Rabbits are adorable and curious creatures who love to explore their surroundings. Sadly, this nature of theirs tends to lead to destructive tendencies if not supervised.
Don’t worry, though. It’s not rocket science to keep bunnies safe from harm while they quench their thirst for adventure.
If you plan to let them stay indoors, it’s best to prepare yourself and your house to accommodate their needs. Let’s dive deeper into the different ways how to rabbit-proof a room.
How Can You Rabbit-Proof Your Room?
While the conventional way of caring for rabbits is building hutches in backyards, it’s definitely possible to co-exist with these furballs indoors. However, it’s necessary to make adjustments in your house, so you can keep your bunnies safe.
Once you’ve chosen a room to house them, you’ll need to take time to rabbit-proof that area. Here’s how you can get started:
Replace Your Carpets
Rabbits love to chew on and scratch things they get curious about. If your carpets are made from materials like wool, polyester, cotton, and such, they may end up ruining them.
Additionally, your bunnies might ingest these fibers and cause intestinal blockage.
The best way to prevent this is by replacing your carpets with plastic office chair mats or placing a large ceramic tile over them. You can also try training your rabbit to listen to you by showing signs of disapproval when they engage in such behavior.
Remove or Relocate Your Indoor Plants
Indoor plants inside rooms spell bad news for curious rabbits. They may look good as decoration, but they’re also detrimental to the health of your bunnies.
On top of that, the leaves and stems of the plants will get ruined when chewed on.
While all indoor plants should be considered toxic to rabbits, the most common ones include the following:
- Buttercups
- Meadow Saffron
- Nightshade (Deadly and Woody)
- Lords and Ladies
- Lily of the Valley
It’s best to keep any plant away from the room you plan to house your bunnies in. Otherwise, relocate them to an elevated, hard-to-reach place.
Encase Your Cords and Block Sockets With Furniture
Electrical cords scattered all over the room can be points of interest for rabbits. It’ll be dangerous if they chew on these wires, as it could electrocute them and cause a fire hazard.
Try to tidy the cords up and encase them with plastic wire channels, split loom tubing, or plastic shower rod covers.
As for the sockets, you can rearrange your furniture to block access to them. Alternatively, you can use safety socket covers to prevent your rabbits from tampering with them.
Reinforce the Legs of Your Furniture
The wooden legs of beds, tables, and closets are easy targets for rabbits to scratch and chew on. This habit of theirs can damage these pieces of furniture and can cause them to ingest the wood chippings that fall off.
You can reinforce them with large flex tubing or PVC pipes to keep your bunnies from gnawing at these legs.
Keep Any Unwanted Chemicals and Cleaning Products From Reach
Many chemicals and household cleaning products are harmful if touched, smelled, or ingested. Rabbits can be quite crafty creatures, so it’s best to keep these materials away from their reach or out of the room they’re in.
These products include the following:
- Disinfectants and spray cleaners
- Deodorant, perfume, and body sprays
- Pipe and drain cleaners
- Nail polish and nail polish remover
- Medicine
Avoid Using Dangling Drapes and Blinds
Rabbits love to explore their environment. As fragile little creatures, they’re also prone to getting stuck or entangled if their curiosity gets the best of them.
As such, it may be a bad idea to use drapes and blinds that extend to the floor since they’re easily accessible. Your bunnies might find interest in these and can even choke them if it entraps their neck while they try to escape or free themselves.
Install Bunny Barriers in Doorways and Under Furniture
The idea of rabbit-proofing a room is to keep your rabbits safe within an ample space or enclosure, without worrying about them escaping to unsafe areas.
Of course, it’s not always possible to keep watch every hour of the day, so the best way to ensure they stay put is by installing bunny barriers.
You can place these baby gates in front of doorways to prevent them from venturing into the bathroom, staircase, and other rooms. Try to stick with metal materials for barriers to prevent rabbits from chewing on them.
As an added precaution, you can use these blockages to keep bunnies from nesting under furniture.
Cover Your Room’s Baseboards and Moldings
If it seems like your rabbits have run out of things to scratch and chew on, well, you’ve got more coming. The baseboards and moldings of your room are also common targets for them to take an interest in.
It’s an odd behavior to pick on these spots specifically, but it happens often. To protect your bunnies (and your walls), you can attach baseboard covers in these areas.
Head to your local hardware store and find a design that fits your room’s aesthetic. That way, you’ll be able to rabbit-proof the spots while having them look stylish at the same time.
Keep Your Books and Papers Tidy
Books and paperwork can lead to messy rooms if your rabbits find access to them.
If you don’t want your pets shredding important documents and your favorite books into pieces, it’s best to take preventive measures. You can either relocate them to a different room or stack them on shelves far from their reach.
Try not to leave any of these belongings unattended, as it can only take a few minutes for your rabbit to tear through them.
Keep Your Other Pet Animals Away From Your Rabbit
Rabbits are shy and fearful creatures by nature. If you have other house pets like dogs and cats, you might want to keep them away from your bunny’s room.
Alternatively, you can train them to socialize with other animals so they can be comfortable around them. However, you need to start early from their upbringing for them to adapt.
You also need to train your other house pets to do the same.
Place a Litter Box in the Room
One of the things you need to consider when rabbit-proofing a room is how you’ll maintain cleanliness. Since they’re staying indoors, it’s a good idea to place a litter box to lessen the mess.
Take note that this only works if your rabbit is litter-trained. If you plan to house your bunnies indoors, try to work on their litter habits to keep their area sanitary.
How to Keep Your Rabbit Preoccupied in a Room
Bunnies held in captivity for extended periods without any healthy energy outlet can lead to destructive behaviors. It’s not enough to rabbit-proof a room, as you’ll also need to provide sources of entertainment.
Here are some effective ways to keep your rabbits stimulated and preoccupied:
Give Them Some Chew Toys
Since rabbits have an almost uncontrollable habit of chewing, you might as well give a few things to gnaw on. Chew toys not only keep them busy, but they also help trim their teeth.
The more your bunnies expel their energy on these toys, the fewer chances they’ll think of chewing other objects in the room.
Add a Digging Box in the Room
Adding a digging box in the room is also an efficient use of their energy, instead of picking on carpets and furniture. It can be as simple as a cardboard box filled with rabbit hay or crumpled paper.
You can also hide a few treats underneath the pile to encourage them to dig there.
Create an Obstacle Course Section
If you have extra time and want to get creative, creating a DIY obstacle course can be a fun bonding for you and your rabbit. All you need is a few boxes and some of your pet’s favorite treats, and you’re good to go.
Let your imagination run wild with this. You can pile boxes together or make cut-outs to serve as pathways.
How to Stop Rabbits From Chewing Wires
It’s almost impossible to separate bunnies from their chewing habits. As much as you can train them to behave accordingly, they’re likely to start gnawing at anything that tickles their interest.
Luckily, there are many ways to control these urges with minimal effort. Here are some of the methods you can follow to keep your rabbits from chewing wires:
- Cover wires and cords with encasements
- Use deterrents (bitter apple spray, talcum powder, onion powder, etc.) to discourage chewing
- Tidy up wires and place them in hard-to-reach areas
- Introduce chew toys to your rabbits
- Add other sources of entertainment to reduce destructive behaviors
Final Thoughts
Taking care of rabbits can be a handful role but worth the effort. You just need to take time in understanding their habits and needs so you can adjust accordingly.
Bunnies love company, especially if they’re comfortable around them. The best way to get close to them is by keeping them close, and you can do that by letting them stay indoors in a rabbit-proofed room.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard. I also like photographing wild birds, especially birds of prey.