The soft wooden edges of your doors and door frames make an easy target for a bored bunny and it only takes a few nibbles for the damage to be noticeable. Over time a bunny on a mission can eventually do a lot of damage, costing a lost deposit or expensive repairs. If you want to keep your doors and door frames looking neat, then here are some simple ideas other bunny moms use to stop chewing damage.
If your bunny is repeatedly chewing your door frames the simplest way to provide temporary protection is to lay something up against the areas when you bunny is showing interest.
Ceramic tiles or willow bridges, a toy found in pet stores, are ideal for this. They can then be easily packed away when not needed.
A well placed cardboard box or chew toy can also make a great distraction.
A simple way to protect fragile edges along the base of a door or on your door frames is to use a cheap commercial product designed specifically to stop this type of damage.
You may have seen these L shaped lengths of tough plastic in public buildings, and you can buy them in most home improvement stores and fit them yourself.
They come in a variety of lengths however if you need to cut down to size this can be done with a craft knife so no need for any DIY tools.
They can then be easily attached with some sticky pads or adhesive. They come in a wood color, white and clear so you will be able to match it with the door.
Another common type of damage can be caused by your bunny stripping off the soft wood laminate from the bottom edge of the door. A solid way of stopping this is to install a Kick plate.
Although this will require some home improvement skills it will fix the problem and will save your replacing the door.
Bitter sprays can help make the corners of doors and door frames a lot less appealing to your bunny to chew however, bunnies transform their environment by chewing it and may be prepared to put up with the taste if they really feel the urge to chew a door.
If you think taste deterrent will help, follow these simple steps to apply it the best way.
You can apply the spray directly to the affected area or to help stop the spray going everywhere you can also spray some into a cloth then wipe the liquid on.
Remember to keep reapplying the bitter spray regularly so it doesn't lose its effectiveness.
Avoid homemade remedies like perfume or chilly oil as these can be harmful to your bunny and instead use a product designed for bunnies.
We would also avoid remedies such as double-sided sticky tape that could get stuck in your bunnies fur or cause problems if eaten.
Bunnies communicate using their teeth and make a variety of noises from gentle tooth clicks when they are happy to full tantrums where they like to pick things up and bash them about.
They can easily learn that the sound of them chewing a door will get you up and get them attention.