Free roaming!

[spoh]

Okay, so those of you who allow your buns toroam free in the house or even a room how in the world do you keep themfrom chewing the coffee tables and stuff or do you just keep them in anempty room. Lucy is finding her way up onto my bookshelves,the window sills etc.there in nothing that is sacred in thisroom. So far she hasn't figured out how to get behind thecomputer, we do have it fenced off but I'm not sure how long that willlast.

Thanks, Joy

 

[Porpy]

Despite the mentioned (in another post) toilettraining issues Tigger is a free range bunny. From what I'veexperienced there is no way or preventating a bunny from goingsomewhere they can access (or chewing it). We had problems with herclimbing bookshelves and chewing and the only way round it wastoput cardboard in front to protect them. She eventually gotbored. Either you need to block an area off, protect with something orkeep a really good eye on them (this is not always successfull, we'velost a telephone, laptop cable, any number of DVD covers and the tablelegs have received some bunny attension.

 

[BinkyRabbit33]

I'm just starting today to give my rabbit freerange of the bathroom her NIC cage is in. Its a big room, but there isnothing that she can really get stuck or hurt in, so she's fine. Thebest advice i can give is if you dont want the rabbit somewhere, thenblock it off.

 

[~BunBuns~]

my rabbit has figured out how to get behide thecomputer, by climbing up the chair, on the table then she jumps behindethe computer. The best way i go her away from it was each time she wentnear id pull her away and say no. Now when shes playing she doesnt getnear the computer. Just be patient maybe she'll get it when you say NO!

 

[gwhoosh]

My bunny climbs everywhere too! I still haveproblems keeping her from chewing on things like wood furniture anddoors. The best tool I have for protecting things and places is tonsand tons of NICs! I have probably 2 full boxes of NICs around my room,and I have a pretty small room. I also have a troublemaker bunny though

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Chance is my biggest free range bunny, he getsthe entire house and the fenced inacre of land behind it (wekeep the back door open a good bit and he goes up and down his ramp onthe porch as he pleases). This is mostly because he's the most obedientrabbit (comes when called) while Harper will run if he see's you comingand it takes an hour to catch him. And he's mischevious.

Chance is pretty good about not chewing things he's not supposed to.But he has his moments. He won't touch cords, thank God, but we stillput them up out of reach or hide them behind stuff that he can't get to.

As far as chewing table legs and sofa legs, Chance doesn't do it butHarper does. Bitter Apple spray or Bitter Lime spray works pretty goodat deterring them from it.

As far as blocking them from going behind things such as the sofa andPC desk, using NIC grids works good. I usually block behind the sofa,tv center, and PC desk so Chance can't go behind there. Other thanthat, we don't have too many problems letting him be free roam.

Potty habits while free range is another story for him, and we're still working on it. :rollseyes

 

[Quyntarious]

Mufasa is fully free range, but he has beenchewing everything. I want him to be happy, and that is why I kept him,so he can be let out. I have shut him in twice since Amandamoved out. If bun is bad, I spray things with Bitterapple. He is bad about wires, because he is sneaky asheck. When I was moving my surround sound, my new roommatewas telling me how he could feel the bite marks on the wires.and he's almost chewed through some of my wires. I have justcome to expect bite marks on books. It's become common placeto cover my ps2 controller with a hat. Glad to know thatpeople are having the same problems.

 

[HoneyPot]

Yeah it's pretty much impossible to teach abunny not to do something once it gets it in it's little mind that it'ssomething they need to do. My two have free run of a spareroom, my bedroom and the upstairs hallway when we are nothome. When we are home they also get the run of the entirehouse.

For us, it really was like baby proofing the house. There areno books on the bottom 2 shelves of our book shelves, just vases andbottles. All wires are covered in that protective wireplastic coating or it's tied up higher than they can reach with zipties. I gave up on my baseboards in the spare room - thechewing is getting the paint off, but not really damaging the wood -although they quit chewing on them about 6 months ago. They have amillion toys to play with - so that seems to keep them enteretained.

At first I didn't want them playing INthe box spring of mymatress- then I gave up,cheked it for being bunnysafe and nowit's their favorite place to spendtime.

Basically, they trained me. There's nothing within bunnyreach that I care if they play with or that they can destroy - I thinkthat really is key.

Maybe giving them an area that is free run (like a bathroom etc.) but not your living room with the good furniture...

Good luck.

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Nadia