Free Range

[LuluBunny]

My Lulu is pretty much free to roam my bedroom as she pleases, but I find that occasionally I do need to lock her up for short periods of time (for example, if I need to vacuum). The only secure enclosure I have for her that can be lifted off the floor is her carrier, and I hate having to put her in there (even though, weirdly enough, she really likes it in there -- I think she thinks it's a hidey house).

My solution was a store bought cage. It would definitely be too small if I expected Lulu to spend most of her time in there, but her cage is just more of a glorified litter box. We keep her water bottle, food, hay and bedding in there so she can do what she needs to do neatly, but the rest of the time she's sprawled out in my bedroom. I only close her up in there when absolutely necessary.

I feel like it's silly to invest time and energy in an elaborate cage system if she's going to spend the majority of her time out of it. Can I get a second opinion on this?

 

[MikeScone]

I would give Lulu some sort of place she can call her own. It's not just someplace for you to lock her in when you need to, but as you've noticed, rabbits like to have a hidey hole they can go to when they feel the need.

If you don't want to invest in a store-bought cage, build something out of wire shelving or NIC Cube material (NIC is a trademark - there are a number of brands of square wire material which can be connected together with fittings to form storage cubes). Just use plastic zip-ties to fasten them together and you can make a cage of any size you want.

Natasha's cage is a store-bought standard cage on the bottom level, and the top floor is made from Home Depot wire shelving material, so it's kind of a hybrid. She's free range throughout the house when I'm home, but in her cage when I go out.

 

[Imbrium]

lots of folks do the same thing, either with a NIC condo (because that's typically cheaper than a store-bought cage) or with a cheap store cage. if your bunny's out of it 20-24h a day, there's really no need for anything more than a small cage to contain her food, water and litter box.

 

[Apebull]

I don't think you need anything more then what you have. Twigs is out 24/7. If for some reason we HAVE to lock him up then we have old kennel wire panels that we use to confine him to a corner of the dining room. It's were his food, water and litter box already is so it's sort of "his corner".

 

[whitelop]

You could find a dog kennel if you wanted. My big bun has a store bought plastic bottomed cage, its the largest you can buy but she was out of it 20 hours a day. Now the baby bun is in the store cage and big bun is in a dog kennel. Its a large sized kennel for a large breed dog. She seems pretty happy in there, she isn't out as much as usual because of the baby, but she likes the kennel.
You might be able to find one of craigslist of something like that, because they do get pretty pricey if you have to buy a new one.

But to be honest, I think if your bun is happy with her little carrier then there's nothing wrong with that. Its good that she has something like that actually, since she is free range in your room. If there was an emergency, you could just get her in her carrier and go and she already knows it and feels safe in it.

 

[LuluBunny]

I would give Lulu some sort of place she can call her own. It's not just someplace for you to lock her in when you need to, but as you've noticed, rabbits like to have a hidey hole they can go to when they feel the need.

If you don't want to invest in a store-bought cage, build something out of wire shelving or NIC Cube material (NIC is a trademark - there are a number of brands of square wire material which can be connected together with fittings to form storage cubes). Just use plastic zip-ties to fasten them together and you can make a cage of any size you want.

Natasha's cage is a store-bought standard cage on the bottom level, and the top floor is made from Home Depot wire shelving material, so it's kind of a hybrid. She's free range throughout the house when I'm home, but in her cage when I go out.

I don't really have the capacity to build even the simplest DIY cage, which is why I just bought her a relatively cheap store-bought cage. In addition to her cage, she also has a play area, which is her favorite spot to lounge in. I don't think she really feels homeless -- my room's not that big and she's claimed her favorite spots. I let her roam my room even when I'm out, since it's bunny-proofed. The cage really is just her dining room and bathroom, and occasional emergency containment device.

 

[missyscove]

It sounds okay to me. I like having a cage where I can secure them while I'm not home or while I'm sleeping (both times when they're typically also sleeping). They share a 42 inch dog crate and have the run of my room whenever I'm home. I definitely think they like their cage as they do spend a lot of their free run time hanging out in it.
I also like having a cage because if I need to take them somewhere (e.g. home for the next 2 weeks for my Christmas break), I can just pack them up and bring their home with me. Then I know they'll still be comfortable.
I also think all buns should be used to their carrier. It should be somewhere where they occasionally go in it without anything bad happening to them so that when you need to transport them, they're not stressed out just because they're in their carrier (works great with cats and cat carriers too!)

 

[Nancy McClelland]

When I clean the bunny room I let ours roam. Nikki will sleep right next to the shop vac when she isn't trying to stick her nose in it. As you can see by the avatar, she's a world class sleeper.