How To Stop A Destructive Bunny PART TWO

This is the second part to an article concerned with stopping your sweet little rabbit from completely destroying your home. Part One can be found here.

Bunny Proof

Bunny proofing essentially means getting things that you don't want to be chewed out of the rabbit's way. Cords can be clipped to the wall, which keeps them tidier and makes for easier cleaning, and also means that rabbits are less likely to chew on them. Cords bear a fairly close resemblance to the roots that wild bunnies chew out of their burrows, so it makes sense that a bunny will want to get rid of those offending growths that it finds sprouting from the walls of your home.

Plants should be lifted out of the way. Many house plants are poisonous to bunnies, and being eaten by a rabbit isn't particularly great for your plants either, so it's best to put them up high, or keep your rabbit out of rooms where there are plants.

Spay/ Neuter

Spaying and neutering will also cut down on the rabbit's tendencies to engage in destructive behavior related to their sexuality. Male rabbits will often spray their territory, and the smell of rabbit urine is definitely not a pleasant odor to have emanating through your home. Neutering your male rabbit will eliminate this behavior in many cases.

Female bunnies are not much better when it comes to behaving badly due to hormonal urges. Many female rabbits may try to build nests and burrows, sometimes in your furniture. Spaying your female rabbit will also mean that she is highly unlikely to develop the cancer which kills up to 80% of all unspayed female rabbits by the age of 4 or 5. In addition to this, it will also make her less aggressive and touchy. Many female rabbits will become quite grumpy and aggressive when they are in heat, which is fairly often. Spaying your bunny is the best way to cut down on destructive urges, improve her temperament, and most likely save her from a premature and painful death as well.

If you pay attention to all of these areas:

• Toys
• Bunny Proofing
• Spay/Neuter

You will find that your bunny becomes a much more pleasant house mate. By taking the time out to make sure that the rabbit's needs are fulfilled, you save yourself the trouble of dealing with the results of a rabbit which has essentially been left to it's own devices.

As owners it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about our pets and their needs, and find ways to fulfill their natural drives. If we do this, we enjoy happier pets and better relationships with them. It is when we pay little to no attention to what the rabbit needs and try to make them fit into our lives without taking the time to understand them that we end up with destructive little terrors, or even worse, sad lonely souls abandoned at the bottom of the garden.