Does anyone else cage their bunny?

[Bentley]

Well, i was just wondering, it seems that everyone on here talks about how they let their bunnies run around in their house, like a dog or a cat, with no limits. And they are basically free to go wherever they please. Is is just me or are there any other people that always keep their bunnies in a cage? Personally our house is large, and I have two dogs and a cat. I can't let Bentley run around because there are to many rooms and so many places she could hide! Plus, if I let her she would probably pee everywhere and never come out or let me hold her again (once I let her go free, she doesn't like being contained again.. occasionally I'll let her run around on the floor with my supervision and if she goes under the couch she'll run and hide from me and its takes me over 15 minutes to grab her again) I don't know, just a question. I can see why people like it, but if just feel safter if Bentley is in her cage, and its not like its hurting her.

your thoughts an opinions?

 

[elrohwen]

My bunny is afraid of hardwood floors, so he either stays in his cage area, or runs across the hardwood dining room to get to the living room rug. So yes, I lethim be free range (only during the day), but there are really only two places he would be. If he were more adventurous I would put up baby gates to keep him confined to a few rooms or at least one floor. I wouldn't let him go anywhere he wanted in the house. Besides, it would be too much of a pain to bunny proof every single room.

I do think it's important for bunnies to get at least a few hours of time to really roam around at least a whole room. They just can't get the exercise or mental stimulation they need in a cage, even with their people visiting them.

 

[BethM]

My bunnies each have a very large 4-foot by 6-foot pen, with a 3-level condo at the back. They are confined to their pens when no one is home, and at night when we're asleep.

I think my boys would be fine if they were free-range all the time, but both of my girls are really into digging and chewing. I really like that my furniture and rugs aren't destroyed, so they are only allowed out when supervised.
Also, they are only allowed in the hallway, living room, and dining room. They can go in the kitchen, too, but they prefer not to. When bunnies are out, I close doors and baby gates across other rooms that are not bunny-safe.

I also have to make them take turns being out and about, as they just do not get along with one another. Tobi is aggressive towards the others, and I suspect Amelia might be aggressive towards Benjamin. I know some people handle rotations so that every bunny has time out every day, but my bunnies won't do that. They seem only to like coming out later in the evening, even when the doors of their pen are open, they won't come out before they are ready.
So, each day a different bunny comes out. (Nick and Amelia are bonded, so they come out together.) I would feel better if I could get them all some time out every day, but they won't cooperate! I feel guilty about it, but because the pens are so large, I know they are fine.

I do have mine trained to go back in their pens when I want them to. I give a bedtime treat every day, and I will only give the treat inside their pens. So when a bunny is out, and I click my tongue to let them know it is treat time, they will go back into their pen so they can get their treat. Occasionally, Amelia will snatch her treat and run away again, but most days this method works really well.

 

[pherber12]

I live in an apartment, so I don't have a lot of rooms but my bunny comes out a minimum of 5 hours every night. I let her out around 4:30 and she stays out until I go to bed. I have a big dog (rottweiler cross) that she mostly bosses around and my sister who is currently living with me has a cat. She is spayed and litter trained, so once I let her out she can just do her own thing. She has access to all the rooms except the bathroom (because she can't help but pee on the bathmat). Currently she is flopped out on the mattress next to the dog. I make a point of sitting and cuddling with her 30-60 mins every night. I don't have to force her, I just sit on the couch, or lie on the bed and she'll come up demanding to be cuddled and pet.

At the end of the night I give her fresh water, pellets and greens and she just hops back into her cage happy as can be. I think it's beneficial for bunnies to have time away from the cage - I know I wouldn't like to be locked in a cage all the time. It helps you bond with your bunny too!!

 

[Happi Bun]

My bunnies are kept in NIC cages for their own safety. I would never trust them to run free in the house with our two cats. Our year old male, sometimes he plays too rough. If we didn't have cat's (which is never going to happen, I love kitties) then my bun's would so be free-ranging! Exercise is very important for caged bunnies though, and I do have a bunny proofed room where they get to zoom around and binky to the moon. They get out daily for a few hours, sometimes longer. I also provide them as much mental stimulation in their cage as possible by various different toys and chews.

 

[stinkybunnies]

Once my hollands were older and litter trained, they'd each get time out to run around and it wasn't too hard to catch them. My buck used to go all the way up the stairs into my bedroom which was funny (it's a long ways away!) The cats never seemed to bother the buns, surprisingly. If you are worried, why don't you just put a baby gate up at a bathroom doorway with the litterbox in there and just let your bun have a couple hours at a time to run around and play. You'd be able to catch her and clean up just one area. I also had an outdoor exercise pen with a cover that I'd let the buns in, but beware, I lost my sweet little doe because she dug out one day and was snatched by a hawk very quickly. I now know with my new baby that he will need to be in an outdoor pen with a bottom on it if he is to get his outdoor time too.

I wouldn't feel bad about using a cage as long as you have some out time each day too. My new baby is in a large cage (more like a 2-story condo) and he will be in there a fair amount until he's litter trained or in an ex-pen. I just can't have him peeing and pooping all over our house with two young children.

Jill

 

[DeniseJP]

I do a blend of cages and turnout time... and in the cages I have different toys.

Denise

 

[Luvmyzoocrew]

my guys are in there cage all the time, on occasion i will bring them out in the kitchen or in the living room but that is not very often. Benny and Belle are in a 3 x 2 NIC cage with a run attached, but Charger is on top and his cage is a 3 x 2 NIC. I have two dogs, three cats, and four kids so they need to be in there cage for thier own safety.

 

[degrassi]

My dwarf bunny is confined to his cage(a 2x3NIC) during the day but I try to let him out for a few hour each night or at least a few times a week if its a busy week but even then he still gets lots of attention and pets each day.

I have a dog which I don't trust around the rabbit. He ignores him when he's in the cage but when he's out, he wants to play with the rabbit. So I have to keep them separate when the rabbit is out of the cage. My rabbit is also a chewer of cords and anything you leave on the floor, so I can't see having to bunny proof a larger area then my bedroom if he was a free roaming bun. Even now I sometimes forget something and it will get chewed in 2 seconds flat(he just chewed half the cover off my book that fell off my night table yesterday:grumpy

 

[pOker]

I keep my rabbits in cages-but Vegas gets 3-7 excercise time and Poker gets 7-10(10 is usually when he wants to go back in)...Vegas is very hyper so it is hard to keep him contained all day-so lots of excercise time..

I cannot let the rabbits play together until they are neutered and bonded-but that would make life easier..
They like their cages alot-it still has plenty of room for them to binky around.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

we gave up one bedroom just for the rabbits. Each one gets time out every day and once every 8 days they got to spend the night out--usually from 10p til 6a. You can use child proof gates to confine your bunny to an area and closed doors also work very well. You have to bunny proof all cords and things that you don't want chewed or dug. Also need to be vigilant as there is no such thing as bunny proof--our blue mini rex, coal, hopped up on a chair that someone whose named won't be mentioned here left out and got up onto the computer desk where she proceeded to chew thru the printer and sound system wires--didn't think they needed to be boxed in like everything else because with the chair tucked in it was basically rabbit proof. It's nice if you can let your bunny out and socialize with it--the other thing--all the furniture in the family room at that time was listed as "sacrificial". SAnd occasionally, even though they were box trained, we still had to do a little cleaning.

 

[bunniekrissy]

I'm guessing most people, even here, don't have complete free-range rabbits. However, caged rabbits do need a couple hours of out of cage time daily in a rabbit proofed area (room, large pen, safe area outdoors, etc.) to exercise and play.

Personally, mine live in a 9-ft by 4 ft (roughly) pen in the garage and don't get regular time out but one day I would love to have free range house bunnies, at least while I am at home.

 

[tonyshuman]

We just re-arranged our apartment. We have 2 bedrooms, and a living room. My bf's bunnies live in our bedroom, and my bunnies now live in the spare bedroom. I cage my bunnies only at night when I'm worried they'll get into trouble or make noise, or when there are other people in the house, like maintenance etc. We are going to alternate letting the pairs of bunnies out into the living room while we're home every other day.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Each of my bunnies have their own Large Super Deluxe Cage that I keep them in at night. That way I can monitor how much they eat and drink. But every day the two bunnies are together in the rabbit run that I have in the basement.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Gus is free range for 14-15 hours every day, but he DEFINITELY has limits!

At night and when we're not at home, he goes into his cage.

He's not allowed upstairs (we have a baby gate to keep him downstairs) as we have allergies and it would be too much work to bun-proof the upstairs. Plus, I think having access to the living room, dining room, kitchen, front hall and spare bathroom is enough for one bunny.

He's not allowed under the couches or behind them. Ditto the entertainment centre. So far we've only used some cushions to block those areas off, but eventually I think I'm going to have to find something more permanent to do the job.

He's also not allowed onto the couches unless he's invited there.

You've obviously taken the time and effort to train your dogs and cat to behave themselves in your home. And I don't imagine you worry about the house being so bigyou'll lose them!There's really no difference, IMVHO, between your dogs and cat and Bentley.Itwill take some work to both bun-proof the space(s)she has access to and to trainher to behave herself (and return to her litter box when she needs it),but it's SO worth the effort to haveherout and about with you. As for the dogs and cat, why not lockthem upwhile Bentley comes out to play? It certainly won't hurt them.

JMVHO

Rue

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

Storm is cage unless its his five to 7 hours a day of run time although we have bunny proofed our current room.

We are moving in the next few months so I will see how his urine habits form in the new house.

But he will have new Deluxe Pet giant cage that he will live in next week when we are not home

 

[EileenH]

Pet_Bunny that is awesome! I'd live there!

My bunny is in a big x-pen all day. I open it at night when we watch TV but mostly, he runs across the house once and then goes and lays by his pen. He is fairly lazy. (Or he lays on the couch with me).
I have a lot of hardwood floors, which are hard for bunnies to run on, so maybe that is why he doesn't run that long, but even so he is content to lie around.
I cannot let him have free run as he still pees places when he feels like it/gets the chance, so I do close off most of the doors of the house.

 

[JadeIcing]

Long with pictures.

Ok so below you will see what my guys live in. As far as out time the living room is bunny proofed. They all get out time but time depends on bunny or bunnies. Not all in the same day unless we are home all day.

Days we get out at 4pm

Apple and Gabriel can play togther so that helps. They are out for 2-3hrs.

Ringo 2hrs.

Wyatt 1-2hrs. He is not active. Starts spraying.

Montana free range when they are not out.

Days out 1:30-2pm:

Liam 3-4hrs

Trio 3-4hrs

Elvis and Teresa 2-3hrs

Montana free when others penned

Now this varies day to day. It all depends bunnies what we are doing and so on. Atleast2 days a week one of us is home all day.



Montana lives in the hall the hallway is 7ft long by 3ft.

Trio is in 47in x 22in two level cage.

Gabriel and soon Elvis and Teresa(3ft by 2ft currently)and Liam will be in 45 and 1/2in x 22in cage.

Ringo is in 38in x 23inch cage. Wyatt will be going into the same type of cage. (They moved)

Currently Liam and Wyatt are in a 3x2 nic cage.

Apple is in a 38 1/2 inx 20 1/2 in and soon to be new foster will be in the same.

 

[Rabbit Hero]

bunniekrissy is right. I say "free range" all the time. But My rabbit is confined to my bedroom when I'm not home and when I'm sleeping. However he doesn't have a cage any more, just a carrier with some blankets if he feels he needs to run and hide. (although he usually uses the cat hotel).

I would say that we generally call our rabbits free range when they have a room, or spend spend extended periods of time outside of their cages.

 

[Flick]

Stella's and Parker's condo. You see the door's open and they have no interest in leaving.