Rabbit-proof: how to adapt your home for a rabbit

A healthy, happy rabbit is a rabbit that roams freely. But a normal home is full of dangers for an animal that gnaws everything it finds. «Rabbit-proofing» is the process of adapting your home so your rabbit can live loose without risks to it or your belongings.

The rabbit needs freedom, not a cage

The image of the rabbit in a small cage is a mistake that current knowledge has banished. The rabbit is an active, curious and territorial animal that needs to run, jump, explore and stretch. A cramped cage causes it stress and muscular, bone and behavioural problems.

The recommended model is the house rabbit that lives freely around the home or a few rooms, with a base area as its point of reference. That's only possible —and safe— if the home is adapted.

Cables: the number one danger

If you do only one thing from this whole guide, let it be this: protect all the cables. A rabbit gnaws by instinct and an electrical cable is irresistible to it. Chewing a live cable can cause serious burns to its mouth or death by electrocution.

• Cover the cables with corrugated tubing, cable trunking or protective sleeves.
• Raise the cables you can, out of its reach.
• Block access to areas with lots of cables (behind the TV unit, extension leads).
• Check the house at its level, crouching down: you'll see cables and gaps you can't see standing up.

Furniture, skirting boards and objects

After the cables, the rabbit will go for wood, textiles and whatever it finds:

• Skirting boards and furniture legs · protect them with wooden pieces, thick cardboard or guards if your rabbit is a committed gnawer.
• Sofas and rugs · some rabbits gnaw or dig at them; consider restricting access or covering them.
• Small objects, elastic bands, plastics · off the floor: if swallowed it can suffer a serious intestinal blockage.
• Cleaning products and medicines · locked away, as with a small child.

Toxic plants and other risks

Many common houseplants are toxic to the rabbit. The simple, safe rule: all plants, out of its reach, unless you know for certain that species is harmless. Also watch out for:

• Dangerous gaps and hiding spots · behind or under appliances, where it could get trapped.
• Doors · a fast rabbit can slip through and get crushed; be careful when closing them.
• Heights · a fall from a sofa or a bed can injure it.
• Other animals · a dog or cat with a hunting instinct is a risk; living together is managed separately and with supervision.

The rabbit's base area

Even if it roams free, the rabbit needs a reference place of its own: its base. It can be a spacious open enclosure or a defined corner, and it must have:

• Hay always available (it's the basis of its diet).
• Fresh water, better in a heavy bowl than a bottle.
• A litter tray with suitable substrate — rabbits learn to use it.
• A hiding place to shelter in and feel safe.
• Non-slip flooring: smooth surfaces damage its joints.

Give it somewhere to gnaw (channel the instinct)

You can't stop a rabbit gnawing, but you can direct that instinct to suitable places. If it has good alternatives, it will leave your furniture alone:

• Plenty of hay — gnawing hay wears down its teeth, which grow throughout its life.
• Gnawing toys of untreated natural wood, safe branches, cardboard.
• Tunnels and cardboard boxes to gnaw and hide in at the same time.

Freedom in phases and supervision

Don't let a new rabbit loose all over the house at once. Start with one well-adapted room and expand its territory as you get to know its habits and confirm the area is safe. In the first few weeks, supervise its free time: you'll discover the gaps and dangers you missed. Over time you'll learn which areas it can have free and which are best closed off when you're not around.

In short: a rabbit deserves to live freely, not in a cage, but that requires an adapted home. Protect all the cables —the number one deadly danger—, secure furniture, small objects and plants, give it a base area with hay, water and shelter, and offer it plenty of alternatives to gnaw. Expand its freedom in phases and with supervision. A rabbit-proof home is the foundation of a healthy, happy rabbit.