Pet-Proofing Your Home: Room-by-Room Hazards for Rabbits, Ferrets, Birds and Reptiles

This page is for anyone letting a rabbit, ferret or bird out of its enclosure, or keeping a reptile in a busy home. Work through the table room by room before the first free-roam session, then read the species sections for the hazards that catch keepers out.

Room-by-room hazard checklist

Room	Hazard	Species most at risk	Fix
Living room	Electrical cables and wires	Rabbits	Cover them or put them out of reach (RSPCA); rabbits must be kept away from wires when unsupervised (Merck)
Living room	Reclining chairs	Ferrets	Crush injuries and entrapment; remove, or convert to a fixed chair (Merck)
Living room / bedroom	Foam in sofas, chairs, mattresses	Ferrets	They burrow into it; block the underside with thin plywood or hardware cloth (VCA)
Living room	Ceiling fans, windows, mirrors	Birds	Fans off, windows and doors shut before a bird is out (Merck)
Any room	Houseplants	Rabbits, birds, ferrets	Non-toxic only, or out of reach (RSPCA; Merck)
Any room	Holes over 1 in (2.5 cm) in walls, floors, ducts	Ferrets	Seal them; ferrets trapped in ducts can starve (Merck)
Kitchen	Non-stick (PTFE) pans, drip pans	Birds	Fumes can kill birds in another room; don’t house birds in the kitchen (VCA)
Kitchen	Open pans of liquid on the stove	Birds	Birds can fly in and drown (Merck)
Kitchen	Fridge, oven, dishwasher	Ferrets	Ferrets climb in and get shut inside; check before closing (Merck)
Kitchen	Reptiles and their equipment	People (Salmonella)	Keep them out of the kitchen; never clean habitats where food is prepared (CDC)
Bathroom	Open toilets, sinks, tubs	Birds, ferrets	Drowning risk; lids down, doors shut (Merck)
Laundry	Washer and dryer	Ferrets	Ferrets fall asleep in laundry; check clothes and drums (Merck)
Cupboards	Cleaners, medicines	All	Childproof locks; seal gaps under cabinets for ferrets (Merck)
Doors	Gaps under doors	Ferrets	Fit a door sweep or weather stripping (Merck)
Floors	Polished wood, laminate, tiles	Rabbits	Slippery and stressful; cover with newspaper or block access (RSPCA)
Garage	Antifreeze	Rabbits	Ethylene glycol causes kidney failure and death (RSPCA)
Reptile room	Unsecured vivarium	Snakes, lizards	The vivarium must be secure to prevent escape (RSPCA)

Rabbits: cables, plants and floors

Rabbits chew by instinct, so remove or cover wires, houseplants, small toys and foam from anywhere they can reach (RSPCA). Merck notes that chewed wires endanger both the rabbit and the house, and that rabbits should be confined to a safe area when nobody is watching. Some common plants have poisoned rabbits, including lily species, clematis, rhododendron and lily of the valley, and ivy is one of the most common serious poisons (RSPCA). Rabbits that are bored chew fixtures more, so daily enrichment cuts cable damage (RSPCA). The rabbit page covers indoor setups.

Ferrets: if the head fits, the body follows

VCA’s rule is that if a ferret can get its head through an opening, its body will fit too. Merck’s checklist sets the line at holes larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm), including holes in appliances such as televisions, fridges and washers. Merck also advises:

1. Lower appliances to the floor and block access from all sides.
2. Keep windows closed; ferrets can tear screens.
3. Locate ferrets before opening an outside door.
4. Put away spongy, chewable items such as erasers, balloons, rubber bands, door stops and trainers, which cause intestinal blockage and choking. VCA adds shoe inserts, earplugs and foam from speakers or headphones.

See the ferret page.

Birds: the out-of-cage routine

Before every free-flight session: windows and doors closed, ceiling fans off, toilet lids down, no pans on the stove, and no sprays, perfume or cleaning products in use (Merck). Birds’ airways are very sensitive to chemical fumes (Merck). PTFE is in more than frying pans: VCA lists drip pans, waffle irons, clothes irons, ironing-board covers, heating elements and heat lamps. Budgerigars and other small birds are the most sensitive (VCA). Read the budgerigar page and cleaning and maintenance for safe cleaning.

Reptiles: escapes and Salmonella

The CDC advises against letting reptiles or amphibians roam freely through a home. If you can’t clean equipment outside, use a laundry sink or bathtub, never the kitchen sink. Keep the vivarium locked, check doors and lids after every feed, and wash your hands before and after handling (RSPCA; CDC).

Mistakes that lead to injuries

• Covering ferret holes with tape. Ferrets can remove it; use wire mesh (Merck) or hardware cloth or plywood (VCA). Check at ferret eye level for narrowing gaps behind furniture, radiators and pipes, where a ferret can get stuck or suffocate (Merck).
• Running the dryer without checking it. Ferrets nap in laundry (Merck).
• Cooking with non-stick pans while a budgie is out. Poisoning has been reported even at recommended cooking temperatures, and sudden death may be the only sign (VCA).
• Leaving cables “because the rabbit ignored them yesterday.” Unsupervised rabbits should be in a proofed area (Merck).
• Rinsing a tortoise or lizard tub in the kitchen sink. This spreads Salmonella to food areas (CDC).

Avoid: recliners in ferret homes, uncovered cables in rabbit rooms, PTFE cookware with birds, and unsecured vivaria. Room temperature and placement are covered in small pet housing essentials.