Free reign bunnies

[fancybutterfly]

Hi Everyone!

As I read through many of these posts, I haven't come across one (that I can remember) where a bun has free reign of a house or room all day, even when we're not home. It seems that most of you have constructed "bunny condos".

Mine do. Everything is bunny-proofed of course. But I wonder is I shouldn't. Of course that would be a hard habit to break, especially for Bob.

He goes between my bedroom and the living room which are right next to eachother. He has his cage for the litter box and unlimited hay in the cube thingy.

Zeus has one room. same cage set up and hay cube (the cat cube house things, they love them and it keeps the hay contained!)

Any thoughts?

 

[Johncdn]

My guy Smokey has been out free range since last July.

He is about 18months old - neutered a year ago in December.The neutering was so effective at eliminating his furniture and carpet chewing, that we felt very comfortable in letting him out all day and even leaving him alone in the house for a couple of hours at a time through the afternoon. Most of his afternoons were spent sleeping under one of the beds orunder a blanket chestin the living room reappearing in the evening about 6pm or so. He would only be locked in his NIC condo at night between the hours of 12am - 6am.



We kicked around the idea of letting him stay outfull time, for a couple of months before doing it. Staying up late with him when work etc. allowed and even leaving him alone for a couple of hours to see what he would do. He behaved very well.

The one concern we had was that his favourite place to sleep in in afternoon was the bedroom that has an electric adjustable bed. When this bed is in use the gears motor etc. are exposed and would be quite a hazard were he to get in it. This was solved by making a strong gate for that bedroom that shuts him out at night. It took him about a month to get used to that - there were some late night gate banging sessions. He soon learned that although he lost a little bit of freedom, he gained so much more.

The change in him has been great. He now lives on a more natural bunny schedule. We hear him tearing around the living room just before sunrise getting more exercise than ever before. He greets the first person up with playful enthusiasm - but that could also be because that's when he gets a couple of raisins. He is more at ease because if he gets scared he can get to his preferred hiding places. Very good about using his litter box, we only ever find a few stray poops in the morning. He is much more social, preferring to nap on the top floor of his condo through the afternoon and only retreating to under the bed for a couple of hours of deep sleep just before evening.


No more chasing a speedy little brat who won't go to bed

Please have a look at some of his pics and videos from the link

<- on the side here.

 

[fancybutterfly]

Smokey sounds a lot like my Bob.

I used to cage him at night, but I would keep hearinghim jump around around andchewing on the cage....so I let him stay out at night to see what he would do. (This was about 9mos. ago, Bob is 1 yr 3 mos old)) He slept under my bed that night, and has ever since!

He has a hide out during the day in the living room. He likes it under one of the chairs. I put a towel under it (and the bed) for 'added comfort' .

Since Zeus in just in one room, there is less for me to worry about. But for both, ever since I let them each have free reign, they seem very happy!

So I let them!

Thanks for your input

PS Smokey is a handsome guy!

 

[MikeScone]

Scone is pretty much free range - I usually close his cage door when I'm at work, but even if I don't he'll go into the cage when I leave (whenever I come home he's always resting on his balcony). If I'm home, he's out.

He'll get me up in the morning by jumping into bed and kissing whatever part of me he can find, or digging in the covers to ask for petting. I feed him, and he runs around the house wherever I am until about 11:00. Then he'll disappear under my bed until about 2:00, when he comes out to see what I'm up to and get some petting. Then it's back to sleep again until about 6:00 or so. When I turn off the TV at night he runs into the bedroom to spend time with me until I turn off the light.

Repeat as needed...

 

[TK Bunnies]

All of my bunnies have free roam of my room 24-7, no doors or anything, well there is a stair way (I have the 2nd story for my room) that buns are TERRIFIED of so it works likea baby gate.

As long as it's bunny proof I don't see why it wouldn't be a good idea.e

The three bunnies have 2 cages that have their litter boxes food dishes and water bottles in and the doors are open all the time, the only time they ever get put in their cages is when:

1. There might be tornado and we have to get the buns down stairs
2. We're going to get anouther bunny and need to bring the others along for a date
3. Or a vet oppointment

 

[mouse_chalk]

Scone sounds like the cutest bunny! I can't ever see Mouse or Chalk doing that to me... to each other though lol!

Ours aren't strictly 'free-range' but I'm home most of the day every day, since I'm on long term sick leave, so whenever I'm up, they are too, and the doors to their cage are wide open. We shut them in at night and if we go shopping etc (although if it's a quick trip we sometimes leave them out, as they're quite trustworthy as long as there's nothing they can get to!) but their cage is a NIC 2 panels wide by 4 panels long, and 3 levels so they have plenty of room. They have only recently learnt to go upstairs, but we wont allow that cos there's just too many wires and stuff that we haven't bunny-proofed yet, so they have the whole of the downstairs but the hallway door stays shut!

When they're a bit older and have calmed down a little, we'd love to have them free-range, but they seem quite happy for now. In fact, with the cage doors open ALL day long (like, from 9am til 2/3am most days), they usually spend about 70% of the day in there, by choice! We built it too well I think lol :?

 

[katt]

winnie is completely free range. i told my roommate that if she doesn't want her stuff messed with then to keep her door closed, which it stays open.

i could never cage winnie again. she is way to use to having the entire place to herself. she has a cage that acts as a litter box, and her safe zone. she has a food and water dish in the kitchen, and normally sleeps next to me in my bed.

it was more a readjustment for us then winnie. all the houseplants had to be moved well out of harms way, and the nasty habbit of leaving things on the floor had to be broken (a lesson learned after winnie got a hold of a bag of powdered sugar that was mistakenly left on the floor).

people are always amazed that she is completely free range, and even more amazed that she sleep in the bed with me "you mean, like a cat?" is often the response i get.

 

[fancybutterfly]

Thanks for all of your input!

Katt, I get the same reaction from people.

They seem to think that bunnies belong in cage all day!

They are most amazed that buns can be litter trained!

I am jealous that Win sleep with you!

 

[Ringer]

Most people I know think rabbits should only be kept outside in a hutch. That's what I used to think also, but you never get to know them that way and basically they get so little attention. It's a sad life out there.

Rabbits are so smart thatthey adapt very well to the family indoors. I can't believe how smart they are.

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Fin has a big cage inthe living room and I usually let him out while i'm around doing stuff and he just hops around and chills and chews on my attic steps. But he's in the cage at night or when i'm not home or extremely busy.

He's my traveling compaion though too. I take him with me to the nursing home for pet therapy and I sat him between these two women on the couch and he put his head on someone's thigh and just passed out for the next 20 minutes.

The other woman thought he was a stuffed animal. The woman that petted him while he slept kept asking what kind of dog he was.

 

[kahlin]

Until we got out 3rd bunny, I would have trusted our brats to be free reign. However, I personally like them having a space that is just theirs....and because I'm paranoid, I like knowing that I can get acess to them at nightin case of emergency. Let's say there is a fire...as long as I can find the cage, I can get them. But if they were free reign, it would be hard to find a frightened bunny. But, again, I'm paranoid.

 

[fancybutterfly]

Good point, Kahlin...:?I never thought of thatIt would be hard to cage them now...so I guess it's a good thing I know where there hiding places are....

At night, bob is ALWAYS under my bed. Zeus is under his.

 

[Marietta]

That's a coincidence! I just posted a reply about how mine is a free reign bunny in the other thread asking where our bunnies live. He lives in my big kitchen, me being or not at home. I'd hate to have him encaged, he doesn't like cages, he only uses his own to eat and poop and sometimes get a short nap. Otherwise, he hops around his kingdom, the king of the kitchen!

Marietta