While rabbits may indeed be great pets for many people, the fact that they can be a handful is seldom mentioned to the new owner. Rabbits require a considerable amount of care and control when they are in your home, by not meeting the demands of the rabbit or not offering what the rabbit will most likely appreciate they will take it upon themselves to entertain themselves and more often than not land themselves in some trouble. Take the time to ensure that you have an environment that will work with and for the rabbit before they find things to do that will be unappreciated in the long run.
Rabbits are avid and active chewers, they will chew on just about anything. This can include furniture, clothing, plants, electrical wires, and anything made from wood. This is not because the rabbit is being malicious or spiteful rather they are just trying to shore down their Peg teeth, or what is known as their incisors. If these teeth that are large and in the upper region of the mouth, get too large they will eventually penetrate the roof of their mouth and cause them a great deal of pain. If this problem is left unattended it could easily breech their skull into their brain cavity and kill them. For this very reason rabbits are instinctual chewers, and they know no better way than to chew something and cut the teeth down to size.
While this is understandable, the rabbit can still do some serious damage to a home should they be left unattended. You will need to keep a very close eye on a rabbit in your home at all times. Make sure that the area that you are letting the rabbit free roam is clutter free, and without wires or furniture that they may find appealing to chew on. This will allow the rabbit to get its required amount of exercise time and the social interaction that they will need to be a healthy happy animal inside your home. You will want to make sure that the area that you have deemed the rabbits exercise area, is free from houseplants or garden bulbs, the rabbit will easily chew on them and they are toxic to the rabbit. This will surely make the rabbit very sick if it does not kill them all together.
When you rabbit proof your home, you are ensuring that you are providing the animal with the best possible environment. This will keep them safe, and allow them to be more social. When the rabbit feels comfortable they will more likely come to you when you wish them too. This will only enhance the experience of owning the rabbit in the first place. In the room that you have designated the rabbit play room; it would be best if it did not have carpeting, as rabbits are true diggers. Rabbits have very sharp nails and they will want to dig, if you have carpet in this room chances are it will become shredded over time making it very unsightly and perhaps even costly. A wood floor or tile will work best to keep the rabbit from wanting to dig.
If you plan on having the rabbit roam freely, you will want to have the room equipped with litter boxes if you trained the rabbit to do so. This will prevent the rabbit from wanting to instinctually defecating on the floor or other areas that you will deem undesirable. When you have elected to keep a rabbit in your home, you have taken on a very dedicated task where much of your time will be devoted to the care and maintenance of the rabbit itself. It would also be a good idea to have no curtains in the room that will drop to the floor, as the rabbit will surely chew on them as well. Keeping rabbits may be a fun endeavor, yet it must be remembered that they are very unique and truly fidgety animals by nature. Ensuring that your home is prepared for the rabbit will help the rabbit is prepared for your home. Take the time to rabbit proof your home, so you and the rabbit will not have to worry about anything other than the common bonding between owner and pet.
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