Is a Pen necessary?

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PenelopeBun

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Penelope’s free range all of the time and has been for the year and a half I’ve had her, so is there any need for me to actually have a pen for her? It takes up a lot of space and I’m just wondering whether it is actually necessary or can I just have a set area where her litter box and food/water is? She never uses it, I’ve just always had it set up because I thought that’s what was needed when owning a house rabbit!
 

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If you’re rabbit is a free-range rabbit, no, there’s no need for a pen. All you may want is a home base cage (perhaps a dog crate), but other than that provided the room is bunny-proofed you should be fine :)
 
My two, 10lbs house bunnys have no pen, cage or whatever, their base with hay rack, water and litterbox is in the vestibule, I cut a hole in the door, put some fabric strips as curtain over it so they can go in and out as they like.
 
As long as she has her toilet area and a nice place for her to hide/sleep like a closed box or bed, than it is fine if she doesn't have a pen.
 
Penelope’s free range all of the time and has been for the year and a half I’ve had her, so is there any need for me to actually have a pen for her? It takes up a lot of space and I’m just wondering whether it is actually necessary or can I just have a set area where her litter box and food/water is? She never uses it, I’ve just always had it set up because I thought that’s what was needed when owning a house rabbit!
I have free roam buns too and I put them up at night in a pen for safety. Even with bunny proofing, my two can find that one unsafe thing every time! Lol....
 
I like for my free ranging rabbits to have a 'home-base' type cage for their stuff. In my experience, it seems that they like to have a space of their own. This space, they know, is one in which they can retreat whenever they don't want to be bothered.

I would suspect, however, that a rabbit in a consistently calm home may not need such a base.

In our case, if visitors are coming and going, we're entertaining, or the dogs are being rambunctious, etc., I notice the rabbits will tend to seek refuge in their cage.

I've had some small, home-base type cages over the years. The one in the photo, even though the sides are clear, seemed to be the spot they preferred when not exploring.

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