  Today I'd like to begin the critical
discussion of whether to keep your
rabbits indoors or outdoors. Most
rabbit lovers insist the only way to
properly house a rabbit is indoors
because the outdoors, though not
impossible (as we'll discuss next)
poses way too many hazards.
Rabbits are extremely social
animals, and just like humans, they
can become depressed if they don't
get enough attention. Having an
indoor bunny is the most popular
and safest way to care for a
rabbit, and it's the best way to
make your bunny a real part
of your family.
If you're going to keep your
bunny indoors, we'll have to talk
about bunny proofing. Bunnies
love to chew, and they're particularly
fond of phone cords, computer
wires and Internet cables. (Keep
the remote and phone out of bunny's
reach too.) It's dangerous for
your bunny to chew live wires.
There's a simple fix to protect
your bunny (and the wires in your
house). You can purchase plastic
tubing from Home Depot or Lowe's.
You can also get spiral cable wrap
from Radio Shack. Or, you can
simply make sure all wires are out
of reach.
Bunnies also love to chew the
baseboard and the edges of
doorways. You can try spraying
bitter apple?which you can buy
at any pet store?on the enticing
areas, but most bunnies aren't
really bothered by the taste.
(Kind of like how we might feel
if someone sprayed bittle apple
on a hot fudge sunday! Annoying,
but not a stopper!)
Ivory Soap is usually more
effective. Simply take a bar
and rub it along the areas your
bunny likes to chew. (Only Ivory
Soap though is safe enough for
your bunny - others have
dangerous chemicals which will
irritate Thumper's system.)
Reapply after a few weeks
(because it wears out).
You might also want to get
the plastic protectors that cover
baseboard and corners? purchase
these at any home improvement
store.
Bunnies also love to chew
wood, so you might find they
want to gnaw at your table legs,
chairs and bookshelves. You can
use Ivory on these as well.
(Do you think the makers of Ivory
had this in mind when they went
into production?)
Many bunnies will also love
chewing on your rugs. If your
bunny is going to have f'ree run
of the house, you really don't have
many options to avoid this.
However, this is by no means a
reason not to allow your bunny
run time or to allow your bunny
f'ree range.
The key to preventing bunny
destruction is to make sure
your bunny has plenty of toys and
entertainment. The more they have
to do, the less destructive they
will be. (You can also supervise
them around the rugs and make
a loud noise when they go to
chew them).
Well ... there's more!
Just like with children, you'll
need to cover all of your unused
electrical outlets. And bunnies
love to hide under beds and
couches, then dig their way into
the underside of that furniture,
curl up and go to sleep.
At first, you might think it's
cute and a nice little hideaway
for bunny. But, the bad news is
that when bunnies snuggle away
in the underside; they also tend
to pee and poop. (Yuch)
Simply put a board around
the base of your bed and
couches. (Some people
recommend a flat cardboard
box, but bunnies eventually
chew their way through).
Finally, you need to keep
your plants out of reach of
the bunnies since the vast
majority of them are poisonous
to bunnies if eaten. And be
careful if you hang your plants
from the ceiling. If the leaves
fall, you'll need to make sure
they are well out-of-reach
of the bunny. (If your bunny
eats a poisonous plant, call
the ASPCA's National Animal
Control Poison Agency at
1-888-426-4435).
For Educational Purposes Only RabbitSecrets.com AssembledByDiamondGirl
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