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Best ways to rabbit proof your house?
- Thread starter xlime4
- Start date
jewaller
Alpha Buck
rabbit free roaming
:wave:-adding 12/3/2019-just read my post and I was upset that I did not state,--indoor living-as medical problems are easier to catch,and predators-zero.--
dear xlime4,-i believe in free roam/with a fence,because I try to recreate a more natural environment,-I only use a 2x2x2ft.cage for rabbits safety[medical-observation[,-you will need to create a -[fenced]-rabbit zone for grass bin-for[24x7]-eating,and poop box,-water bowl,quality pellets[bowl]-,salt lick block,-bed in which to play,sleep[card board box].-now for covering computer wires,power cords I use a plastic cover that is slit down lengthwise over the wires,and some things to chew on,rabbit safe woods,thick plastic cat balls.--I hope something here is useful,--sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa
:wave:-adding 12/3/2019-just read my post and I was upset that I did not state,--indoor living-as medical problems are easier to catch,and predators-zero.--
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Hi and welcome to the forum :wave: Lots of forum members have indoor rabbits and I'm sure that some of them will give you some ideas.
Some rabbits have their own dedicated room where there are no wires or anything to harm them, nor anything that they can damage, whereas other rabbits the full run of the house. I think it very much depends on your circumstances i.e. whether you are at home most of the time, whether there are young children or other pets etc. Some rabbits will also chew any wood that they find e.g. skirting boards, door frames, furniture legs, but some rabbits show no interest in doing this. In a similar way, some rabbits will chew the edges of carpet.
It is not necessary to have a cage, unless for the rabbits' safety and rabbits should also have as much room in which to exercise as possible, so they should not be shut away for long periods. You will also need to provide an area where they can have food and water, as well as a litter tray.
Best of luck and it's good that you are thinking of getting more than one rabbit, as they are very social animals and like to have rabbit company.
Some rabbits have their own dedicated room where there are no wires or anything to harm them, nor anything that they can damage, whereas other rabbits the full run of the house. I think it very much depends on your circumstances i.e. whether you are at home most of the time, whether there are young children or other pets etc. Some rabbits will also chew any wood that they find e.g. skirting boards, door frames, furniture legs, but some rabbits show no interest in doing this. In a similar way, some rabbits will chew the edges of carpet.
It is not necessary to have a cage, unless for the rabbits' safety and rabbits should also have as much room in which to exercise as possible, so they should not be shut away for long periods. You will also need to provide an area where they can have food and water, as well as a litter tray.
Best of luck and it's good that you are thinking of getting more than one rabbit, as they are very social animals and like to have rabbit company.
Mervinius
Mama Doe
Hi. We have just let our rabbits be free reign. However there are some rooms which are out of bounds for their safety.
My advice would be start with a smaller area fenced off before you set them free. They will feel safer and it will be easier to litter train them. Then slowly give them more freedom over time.
You have to think like a rabbit they can get into a lot of mischief very quickly. They can squeeze into tiny gaps, chew cables, furniture, carpet, actually anything. Hahahaha.
Oh and hay gets everywhere. Don't get me wrong I love my furry buns, but be prepared for some house destruction.
Hope this helps
My advice would be start with a smaller area fenced off before you set them free. They will feel safer and it will be easier to litter train them. Then slowly give them more freedom over time.
You have to think like a rabbit they can get into a lot of mischief very quickly. They can squeeze into tiny gaps, chew cables, furniture, carpet, actually anything. Hahahaha.
Oh and hay gets everywhere. Don't get me wrong I love my furry buns, but be prepared for some house destruction.
Hope this helps
Mine are indoor rabbits, in a bunny proofed room with no wires or sockets accessible, and furniture that doesn’t matter if it gets chewed. If they come out of their room, I have to watch them like a hawk to make sure they don’t damage anything! The flooring was already done before we got the rabbits, but it’s good quality waterproof laminate with a fairly textured surface. My rabbits wee on carpet or rugs, or anything soft.
sillyrabbit
Wise Old Thumper
I have an indoor bunny who doesn’t have a cage We live in an apartment and I’ve sectioned off one end of the living area with these wooden dog gates kind of zigzagged across the room. We can easily push them to the side so he can free range, but when we are sleeping or not home he is in his area.
In his area he has a little dog bed, a couple of litter trays, lots of toys, a bag that he sleeps in, a blanket to dig on, some ceramic tiles of different textures, and the floor is covered with small rugs of different textures. He also has an area in there to hide in which is super important for bunnies, I got two cheap little IKEA tables and put them side by side, put a comfy fluffy rug under the tables and then draped a couple of $3 IKEA rugs over the top to provide cover. He loves it, and the tables are low enough that he can jump up, giving him another level to play on.
To bunny proof the apartment we made sure no wires were accessible, so the wires for the tv etc are secured behind the tv unit so that he can’t get to them, and to stop him being able to access the wires from crawling under the unit (they can fit into really small spaces) I got really low storage boxes that fit underneath, and have just used the space as storage for things like my watercolour supplies. I’ve found that just blocking access is usually the easiest way to go, like we had to find things to put down either side of the fridge to stop him getting in there and accessing the cables at the back. At first we were blocking those spaces off with random stuff, but like with under the tv unit I eventually brought storage boxes that fit in all the weird little places I don't want him in, and now use the space as storage.
We have a no cable rule in the apartment, on our desk we have one cable coming from the wall which runs into a charging unit, and that cable is covered by a protector we bought that’s apparently tough to chew and tastes bad. Any other cables go in there with the connector coming out the top, and anything that needs charging sits on top. Even if he got up onto the desk, which he can’t, he still wouldn’t be able to get at the chargers.
One thing to be cautious of is if your bunny has access to the kitchen making sure they don’t eat anything they aren't supposed to eat. I’m always dropping stuff when I cook! It’s something I’ve had to learn to be more careful with, I sweep every time I prepare food now. And obviously anything that would be dangerous for them to eat elsewhere in the house should be out of reach, like houseplants.
It’s great you are thinking about this before you get your bunnies :wave: I have found with all my bunnies there have been little things I’ve had to work around depending on their personalities too. My current bunny has a thing for shoes, we have to keep all shoes in the wardrobe or they end up destroyed. He goes for them even if we are wearing them :lol:
We live in an apartment and I’ve sectioned off one end of the living area with these wooden dog gates kind of zigzagged across the room. We can easily push them to the side so he can free range, but when we are sleeping or not home he is in his area. In his area he has a little dog bed, a couple of litter trays, lots of toys, a bag that he sleeps in, a blanket to dig on, some ceramic tiles of different textures, and the floor is covered with small rugs of different textures. He also has an area in there to hide in which is super important for bunnies, I got two cheap little IKEA tables and put them side by side, put a comfy fluffy rug under the tables and then draped a couple of $3 IKEA rugs over the top to provide cover. He loves it, and the tables are low enough that he can jump up, giving him another level to play on.
To bunny proof the apartment we made sure no wires were accessible, so the wires for the tv etc are secured behind the tv unit so that he can’t get to them, and to stop him being able to access the wires from crawling under the unit (they can fit into really small spaces) I got really low storage boxes that fit underneath, and have just used the space as storage for things like my watercolour supplies. I’ve found that just blocking access is usually the easiest way to go, like we had to find things to put down either side of the fridge to stop him getting in there and accessing the cables at the back. At first we were blocking those spaces off with random stuff, but like with under the tv unit I eventually brought storage boxes that fit in all the weird little places I don't want him in, and now use the space as storage.
We have a no cable rule in the apartment, on our desk we have one cable coming from the wall which runs into a charging unit, and that cable is covered by a protector we bought that’s apparently tough to chew and tastes bad. Any other cables go in there with the connector coming out the top, and anything that needs charging sits on top. Even if he got up onto the desk, which he can’t, he still wouldn’t be able to get at the chargers.
One thing to be cautious of is if your bunny has access to the kitchen making sure they don’t eat anything they aren't supposed to eat. I’m always dropping stuff when I cook! It’s something I’ve had to learn to be more careful with, I sweep every time I prepare food now. And obviously anything that would be dangerous for them to eat elsewhere in the house should be out of reach, like houseplants.
It’s great you are thinking about this before you get your bunnies :wave: I have found with all my bunnies there have been little things I’ve had to work around depending on their personalities too. My current bunny has a thing for shoes, we have to keep all shoes in the wardrobe or they end up destroyed. He goes for them even if we are wearing them :lol:
