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I’m interested in ways to protect cords against chewing pets. What might be used to armor a light-guage power cord or USB charging cords?

Since these items already have ends on them I can’t just pass the wire through an armored tube (I'm thinking of braided metal supply lines or the kind that are plastic but have a lose wove metal mesh embedded so it takes higher pressure).

I know I could slit a piece of clear vinyl tubing to put over the cord, but that offers no resistence to chewing whatsoever. Likewise with any kind of cloth or plastic tape.

To be clear, I’m looking for some protection as in can’t casually bite through.

I have a puppy who needs to chew, and a parrot whose beak can be compared to two pair of garden shears (each edge of the mouth can cut).

to be clear

I'm looking for some kind of clever wrap that would resist chewing and remain flexible.

For this question post I’m not interested in “make it taste bad” or “just keep the cords elsewhere”. Take the first pargraph of this question literally.

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5 Answers 5

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Instead of armour did you consider something that would repulse them? There are a number of sprays you could use or simply mix up some paprika and water in a spray bottle.

Otherwise

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CritterCord-citrus-cable-protector-rabbits/dp/B000EH2I5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475954571&sr=8-1&keywords=anti+chew+cable+protection

Something like this could help.

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  • I don't think any such spray actually works. I tried putting paprika and white peper on a rug and the dog, rather than repelled, went and licked it all up! And birds don't feel the heat of hot pepper and are actually attracted to them.
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 10:42
  • The reviews of CritterCord appear that the plastic is not at all resistent to chewing, but perports to put off chewing by its taste and smell. The smell bothers people who buy it and it doesn’t always stop chewing!
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 10:49
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Electrical conduit
Spiral cable conduit
Will need to splice in the plugs
American 3-pin plug

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  • See the comments on other answers and what I already considered in the OP: if I wanted to replace the ends I could use the flexible armor3d supply-line tubing.
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 10, 2016 at 2:44
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Though I agree with @Kevin C. Jones answer, an alternative "armor" is commercially available: split loom, which is simply tubing slit along its length that may be slipped over the cable. If you have some plastic tubing, you can slit it to make your own. When doing so, you might find a diagonal split, forming a spiral, easier to apply and less prone to falling off.

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  • I don’t think plastic tubing would offer much protection!
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 10:39
  • Let me further clarify: thin walled plastic Like sold for cable management would offer zero protection. One of Diamod’s toys is to give him a soda straw which after “fighting” he’ll clip to 1-inch lengths or completely shred and mangle.
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 11:02
  • There is metal spiral-wrap cable protection: directindustry.com/prod/lapp-group/product-17287-1451829.html ... but "aversion therapy" is probably still best. One product I've used was so foul tasting (but harmless) that after sampling it, my cat spat into its litter box and never tried biting similar objects.
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 16:12
  • Hard to be averse to widly different species. Or to dogs: anything stong is “interesting”. Come on, they even eat poop!
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 17:17
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  • Bought or homemade pepperflavoured spray.
  • Use the hard plastic tube where electric wires for housing electric are housed in , cut it to the length of your cable and put this around.
  • for the dog , try reminding yourself to put those devices high enough so he can't reach it , growing up he will quit having this kind of behavior
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  • See my previous comments on pepper! A rigid conduit large enough to pass the tip is not at all what I had in mind. The outlets are at floor level so putting the other end out of reach is not sufficient, and where the devices are used are in reach.
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 9, 2016 at 20:20
  • You could always cut it open, it will go back in place after putting the cables in
    – Jelman
    Commented Oct 10, 2016 at 11:40
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The only way to guarantee that your pets won't damage the cords (or hurt themselves) is to make it impossible for them to access the cords. You can do this by simply moving them behind a piece of furniture or running them along the top of a wall.

For example, I keep my laptop charger plugged in behind my couch and have positioned the couch so that it's impossible for my dog to get behind. When I need to use the charger I simply extend as much of the cord as I need and then return it to its home when I'm finished. I do the same thing with tv/phone/etc. cords by hiding them behind other pieces of furniture.

For dogs specifically, if they are properly stimulated and have something better to chew on they will ignore the cords. My dog loves Himalayan Dog Chews, Benebones, etc.

Most natural or chemical repellents only work for a short period of time. Chewing [on the cords] is intrinsically rewarding to dogs, so after a while they will be desensitized to whatever you're using to repel them. If you're dead set on using some kind of repellent you can try diluting some hot sauce and spraying that on the cords — it will work better than the bitter apple spray everyone sells. Whatever you do don't use Vicks Vapor Rub as camphor is toxic to dogs.

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  • The docking cradle of the remote control can’t be stowed when not in use as it holds the controller when not in use. I’ve mentioned the ineffectivenese of hot pepper on another comment (the dog licked it up) and also note that birds love peppers.
    – JDługosz
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 18:59
  • I suggested hot sauce specifically because of the vinegar content. If the dog and bird don't mind hot peppers they may still be averse to vinegar. You might not be able to put a docking charger behind a piece of furniture, but you could put the entirety of the cord behind something and have only the dock accessible. Otherwise, you could certainly put it in a cabinet (if you have a media center with drawers or cabinets). With a dog only you could do a high shelf, but assuming your parrot can fly you'll need something that closes.
    – LMGagne
    Commented Oct 17, 2016 at 19:03

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