Rabbits like to chew and often select different items. Sometimes they might chew on a few things that are dangerous for them. Here comes the question – what are the decent ways to stop rabbits from chewing on the wires or how to keep these things away?
Rabbits tend to search for new things like wires to chew on to escape boredom. Below you can find twelve methods on how to stop this habit. Your pets are energetic and always get into a problem when you are not looking. Follow the below steps to protect your rabbit from wires and keep it comfortable.
Contents
- 12 Methods to Rabbit Proof your House
- 1. Provide Them Plenty Of Hay
- 2. Feed Them Extra Snacks
- 3. Hand Out Toys To Play
- 4. Restrict Them From Areas With Several Wires
- 5. Shift Electric Furniture
- 6. Try Power Strips
- 7. Keep The Cables Together
- 8. Using A Cell Or Fence
- 9. Take The Plastic Cover
- 10. Pin Cables To The Wall
- 11. Conceal The Cables In The Drawer
- 12. Do Not Leave Your Rabbit Outside Its Pen Alone
- Other Harmful Items To Keep Away From Your Rabbit
12 Methods to Rabbit Proof your House
Let’s get into the details of these twelve methods on how to rabbit-proof your house.
1. Provide Them Plenty Of Hay
Chewing is a natural habit of the rabbits, and their diet preference makes this habit necessary. Hay, the crucial food of rabbits, contains all the essential nutrients. Consider giving plenty of grass to your pet during its feeding time.
The hay has a unique texture and makes the rabbits chew on it for a long time. Also, this hay files down the teeth of the rabbit. It enables the pet’s teeth size to be short, and the rabbit can feel comfortable eating.
2. Feed Them Extra Snacks
Besides providing plenty of hay to your pet, give a few extra snacks. These foods will keep the rabbit busy, so it would not chew on harmful wires and items.
Below is the list of good enough snack foods for your rabbit:
- Iceberg lettuce
- Piece of Apple
- Carrots
- A small portion of banana
But, make sure that you are not giving too much of the above foods. Remember, you should offer hay as their primary food because it has crucial nutrients.
3. Hand Out Toys To Play
Another natural habit of the rabbits is that they tend to roam around to discover many things. At this point, they often chew every item they will come across. Give them enough toys and playthings to your pet when outside the pen to prevent the above behavior. It helps the rabbits to stay away from the risky cords.
These toys will keep the rabbit busy so the day would not be tiring for it. Your pet will try to do new things when it is alone and is feeling bored. At this time, rabbits tend to be curious about the different things around them and will chew on these items.
4. Restrict Them From Areas With Several Wires
You might come across a situation where your room might look like trash of wires with cords tangling everywhere. It is a common problem, and there is nothing you can do to help out.
It is easy to find the wires hanging from your TV or home theater to the DVD player. If you have a gaming station, you can see plenty of these cords in every corner. This situation of cables is unavoidable, but you can restrict it to some extent.
Consider separating an area where your pet can not have access to these wires. If possible, keep them at the back of the wide table so the rabbit will stay away. This method will keep the rabbit away from these harmful cords, which might hurt the pet. Consider hiding or changing the place of the wires near the TV.
5. Shift Electric Furniture
In your house, you can find the cords near the refrigerator, bed lamps, electric sofas, and other home appliances. Most of these are single wires in one place, so shifting them is easy.
In general, hiding these wires in the areas between the item and the wall is a good idea. If the cords are still visible, it is better to connect them using a zip tie. Another alternative is keeping these wires away after using them. These tips would not allow the rabbit to chew on the harmful cords.
6. Try Power Strips
Every house has several power outlets in particular places. But you can not find them at certain spots. When you do not have a power outlet near the gadget, you have to use another long connecting wire. This extra wire is visible, and when your rabbit finds the cord, it will start chewing.
In this kind of situation, consider using a power strip. It is easy to plug several wires into this power strip, and you can keep it anywhere. This method blocks the rabbits from getting near the cords.
If you did not keep any barrier when using a power cable, your rabbit gets to the cord with ease. But if you make an obstacle, which the rabbit can not pass, you will get an excellent rabbit-proof area of wires.
7. Keep The Cables Together
If there is a messy cluster of cords at some places in your house, it might be hard to realize where to start. Often, it is a better idea to unclog all the cables to organize them from the start. Though it takes lots of time and effort, this method is very beneficial for your rabbit’s safety.
After getting a better idea of the pattern of these wires, it is better to link them together in a circular shape. If possible, consider covering them in a cardboard or other type of box, and your rabbit would not even have an idea that the wires are in there. But there are slight chances of your pet eating these cords when it chews on the cardboard box.
“It is better not to underestimate the rabbit.”
8. Using A Cell Or Fence
When there is an open room with plenty of cords everywhere, you might find it difficult to hide all the cables. In this kind of situation, here is an excellent solution. Consider getting a play or exercise cage for the rabbit, and it will stay out of the room where there are wires.
You can buy these cages in the local pet accessory store. Instead of using it as a circular cell, get the one that works like a fence. It is a perfect method to keep your rabbit away from the wired areas.
9. Take The Plastic Cover
If you can not organize or shift the cords from the rabbit’s surroundings, it is good to get a plastic cover for these wires. Buy these plastic covers from a local hardware store, and it is a practical method.
It is easy to chop down the length of this plastic and then place the wires into this pipe. Now, there is a layer of thick plastic that surrounds the cords. Even if your rabbit reaches there, it will chew on the plastic, which is difficult to tear. This tip will keep the rabbit safe and would not allow it to chew on the actual wires.
Also, it conserves your cords. But the wires would not be as elastic as they were before. It is the only drawback of this plastic covering.
10. Pin Cables To The Wall
If you want to keep the wires safe, a better solution is pinning the cords to the wall. You can use this method when there are wires that run from one to another corner in your house. This strategy is perfect and looks neat, and make sure that no one is stepping on these cords.
It is better to fix the wires tight enough so it would be impossible for the rabbits to chew on them because they will make many attempts. If you think that the rabbits can still chew on the cords, use the above plastic cover technique.
11. Conceal The Cables In The Drawer
Hide the wires in a drawer and take them out of the box using a small hole. It helps in containing the cords in tiny places. As the rabbit can not reach inside the shelf, it will be safe from the danger of cables.
This technique will assist you in containing plenty of wires. So, you do not have to handle the messy cables anymore.
12. Do Not Leave Your Rabbit Outside Its Pen Alone
The rabbit should be under your supervision often. It is an excellent method to protect your pets from getting into a problem. If you do not have time, then you should leave the rabbit alone. Bring the rabbit out of its pen when you can give great care and attention.
As you are the owner, allow the rabbit to have at least three to five hours of play or exercise duration daily. It is an excellent time if you want to play with your pet, and you can save it from chewing on risky wires. Ensure that the rabbit’s playroom is free from harmful cables and other items.
Other Harmful Items To Keep Away From Your Rabbit
It is better to keep away all the dangerous objects near the rabbit’s pen to keep it safe. Many items may harm your pet, such as power cords, appliance cables, and more.
Remove all the small items from the ground, such as plastic covers, snack wrappers, and more, because your pet may chew on them. This method will avoid choking incidents that might happen when your rabbit eats these items. Consider taking away sharp and pointed things near the surroundings of the rabbit’s pen.
If you are still worried, you can also remove a few other objects near the rabbit’s ground so they can not chew on dangerous things. It is better to remove the clothing from their reach. Moreover, place the electronic appliances like AC remotes and mobile phones on the topmost shelves.
Remember, rabbits are natural chewers, and they will chew on every object they like. So, it is best if you remove all the dangerous items from their surroundings. If needed, replace or shift the place of these objects. Your rabbit will stay alive, comfortable, and happy when you keep away harmful items that they might start chewing.