Rabbit Roaming Problems

[Starlie]

Hi, I just recently got a 3 month old female bunny. She spends most of her time in her cage, but I let her roam in a pen as well. However, I have heard that bunnies need a lot of exercise, and that many people have free roam rabbits, so I wanted to give my bunny free rein in a small portion of our house. I mentioned this to my mom, but she pretty much freaked out.
She's not a germophobe or anything, but for some reason, she's convinced that rabbits are unsanitary, germy carriers of evil. She insists on sterilizing every surface that my bunny touches and laying down pee pads everywhere she walks. She refuses to even touch my bunny without gloves. I understand that rabbits definitely need to be cleaned up after, but my mom is a little over the top. Today she completely freaked out just because I let my bun loose for a while around the house (under supervision).

In her eyes, everything that my bunny touches is contaminated. This goes for blankets, furniture, rugs, walls, etc. Nothing I say could change her mind, but I want to make sure my bunny gets enough exercise and stays fit and healthy.

I'm hoping personal accounts from seasoned bunny owners will help change her mind. If not, any advice for alternate solutions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[Natalie8]

If you havnt you should litter train your doe it helps a lot
I have the same problem I now have 3 rabbits and they can only free roam my tools because my mum doesn’t like some mess they make

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Can't change a mind that's already made up--good luck.

 

[Natalie8]

Can't change a mind that's already made up--good luck.

I think you can
I’m sure you have changed peoples minds in my experience i changed my family’s minds I wasn’t supposed to get a rabbit at all but 2 years down the line I have 3 and more to come

 

[Mehidk]

Can't change a mind that's already made up--good luck.

I disagree. There are some parents out there who have a change of heart when the person is willing to show responsibility, it just depends on whether or not the parent gives that opportunity to do so. My mom is not an animal person either, and this is mainly because she thinks she will be the one who ends up taking care of them. However, after finally so many years, she's accepted that I'm going to have animals. Plus, I have yet to ask her to do anything with my rabbit and she's even learned to enjoy my rabbit's company.

@Starlie, your mom sounds like mine lol. With your younger baby, my guess is that she's not neutered yet right? Her hormones will kick in so I would definitely focus more on litter training her to limit any accidents from happening because if your mom is anything like mine, she would freak out at the sight of pee. Make sure you get her neutered when its time to lessen the bad habits. Maybe your mom is afraid of her chewing on everything - which is a very reasonable answer as to why she's being so meticulous about everything. Have you thought about using a large exercise pen? It's enough space to get that exercise going. That's what I currently use in my room. While my rabbit free roams when I'm home, I cannot trust her to be by herself when I'm at work because she likes to pee on my bed (doesn't pee anywhere else besides the litter box so my guess is revenge for when I clip her nails). So while I work, she's in an exercise pen. It's worked well for months and I've had no issues.

 

[Catlyn]

I think you can
I’m sure you have changed peoples minds in my experience i changed my family’s minds I wasn’t supposed to get a rabbit at all but 2 years down the line I have 3 and more to come

I agree with that. My parents wouldn't let me get any pet but i persuaded them until i got one. And i took really good care of him. I explained to mum why neutering did much more than stop the ability to reproduce. And he changed her mind. I also convinced my parents to let Musti live inside in the apartment. I paid all the bills that came with him. Sadly, the bill of keeping a life that was hard to save didn't come.
Dad trusted me so much with taking care of a pet that he let me get a new bun the day our first one had to go.

Although after those exampmes, i must say that not every made-up mind can be moved. Caution is required, but it can happen!

 

[Blue eyes]

Hi, I just recently got a 3 month old female bunny. She spends most of her time in her cage, but I let her roam in a pen as well. However, I have heard that bunnies need a lot of exercise, and that many people have free roam rabbits, so I wanted to give my bunny free rein in a small portion of our house.

I wouldn't be trying to free roam yet. She's 3 months old which means she is going to be getting hormonal very soon. Hormonal rabbits can have drastic changes in behavior including forgetting their potty habits. (hormones affect each rabbit to a different degree)

I would instead just use that ex-pen to create a larger space by making use of an existing wall. A pen that is wrapped into a box shape only provides 16 sq ft. That can be doubled if configured like the one in the photo. The one in the photo provides about 30 sq ft which is a good space for a rabbit to run around. Just be sure that any boxes are not against the pen wall or it could be used as a step over the side.

 

[Starlie]

Update: I convinced my mom to let me free-range her in my room. Until I get her fixed, I will be keeping her in an ex-pen.
Thanks for all the tips and suggestions!