Rabbit proofing your home involves three things, preventing damage, protecting your rabbit from harm and providing safe and fun chewing alternatives for your rabbit.

Preventing your rabbit from chewing on electrical cables is very important because your rabbit could be badly burned or electrocuted. You must take action to move all cables out of reach.

There are different ways of covering your cables such as plastic tubing or cable wraps that enclose the wires of thing like TVs and computers .These should be checked regularly as they can still be chewed so check for damage.

Many house plants are toxic so put them on high furniture or hand from the ceiling.

If a rabbit insists on chewing base boards or furniture then a board should be placed to block the rabbit from getting to them. Upholstered furniture that are several inches above the floor are ideal hiding places however some will burrow up into the soft underside. A flat cardboard box or frame  2 x 4, smaller than the area of the future base will keep the rabbit out and wont be seen from human level.

Females are more likely to have the urge to burrow, although this is not  the only reason rabbits chew .A spayed rabbit will chew less as she matures. It maybe just a matter of riding out a high energy stage of your bunnies life. Chewers are often intelligent, outgoing, affectionate individuals who like to be in charge and get attention.Does your rabbit craves attention?, do they chew to get attention? Would a companion alleviate boredom?, anything that entertains them and makes them happier will lessen chewing.

Giving things to chew can help, things like apple branches, toilet rolls phone books, wooden toys.

Carpet is not good if chewed so keep an eye out for this.

 For digging, build a "tunnel" (top isn't needed, just bottom, high sides, and end. Cover the bottom with a bit of carpet or something similar. Bunnies LOVE to dig at the end of tunnels. (Same thing can be accomplished by putting a board with carpet tacked on between two pieces of heavy furniture against the wall...just be sure the board can't move or the bun will be digging the carpet beneath where the board was meant to be

 

Discipline (clapping hands, saying "no") has a small role in stopping chewing behaviour. Most people report that it's easy to make their bunnies understand them, but difficult to make them stop the behaviour through the use of discipline only, especially if the bunnies are left alone for periods of time.

Size of cage

Bigger is better! A cage should be at least 4 times the size of your bunny--more if he is confined for a large amount of the day. You can build or buy your rabbit a two-storey "condo" with the floors connected by a ramp--they love this!

 

An untrained rabbit probably should be kept in a cage while you're not home to supervise and at night when you sleep. Rabbits are crepuscular, which means that generally they sleep during the day and during the night but are ready to play at dawn and at twilight. Be sure to let them out during the evening when you are home, and if possible, in the morning while you get ready for work.

A cage should be seen as the rabbit's "nest." A special place where he can feel safe and secure. Make the nest enjoyable and she will enjoy being there, even when the cage door is open! Keep it stocked with baby toys, a synthetic sheepskin rug, a piece of wood attached to the inside (like a baseboard), and when you put him to bed at night, a nice veggie or fruit snack.

 

 

When your rabbit is better trained and when your house (or the part that your rabbit will have access to) has been sufficiently bunny-proofed, your rabbit can be allowed free run of the home (or part of it) even when you are not home. The more room your rabbit has to run around in, the more delightful you will find her as a companion.

Even when a rabbit has a lot of room to run around, he may still get bored. A bored rabbit is often a naughty rabbit. If you don't make every attempt to provide your rabbit with lots of entertainment in the form of boxes, baskets, brooms, sticks, magazines, phone books, grass mats, etc., then he will make his own entertainment in your carpet, behind your couch or under your recliner.

Always supervise your rabbit when she's outside It takes just a few seconds for the neighbor's dog to jump the fence and attack or frighten your rabbit to death.

Make sure that the grass has not been sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers. Check the garden for holes in the fence and poisonous plants.

Under no circumstances should rabbits be left outside after dark. Predators are , dogs foxes and occasionally cats. If you have an outside enclosure that you feel is very secure, a rabbit can still die of fright while a predator taunts the rabbit from outside.

Common Poisons

Many household items can be toxic to pets - these include many pesticides (especially rat poison - even a small amount of this can be fatal), weed-killers, ammonia, bleach, washing detergents and a variety of indoor and outdoor plants, such as azalea, oleander, mistletoe, sago palm and Easter lily. Anti-freeze is another deadly substance - because of its sweet taste, it is particularly attractive to pets; watch that your car is not dripping a puddle onto the garage floor or driveway, which is then being lapped up by your pet - even small amounts can cause kidney failure and death. Other dangerous items include batteries, moth balls, pot pourri and over-the-counter medications - a 200mg tablet of ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers in a ten-pound dog. Always store potentially toxic products in cupboards safely out of paws' reach.

Even food can be a potential source of poisoning - dogs, for example, should never be fed grapes or raisins, potatoes, onions and most of all, chocolate. Chocolate contains a compound similar to caffeine, called theobromine. Just one-half ounce or less of chocolate per pound body weight can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, nervousness, restlessness, excitement, tremors, seizures, and even coma.