How to Bunny Proof Your Home? A Step-by-Step Guide for Rabbit Owners

Today we are diving into how to Bunny proof your home. This is such an important topic because so many of you want to free roam your bunnies in your home but don’t know where to start or how to control some of your rabbit’s behaviors. Well, it’s actually a lot easier and more cost-effective than you think, so I’m here to give you plenty of pointers. Let’s get to it!

Before we begin, please note not all of these methods are guaranteed to work on all bunnies. While most of them are very effective, I still advise you to monitor your rabbits around these methods first to see how they react to them. Also, keep in mind that when it comes to bunny proofing personal belongings, a lot of it just has to do with common sense. Don’t leave your favorite shoes on the floor, don’t put your books on the bottom bookshelf, stack them up a bit higher than that, and the list goes on. So basically, if you don’t want your rabbit chewing it, don’t give them access to it.

Protecting Walls and Baseboards

Alright, so let’s start off with walls and baseboards. Now, this is a big one for bunnies because they like to chew against resistance. As you can see, this is a really good example of a corner that My bunny got to that was not bunny proofed. My go-to method for this is using a strip of shipping tape because it’s so discreet and easy. Now, you want to make sure it’s a good quality shipping tape. Don’t use something weak like scotch tape. You may have to layer this if your bunny happens to be very assertive with certain sections.

Corner guards

These things are pretty nifty: these are corner guards, and there are different kinds you can buy. Some you can just nail into the wall, and there are also some adhesive ones that are paintable so you can blend them into your wall to make it look a little less conspicuous. There’s also transparent ones, and the list goes on.

CNC shelving grids

Next, we have these CNC shelving grids, which have become very popular in the bunny world. Basically, if you zip-tie these guys together, you can create some really interesting borders with them. You can create playpens with them, but specifically, they work really nicely for wall corners and baseboards.

Wooden plank

Next, there’s the wooden plank. You can get these in many different measurements for amazingly cheap prices at your local hardware store. I think this was just a couple of bucks. Actually, it’s non-treated wood, and you can place this discreetly behind furniture or to cover up your baseboards.

Protecting Cords and Cables

Wire shelving

Next, we have even more wire shelving. These are specifically made for closets, and what I like about these is you can get them in really long lengths for very, very cheap and use these guys instead of having to zip-tie a bunch of metal grids together.

Bitter apple spray

Then we have the bitter apple spray. This one can be hit or miss, but a lot of people say it really does work. All you want to do is just spray that over anything that you don’t want chewed. Alternatively, you can DIY your own chew repellent spray by mixing one part vinegar, one part alcohol, one part lime juice, and one part water. Trust me, the uglier you make it taste, the better.

Houseplants

Now we have houseplants. So many of you ask how I keep my plant collection away from My bunny. Basically, I just keep everything on top of tables and plant stands at a very far reach from My bunny. Macrame hangers are also extremely helpful, and these just hang from the ceiling. Not all plants are toxic to bunnies, but many are, so it’s just better to be safe than sorry. So, I’m going to link below a list of toxic plants to rabbits.

Protecting Your Carpets and Rugs

Cords and cables

In this part I will say about flex tubing. It’s very easy to use and cheap, and you can get them in multiple colors. Then what I like to do is just hook any excess tubing to the wall to be even more on the safe side. Another thing that works amazingly is just using a garden hose. This material is so strong, your rabbit would have to work really hard to even bite through it. All you do is, with caution, cut a slit down the middle, and then you can pop whatever cord you want in there, like you would with the flex tubing.

Floor channels

Then you have floor channels, and these guys work mainly for cords that need to run across the floor. Then there’s wire molding, and this is basically what you see most people use to cover the wires from a wall-mounted television. I mean, honestly, even if you didn’t have a rabbit, why wouldn’t you cover up all those wires anyway? It just looks ten times better when you do. You also want to think about cord storage, which isn’t talked about enough. I mean, if you have bundles of cords that need to stay together, you can easily plop those into a basket, a box, or a bucket. Many storage cubes also come with lids for extra protection.

Protecting Your Furniture

Carpets and rugs

Alright, on to carpets and rugs. Bunnies like textures; they like fabric. If you have a corner in particular that your bunny likes to dig in and nibble on, kind of like My bunny did over here with this fringe, you can easily solve this by placing a ceramic tile in that corner, or you can consider placing any other deterrent, like a floor lamp or chair. You can also just get another cheap little rug or mat that you don’t care about and place it over any of those problematic areas.

Furniture

Okay, now for furniture. Since bunnies like fabric, protecting your couch can be very important. For this, you can get a couch protector. These were basically made for pets, but you can just plop these on while you’re out for the day. You can even get a color to match your couch. They even have stretchy ones, or you can very easily just throw a sheet or a blanket over your couch.

Back to my beloved shipping tape, this also works on any kind of wood, not just walls. Again, you can’t even tell it’s there unless you look really closely. I also just want to say it really helps to have furniture that isn’t chewable, like things made out of metal, iron, or laminate. When you are looking to buy new furniture after getting a bunny, it’s important to take that into consideration.

Blocking Off Areas

Also, don’t be afraid to just block off certain areas that you don’t want your bunny getting into. This can be easily done with a baby gate. Make sure it is made from metal, not from plastic or wood, because bunnies will chew through that. You can also use the metal CNC grids or even just a regular expandable gate to block off certain areas.

If you don’t want your bunnies going under your bed or couch, again, the wooden planks work great for that. This one is very big and heavy, so it can’t be tipped over, and it was only a few bucks at Home Depot.

Potty Training as Bunny Proofing

Furthermore, I also want to talk about potty training as a form of bunny proofing. If your bunny isn’t using the litter box, of course, they’re going to have accidents everywhere. I really recommend to read our article on how to potty train your bunnies, which I link for you, so they can free roam without any problems.

Providing Enrichment to Prevent Destructive Behavior

My final tip to you all is don’t forget how important providing unlimited hay and toys for enrichment is. Doing so will almost certainly minimize destructive behavior and prevent boredom. You can also read my another article about How to Stop Your Rabbit From Chewing Your House, just click the link.

Alright guys, that’s it for this article how to bunny proof your home. I hope you found it helpful, and honestly, a lot of these items are so cheap that by the time you’ve even bought a handful of them, you’re still spending a fraction of what you would if you were to buy a cage or a hutch. Those things can cost hundreds of dollars, and they’re not good for your rabbits anyway. If you have your own bunny proofing ideas, comment them below and share them with everyone. Or if you’ve tried any of these and they’ve worked for you, let us know in the comments below as well.