Rabbits are fond of chewing anything and everything chewable. In fact, they are particularly fond of baseboards or skirting boards. Unfortunately, you might experience a lot of this if you allow your rabbits to roam and play around in your home. So the question remains, how to stop a rabbit from chewing baseboards?
This is where rabbit-proofing comes in. You should ensure that your home and belongings are well kept before letting your rabbit out of its cage. This has two advantages:
- Your items will be kept safe.
- It will reduce the risk of choking or poisoning your rabbits.
This article will discuss how you can protect your baseboards and prevent your bunnies from making a snack of them. Other things that can be found in the article are:
- How do you protect baseboards from your pet rabbits?
- Do rabbits chew baseboards?
- How do you stop rabbits from eating baseboards?
- Reasons why rabbits chew baseboards
- How do you protect baseboards?
- Does lemon stop rabbits from chew?
- Will hot sauce hurt my rabbit?
Baseboards are on the top list of nice chew toys for rabbits. This is mainly because rabbits can reach them easily. All they have to do is inch close to the wall and nibble off the wedges of your skirting board.
While this is a fun pastime for bunnies, it will leave your walls looking shabby and ugly. So, you should take steps to preserve your baseboards. So, how do you protect these boards from pet rabbits?
You can protect your skirting boards by using rabbit anti-chew sprays. These sprays are bitter and will repel your rabbits from the boards.
Do Rabbits Chew Baseboards?
Yes, rabbits chew baseboards. In fact, rabbits are known to chew parts of their home as well. So, chewing anything that can be nibbled is expected behavior among rabbits.
This usually happens when rabbits move around your home. They will move to the corners of your walls and nibble on the wooden boards. It’s easy for them to chew on wood, so they can do this repeatedly.
Your rabbit may even develop a favorite chewing spot. Once they eat off the edges, it’s easy to continue to eat off the sides of a baseboard.
Is It Healthy For Rabbits To Chew Baseboards?
It is not safe for rabbits to chew baseboards. Although most baseboards are made from softwood, some are made from hardwoods like oak. Oak is toxic to rabbits.
In addition, the coating in the wood is meant to preserve it. Your rabbit will ingest most of these when they chew skirting boards. This can cause stomach upsets or indigestion. Your rabbit could fall I’ll or worse.
So, you must stop your rabbits from eating these woods. They are not safe for them.
How Do You Stop Rabbits From Eating Baseboards?
It’s been confirmed that rabbits can chew baseboards. Now, how can you protect baseboards from your pet rabbits? If you discover that your baseboards have been chewed, it’s not always the case that rabbits did the dirty job. Other pets like dogs possess this naughty inhibition too. Hence, you may have to perform some detective exercises to find out which of your pets is responsible.
In cases where rabbits are responsible, you may have to examine why your rabbit is doing so, among other things. If you can find the reason, you may be able to fix the problem permanently.
Why Does My Rabbit Chew So Much?
Rabbits need constant chewing to preserve their health. The reason for this is that their teeth are constantly growing, and chewing helps to file it down. Younger bunnies chew more frequently and are more active than adult bunnies. This is why they are more destructive.
It could also be because your rabbit does not have companions. Bunnies are social creatures, and they thrive when they have constant interactions with other bunnies. In fact, they often form bonds that last through their lifetime.
When they have companions to play with and occupy their time, the need to constantly chew something is lessened.
Reasons Why Rabbits Chew Baseboards
Rabbits like to chew things, but it is not erratic behavior. Instead, they do it mainly because they are bored. So, here are some factors you should consider if your rabbit is chewing your baseboard.
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Boredom
Rabbits like to have one activity or the other to keep them busy. They are usually awake at night while you are asleep. This means that they have to occupy themselves with one thing or the other.
So, they avail themselves of the opportunity to chew anything that looks suitable. In this case, you can buy toys or create fun activities.
For instance, you can hide their food around their home to simulate foraging. They will have a great time looking for their meals or snacks.
Chewable toys are also handy. Your rabbit will be able to exercise its chewing urges without causing damage to its body or your home.
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Lack of space
Most times, people let their rabbits roam because their cages are small. So, to give their pets a chance to play and have fun, they will let them play around the house for a few hours.
If that is the case, you can expand the size of your rabbit’s cage instead. This way, your pets can play in their cages, and they will not have any contact with your baseboards.
It’s not advisable to lock your rabbits up in a small space. Rabbits need social interaction and lots of room for activity. If they cannot move around and play conveniently, it could result in frustration and aggressive behavior.
So, if your rabbit’s hutch is too tiny, make it bigger and keep them indoors. You can put a window or a screen so that your pets can still see what goes on around them.
How Do You Protect Baseboards?
These are the ways you can protect your baseboards:
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Cover any exposed corners with plastic guards or gates
Baby gates are convenient in this case. You can use them to block off any areas you do not want your bunny to access.
When using gates or puppy pens, ensure that the spaces between the bars are not too wide. If they are, your bunny will slip through.
Plastic guards are also helpful. They are often L-shaped and will protect the corners of your baseboards from your pet rabbit. So even if your pet nibbles the guards, the baseboards will be covered.
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Use anti-chew sprays
Anti-chew sprays are designed to prevent rabbits from eating the wrong substances. They are often highly bitter and unappealing to rabbits. They don’t have pungent smells, so you don’t have to worry about having a smelly home.
Unlike most home remedies, anti-chew sprays are safe and will not cause harm to your pet. You only need to spray it on the areas you want your rabbit to stay away from.
You can also use it as an invisible fence by spraying it around the objects you are protecting. Your pets will stay away once they smell it.
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Occupy your rabbits with other activities
Bunnies are inclined to find something to occupy them when they are bored. This can be anything from chewing your cables or baseboards or their home itself. Consequently, you and they would benefit if you helped them stay busy.
Several pet owners have reported that their rabbits like to play in cardboard boxes. This gives the bunny a sense of adventure. You can also buy chewing toys, like untreated willow branches. Rabbits like to chew wood, so safe “chewables” are good options.
You should also ensure that they have enough room to play in their cages. Rabbits are energetic, so they will be restless and destructive if you don’t guide them.
Does Lemon Stop Rabbits Chewing?
In general, rabbits do not like the taste of lemons. This is why it is common for people to drip lemon juice around their wall edges. Some other people place slices at the corners of their baseboards instead. But does lemon stop rabbits from chewing?
Yes, it can. But not all rabbits hate lemons. So, you might not be so lucky to find that the lemons actually work.
It should be noted that this choice can pose a danger to pets. Bunnies do not handle citric fruits very well. Although small portions of lemon juice may not hurt them, it is potentially toxic to feed them lemons.
If you litter your home with lemons, your pet could eat them instead and be hurt in the hopes of deterring your rabbit.
Will Hot Sauce Hurt My Rabbit?
Bunnies are very sensitive to spicy foods. So it is likely that they will stay away from baseboards if they sense hot sauce. However, it is dangerous for them. Your rabbit could get some of it in its eye, and that would be disastrous. It would cause inflammation.
In addition, your rabbit may eat some of it. This is unlikely, but if it happens, it will hurt your rabbit because its body cannot process spicy food. Therefore, hot sauce can be harmful to your pet rabbit.
Now, there you have all the questions on how to protect your baseboards from your pet rabbits answered.