A rabbit will always choose to chew on foreign objects. This can lead them to chew on things that can cause them harm. So what is the best way to keep them away or to stop them from chewing on wires in general?
Rabbits are going to look for new stimuli to chew on to keep from being bored. Here are 12 definite steps to stop them from chewing on wires. Rabbits are most active when you aren’t watching and often get into trouble. Use these tips to keep your rabbit safe and your wires from getting destroyed.
Here are the twelve different ways you can rabbit-proof your home.
1. Give Them Lots of Hay
Rabbits are natural chewers and their food of preference allows this need to be met. Hay provides all of the nutrients that a rabbit needs. It should be the majority of what a bunny’s diet consists of. Should Rabbits Have Unlimited Hay? is an article I wrote that will help you know how much is too much (or…is there such a thing as too much hay?).
Hay also gives the bunny plenty of chewing time and will actually keep their teeth from growing too long. It allows their teeth to be ground down so that they are comfortable with the length of their teeth.
2. Give Them Additional Snacks
In addition to giving your rabbit plenty of hay to chew on, giving it some additional snacks can keep it from chewing on unwanted cords that can harm your bunny.
Some ideas of some good snacks to give to them are carrots, iceberg lettuce, or even some small chunks of apples or bananas. Just make sure to avoid too many of these snacks. As stated above it is important to keep hay as their main form of nutrients.
3. Give Them Toys to Play With
With rabbit’s natural tendency to explore and find new things to get their mouths on, it is a good idea to give them lots of toys to play with when they are out of their cage. This will help in many ways to keep them from getting to the dangerous wires and cords.
The toys provide a distraction that will keep the bunny from boredom. A bunny seeks out new stimuli when it is bored with what it is doing. This is when a rabbit will look where it’s not supposed to find something new to play with.
From a Pro: Aren’t sure what are good toy choices for your pet rabbit? You’ll want to take a look at this list of recommended items. These are absolute must-haves for your rabbit that will make your life a whole lot easier – Checklist: What You Need to Buy For a New Pet Rabbit.
4. Block Off Areas With Lots of Wires
Sometimes it is easy for lots of cords to become jumbled together and become a mess of wires. These oftentimes occur naturally and there isn’t a lot that can be done to help the situation.
Some of these areas include next to the television in your home with cords connecting to everything from a DVD player to a gaming system or even the Roku player. These cords are inevitable but can be tamed.
Try to isolate an area in which the rabbit can’t get to these cords. Put them behind a heavy piece of furniture which will keep your rabbit from getting behind it and chewing the wires to pieces. This will keep your rabbit from getting harmed and keep the important cords to your television station from needing to be replaced.
5. Move Electric Furniture
Some other places which wires can be found are near pieces of furniture including electric couches, lamps, or even household appliances. Often, these are just one cord in one spot and can be taken care of pretty simply.
Usually keeping these cords between the wall and the piece of furniture that it is powering will hide the wires well enough. If you feel the cords are still exposed then simply binding them with a zip tie or properly putting them away after use will keep your rabbit safe and won’t allow it to chew on the wires.
6. Use Power Strips
Many homes have many different outlets but they are spaced throughout the home creating a lack of access to a power source in one designated spot. This can cause wires to be run across the floor to the item being powered which will easily be accessed by a rabbit determined to find something new to chew on.
To deal with this problem, a simple fix is a power strip that will allow many power cords to be plugged into a designated area and it will be easier to hide them or block them off from the access of your pet bunny.
By using a power cord the rabbit will have more access to them if they aren’t blocked off. But if they cannot get past the barrier then you will have a perfect bunny-proof area of cords.
7. Organize Cords Together
Whenever there is a concentrated area of cords that needs to be contained and organized it can be difficult to know where to begin. Sometimes it might be better to unplug everything to know where to organize each cord. It may be a lot of work but it will be worth it for your bunny’s safety.
When you understand the cords better you can zip tie them together in a circular pattern and maybe even cover them with a cardboard box that will keep your bunny from even knowing the cords are there. But your bunny will still chew on cardboard and will have the chance of finding them.
Don’t underestimate your rabbit.
8. Use a Pen or Gate
Blocking off an area of a room or even a house can be difficult, especially if it is open without much cover to hide wires. So sometimes a perfect solution is to use an exercise pen to keep a rabbit out of an area.
These pens can be purchased at a normal pet store and can be used as a fence rather than a circular pen. They can be an excellent way to keep a rabbit out of an area in general.
9. Use a Plastic Cover
If the wires and cords can’t be contained in an area that keeps your rabbit out, then a simple fix can be to use a plastic cover for the cords. These plastic covers can be purchased at a typical hardware store and are very effective.
The thick plastic can be cut down the length and then the cords can be fed into the tube. This makes it so that if a rabbit does get to it then they will chew on a plastic piece that is harder to get through before chewing on a live wire that will harm them.
It also protects your wires in general. But it might keep your cords from being super flexible. That is one downside of using the plastic covering.
10. Tack Cords to the Wall
Sometimes an easy fix to keeping your wires from being chewed on is to tack them to the wall. This technique can be used when you have to run cords a long distance to plug something in. It will be neat and keep your cords from being stepped on.
If you make them tight enough then it will keep them from being chewed, because your rabbits will be diligent in their attempt to chew on them. If you feel like they will still be accessible to chewing then using the plastic cover is a good solution.
11. Hide the Cords in a Drawer
Placing your cords into a drawer and feeding them out of the drawer through a hole keeps the cords contained in a very small space. Your rabbit will not be able to access them inside the drawer and therefore not be in danger of damage.
The drawer method also keeps a lot of your cords contained to stay neat and there won’t be a mess of cords for you yourself to deal with.
12. Don’t Let It Out of Its Cage Without Supervision
Your bunny should always be supervised. It is the best way to keep them from getting into trouble. Keep your bunny inside of its cage until you are ready to give it your full attention.
As a bunny owner, you should be letting your bunny get 3-5 hours of exercise each day. This is a perfect time for you to play with your bunny and keep it from dangerous cords. Make sure to keep the room that your bunny will play in free of any other dangerous objects.
Other Dangerous Objects to Keep From Your Bunny
To keep your bunny safe, you should remove any dangerous objects from the rooms that your bunny will be in. These could include any number of things, cords and wires being some of them.
I would take any small objects off the floor including wrappers or free plastic that your rabbit could chew on. This will prevent any choking from occurring while your bunny is playing. Also removing any sharp objects from the room that your bunny could injure themselves with.
You might want to remove some other things from the room or the floor to make sure they don’t get destroyed from your rabbits chewing. Remove any excess clothes from any reachable area. Also, other electronics such as remotes should be kept up high.
The most important thing to remember is that your rabbit is meant to chew and it will chew on anything it wants. So removing any objects that you don’t want to be chewed will keep you from replacing anything. Also keeping objects that could harm your rabbit if they were chewed will keep your pet alive and happy.
Helpful Resources
- 3 Best Pet Rabbit Breeds That Chew Less – Haven’t bought your furry friend yet? You should know that there are chewing differences between different breeds! This is an article I wrote from my own personal experience of rabbit breeds that chew more and ones that tend to chew less. It also outlines some more ways to stop inappropriate chewing.
- Disciplining a Pet Rabbit: The Complete Do’s and Don’ts – If your pet rabbit has started unfavorable behaviors, like chewing on wires at home or even the wires of his cage, read this article to find out how to correct those behaviors without doing damage to your relationship.
