Bunny-proof room

[rhianna]

Hi all I'm finally getting my first bunny tomorrow! It's sooner than expected but I just fell in love with this little guy, long story short he's a craiglist bun, his owner lost her job and can no longer care for him. I couldn't resist, so I'm picking him up in the morning :woohoo Anyways, he comes with his cage but I'm going to let him mostly free-roam my room, aside from during the night and when I'm not home. I have done my best to bunny-proof my room but I figured I'd post pictures here and have "the experts" (that's you guys) tell me if I've done anything wrong. So here you enter my room (the cage will be at the end of my bed):

He'll be able to go under the bed but all that's under there is a few shoeboxes, an old hamster cage, and a bale of aspen (my gerbils' bedding).
Here is the area on the one side of my bed:

Behind the plastic bins and dresser are some cords. You don't think he'd get behind the bins to the cords, do you? You can also see a hidey hut (actually the lid to an old cat litter pan), some toys, and a hay holder.
Here you see the area on the other side of my bed, at the end of the bed:

My main concern here are the wires on top of and under the baseboard. I'm going to be covering them with cord protectors, and they're very heavy duty cables, so hopefully they will survive.
Here's a close up of that corner, "the gerbil corner":

You can see the cat food under the chair. Do you think that the bunny will try eating the cat food? Is it worth taking the risk, or will it be very harmful and I should find another place for it right away? It'd be hard to put it where the rabbit couldn't reach as the cat's "home base" is my room.
Finally, here is the side of the room opposite my bed:

I don't see anything potentially harmful in this area, but maybe one of you will.

Any suggestions will be very helpful as I'm new to owning a rabbit, although I've done plenty of research I still want to make sure he's safe and happy in his new home. Thank you all :rabbithop

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Cloth and carpet can be dug or chewed. Anything wood or plastic can be chewed. All cords that can be gotten to will be. Remote buttons, phone buttons and anything they can fit their mouth on are all subject to chewing. Ours are housed in a bedroom with no cords any place and the floor is tile as well as the base--the wood trim around the door and closets have been vandalized as well as the mahogany dresser I use to keep the various supplies in. Bunny proofing comes over time and multiple experiences. Good luck.

 

[rhianna]

Thanks for the reply I got my bunny, Bear, this morning, and quickly learned that the fleece is not a good idea. I put it down because I have rough carpet which I thought would bother him, but it doesn't and he insists on digging all of the blankets. He hasn't really chewed anything yet, although it's only been about 10 hours, I'm confident that the cords will survive until I get covers for them. He's more into tossing things, which I've realized includes toys as well as any other thing that he can get his mouth around... I also ended up moving the cat food into the spare bedroom just because I'm paranoid about it. I'm sure I'll learn more things from experience, Bear is in the cage when I'm not around anyways, so hopefully I can keep a good enough eye on things. Thanks again for the advice :thanks:

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Moving the cat food was a good idea. He would most likely have eaten it. Definitely cover the cords. Electricution is something you don't want to risk. Make sure you keep everything you don't want chewed off the floor. I recommend moving the bag of shavings. He may decide to chew them too. To be honest, I'd probably block access to under your bed for two reasons: so he can't hide there when he you're trying to put him back in his cage and so he doesn't chew the bottom of you mattress or boxspring.

Good for you for giving him a new home! Welcome to the wonderful world of rabbits.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[rhianna]

Thanks Rue! It's a good idea to move the bag of shavings, but I'll have to find a place for them first as my room is pretty crowded as it is. He does definitely like to hide under my bed and I think I'll have to get some NIC grids to rig up a blockage of sorts. I'm also going to be ordering a new cage for him as the one he came with is very small; about 30"x20" give or take (I haven't measured). I've pretty much settled on this one for now as he's a small rabbit and I'll be upgrading him to a c&c condo once I move in a few months. He hates being in the cage now, so the bed thing is definitely a problem with getting him into the cage. Thanks again for the tips and the warm welcome :happyrabbit:

 

[Azerane]

Once he finds that poster on the side of your dresser, it's a goner

I would be inclined to leave the fleece down, some rabbits do love digging at blankets and pushing them around, it's better than him digging up your carpet

 

[geekgirl101]

Our bunnies weren't into blankets either, they'd dig at them and pull them out the way and flake out on the carpet underneath. When Lara got into a digging habit we provided a box full of dirt and newspaper to jump in and dig about. She started out digging a little and then decided it made an excellent toilet. ><

Oh yeah, your poster will become rabbit food... any paper or card will get its own rabbit teeth-shaped origami.

 

[rhianna]

I still have a few blankets around for him to dig at and I also have a grass matt which he loves digging and flinging around. I'll actually be ordering him a few more today when I order the cage. I changed my mind on the cage to a large 48" dog crate, as it's the same price as that cage but nearly twice the width and has the potential for a second level. I was worried about the poster on the dresser, I did end up removing it already as it's made of cardboard which would definitely not last long. I was recommended in a different thread to keep him in his cage for a few days so he can establish his own territory, so that will give me more time to further bunny-proof (cover cords, block off under my bed, find more bunny-proof storage) Thank you guys for all the help

 

[Bill Jesse]

Electrical cords! Priority one! Go to an auto parts store and buy split plastic loom. It comes in various colours. Buy 2 sizes. The smaller will cover the wire and larger to cover the smaller. Double safety. You can check them frequently and if you see he has started on the outside cover change it.
My guys ignore the fleece as far as chewing but my late bunny loved to demolish a towel I had.
He may chew baseboards but get him hay and a chew stick. A twig from an apple tree - obviously one that has not be sprayed - will keep him away from the baseboards, hopefully!
I agree that you should block off under the bed. Its always good to know where the bunny is. Under the bed for some time could mean he is into no good.
Enjoy the bunny and give him a lot of love. I have had bunnies for 15 years and each day my love for my 4 grows.

 

[rhianna]

Thanks for the tips! My brother frequently goes to the local auto parts shop so next time he goes I'll ask him to bring me. I picked up most of the fleece from the floor but left a small blue one for him to dig at, so hopefully he won't dig at the carpet instead. I also bought some NIC grids to block off under the bed. Here's a few updated room pictures:

I used zip ties to attach the grids to form all 3 sides, and I used binder clips at the corners so that I could unclip them and get to the things underneath my bed:

He does hop on top of the cage and then onto the bed, which I've been discouraging. He's only out of the cage while supervised so I'm able to tell him "no" and lift him off when he does this. He does it in mischief now, he'll look to see if I'm watching and then he'll hop up, and when I look at him and walk toward the bed he'll hop off and run away :foreheadsmack: When his new cage arrives I'll be putting it in a different area of my room so he won't be able to hop onto the bed anymore. Otherwise he doesn't seem to get into much trouble, but I'm sure I'll continue learning and continue bunny-proofing as time goes on. Thanks everyone for all the help