene tubing can be used to protect wires. Slit it down one side and put it around a cord or wire. Envelope openers (the plastic with metal ones) work well for cutting the tubing. Spiral cable wrap from Radio Shack works in a similar way. Rabbits don't want to chew cords and wires with this on it because it makes the cords/wires larger and not so easy to bite. Wire concealers work well for a more permanent job. Use "twistie ties" to hold polyethylene tubing together. Use repellents! Repellents can be used so that your rabbit won't want to chew on forbidden items. Aside from commercial repellents like sour apple spray, try different kinds of perfumes or other fragrances. Obviously, if you find a particular cologne or perfume your rabbit hates, look for the cheep, designer imposter kinds that smell similarly. Spray the fragrance on the forbidden items once a day, and it works like a charm! Diversions: Don't discourage your rabbit from chewing, playing, and digging, but rather encourage it! Provide toys and other diversions for your rabbit. These sections provide tips for great diversions: Toys Chewing, Playing, and Digging |
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