Indoor Vs. Outdoor Bunnies

Article source: http://www.petsyclopedia.com/. Used with author's permission.

Most rabbit lovers insist the only way to properly house a rabbit is indoors because the outdoors, though not impossible (as we'll discuss) 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 applewhich you can buy at any pet storeon 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 (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 free 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 free 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 when bunnies snuggle away in the underside; they also tend to pee and poop.

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).

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