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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Need tips on proofing

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    • mia
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        For some background, I live in a very small studio apartment so I don’t have storage areas or much room to block off. There is no room for new furniture. To get a picture, x-pen+condo take up 1/3 of my place. I bunny proofed most of the obvious: cords, under bed, under couch, computer / electronics area. This Friday was the first time I allowed access besides the escapes and I found the following

        • Bunny sitting on my nightstand
        • Most (cardboard) boxes I use for storage nibbled on – there are boxes in the condo as well as the x-pen that are theirs and OK to chew on
        • Climbed onto my couch and nibbled on my flowers that are on a “stand” next to the couch.
        • Climbed onto my “dining” chair and table
        • Jumping through my piano’s legs – I’m afriad it’ll get scratched up; my piano is my baby.

        How can I deter or prevent these things?


      • BinkyBunny
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          You have begun the journey of becoming a true slave to rabbits. It always is the human that has to make the changes instead of rabbits changing their behavior.  (as rabbits are just rabbity like that, and they aren’t going to change in some ways) 

          Just know that until they get to know the surroundings, it is part of their instincts to get into every nook and cranny of your place.  It’s just the nature of being a prey animal.  They map out the place, and once they know it, they will notice anything new.  It’s curiosity and survival instincts combined.   So once they’ve gotten the comfortable with the lay of the land they may settle down a bit.  

          I think that it will also be important to supply something to catch their interest and distract them — things to chew on, toys etc.  Boxes and tunnels they can go into are a big favorite.  Also check out the homemade toy section https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO…fault.aspx for ideas too.  If they are playing with those things, they are spending less time getting into to trouble. 

          Now onto the specifics you’ve noticed: 

          1. Bunny on the nightstand–That one just sounds funny. Sorry.  I would have loved to have seen that.  Are there things on your nightstand that he could chew? Is it high and slippery, unstable?  While your bunnies are playing put something on your night stand that would block their access.  In time, they may get used to not being able to go on there that they would eventually not even try.  That is more along the lines of how my bunnies learned. (Also, age mellows bunnies too)

          2. Cardboard anywhere is fair game.  — If you are unable to store them out of the way, you can use NIC cubes/Organize wire cubes, connect them together to cover the first foot.
           
          3. Flower and plants that are toxic should be out of the a bunny’s way. So during your rabbits playtime out, move the flowers to a safer place. Even if the plant was non-toxic, no one wants a chewed up plant.  I use hanging plants and plant stands.  I do not have any plants where my bunnies can get to them. 
           
          4. Unless your bunny is causing damage to the chair, and is just sitting there, I don’t see any problem with it.  If you are able push the chairs into dining table itself then would that prevent them from accessing the top of the dining table?    
           
          5.  I am not sure I understand the problem of jumping through the piano legs? They are not putting his feet on them as they pass by right?  Just fur would brush by.   I may not be picturing this correctly.  If you find them wanting to chew on the furniture legs, then that is another story and there are tricks to help avoid that.  Some people have had success with rubbing soap on, there is also some apple bitter chew deterrant you can put on areas you do not want them to chew. However some rabbits really like the bitter taste.  There used to be an apple bitter cream that 
           
          One thing you will have to watch closely for is if they pee on your couch and chair as that is not uncommon for some bunnies.  If they get up on the couch and you see one begin to stand still and then lift its tail, say No and shoo them off immediately before they have time to follow through.  I was able to train Jack not to get up on the couch at all by watching him closely and the moment he looked like he wanted to jump on the couch, I’d say no.  (He understand No).  With persistance, it worked.  If he was a bunny that I could trust on the couch, I’d let him up, but I never could.  He would pee or chew on the couch. 
           


        • mia
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            I have NIC panels around lots of things. She just jumps over it to the nightstand. I don’t mind her sitting there but there are small items and things like lotion that could be dangerous if ingested. Now she’s figured out both how to move the panels and how to stick her nose/mouth to grab things inside.

            Rubber is apparently very fun to chew on. The rubber feet of my music stand is almost all chewed off as well as other items with rubber. I sprayed some room spray on the items and also put soap but it seems to attract her attention even more. She has so many toys and I even put some apple sticks around the apt but she ignores the sticks.

            The piano leg area is like a rectangle frame. So, when she jumps through, the nails can clip the bottom of it.


          • BinkyBunny
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              Smart sneaky bunny!  

              Regarding the panels, are they fastened together by anything like zipties. If not, that might help secure them.    And when you say she sticks her head inside, do you mean inside the panels or she moves the panels aside and sticks her head inside.   IF she’s sticks her head inside of the panels, i am thinking you have the grids with the larger openings?  

               I don’t know what it is about rubber, but that is true, many bunnies love to chew on rubber. Many members here are missing their buttons for their TV remote.  It’s too bad that the soap didn’t work.  The room spray, what scent is it?   You can try to get  Grannicks Bitter Apple cream or spray (at a pet store). And though I know that can also attract bunnies, it does deter some, so it might be worth a try. 

              Sounds like she is more interested in exploring more than chewing on things (except your music stand ), so maybe place a few boxes (with entrances/exits cut out ) around.  What kind of toys does she have.  Sometimes big things like phone books, a bigger willow thing, or something that a bunny can take time at might be helpful.   

              I’m not sure what to do about the piano legs – that one is difficult for me to picture still.  Is she binkying around them?  Has she scratched them?  Being that they are rectangular, not circle, I’d actually be worried about her chewing on the edges, so that’s good she hasn’t done that.  As far as scratching them with her feet….that one I am stumped on. 

              Hopefully more members will have some good tips and tricks for that one. 

              Of course you can figure out a way to protect them with something — but I don’t know what would look good or work well.  Some more brainstorming is in order. 

               


            • Elrohwen
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                Bunnies are certainly sneaky little buggers!

                To deter chewing, I’ve had success with a bitter lime gel that is made especially for rabbits – I got it online, maybe at Rabbit Mart. It works pretty well for Hannah and comes in a spray and a clear gel (only problem with the gel is that it tends to attract floating bunny fur)

                Does your nightstand have drawers to put things in? I would just try to keep everything tucked away so that they can’t nibble on lotion or anything.

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            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Need tips on proofing