When you let your bun out in the evening...

[Jenk]

For those of you who have a bun penned during the day, I'm curious to know:

1) What time do you let your bun out for evening exercise?

2) Is s/he actually awake at that time, or is s/he still sleepy and, thus, lies around much of the time?

3) Do you do anything to encourage your rabbits to exercise when they're out in the evening, so that their time isn't spent just lying around?

My husband and I have two buns who are not bonded, so we let them out at different times. For this reason, they don't get as much time out as we would like to give them. (They'd get more time out if we let them out by, say, 5:30 pm, but they're still hunkered down and resting at that time; they'd just flop on the floor whether in their pen or not.)


Jenk

 

[MandyK]

I let my rabbits out around 3pm. Sometimes I get home late and they don't get out of their cages until 5 or 6pm. They used to just lay around, but I think they got used to the schedule. They adjusted and slept more during the day so they would have energy at night. I suggest keeping up the schedule, try to let them out at the same time every night, they will get used to it.

I find that if I stay in the room with them, they exercise/run around more. I can hear when I'm downstairs that they don't move around a lot when they're alone.

 

[MagPie]

My thanks to my crazy work hours I let Harvey out between 7pm and 10pm in the evenings. By that time he's active. He'll do his binkies and he's zoom zooms and then settle in for the night. Or it'll be off and on whether he's active or not. On my days off if I'm home he's out all day. If he knows I am home and he's in his cage he'll throw things about like his litter box until I let him out. He especially likes doing this right as I am leaving for work.

 

[Jenk]

MagPie wrote:

My thanks to my crazy work hours I let Harvey out between 7pm and 10pm in the evenings. By that time he's active. He'll do his binkies and he's zoom zooms and then settle in for the night. Or it'll be off and on whether he's active or not.

Unfortunately, my bun duo is accustomed to being let out 8 pm (Emma) and 9 pm (Pink). Some nights, we give them more time, so Pink may not be let out until 9:30 or even 10 pm.

The crummy part about this setup is that we humans don't get to bed until 12 - 12:30 am.

Long ago, I tried letting them out earlier, but they had no interest in moving around at that hour; so the time they were out was essentially wasted. (Emma especially needs to move quite a bit to keep her digestive system working well.)

You may be wondering why we don't divide up the space and let them both out at the same time. Emma, if given less space than what she's used to--which is our entire upstairs-- refuses to use her litter box. And holding her fecals seems to contribute to more digestive (slowdown/stasis) issues for her.

 

[Mindy10]

Blossom is out all the time. She has her cage and mostly during the day she sleeps on the shelf under my tv and then will go into her cage around 4 and eat and then after that runs around the family room and goes in her cage when she wants to. Im not sure if thats the right thing because I cant tell if she is peeing because we have a dark rug in there. Her litter box is filled up by night time so Im hoping thats all she is using.

 

[piperknitsRN]

Jenk wrote:

For those of you who have a bun penned during the day, I'm curious to know:

1) What time do you let your bun out for evening exercise?

2) Is s/he actually awake at that time, or is s/he still sleepy and, thus, lies around much of the time?

3) Do you do anything to encourage your rabbits to exercise when they're out in the evening, so that their time isn't spent just lying around?

My husband and I have two buns who are not bonded, so we let them out at different times. For this reason, they don't get as much time out as we would like to give them. (They'd get more time out if we let them out by, say, 5:30 pm, but they're still hunkered down and resting at that time; they'd just flop on the floor whether in their pen or not.)


Jenk

1) It really varies. Sometimes I push the envelope and let them stay out of their X pen (I have a bonded pair) while I'm away, but I'm generally never away for more than a few hours, tops (ah, the life of a student.)

2) It varies. Often if they're cooped up all day long, they'll be happy for some freedom, but usually the first thing I do is feed them their second ration of pellets for the day, so they do a little happy dance over that.

3) In general, no. They seem most active in the morning and the evening (and at night, when I'm trying to sleep--ha ha ha... oh wait, that's not so funny) and then only in short little bunny bursts. I've yet to meet a rabbit who would bend her will to mine and do Bunny 500's because I asked her to.

 

[Paddy Ohara]

I let my girl out as soon as the dog finishes dinner which can vary some. She will eat his food and he lets her. Usually she is out no later than 7 each night. She will sometimes want to go away early because she wants to eat but I usally wait until around 10 or so. Sometimes she is awake and wants to come out as early as 4 and sometimes she won't come out until 8. When I am not working or going in later she comes out in the mornings too. She is really not pinned up. She has her own room and lots to do so I don't worry about her to much and let her get her social time to suite her needs. When I am off from work, she tries so hard to stay out and up all day but ends up sleeping in the hall outside of her bedroom door but not locked in.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Mine have the option to run around their rooms when ever they want. They follow the early morning/evening schedule. Even on weekends when I am available to play they sleep all afternoon. They play from the first hint of light until around 11, then go under the dresser or their apple box to sleep until around 6 or 7.

In the evenings I do play "chase" with my one chubby bun. My husband thinks I am nuts. I say in a goofy voice "who's gonna get your bum" and wiggle my fingers. She will start hopping, then look over her shoulder. As long as I wiggle my fingers at her she will take off running around a bit. Some times she lets me catch her and I tickle her back end, then she starts hopping again. The whole game only lasts a few minutes because I don't want to stress her out, but it has helped her loose weight.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours get a varied time as they get a three to four hour out time and every sixth day the lucky one gets to stay out all night--which gets rotated because we have six buns, none bonded.

 

[Jenk]

Nancy McClelland wrote:

Ours get a varied time as they get a three to four hour out time and every sixth day the lucky one gets to stay out all night--which gets rotated because we have six buns, none bonded.

Am I correct to assume that someone is home at all times with your buns, since they're rotated out of their pens every 3-4 hours?

I have enough trouble balancing time between two unbonded buns; I can't fathom making it work for six of them. :? But my hat's off to you for making it work. :biggrin:


Jenk

 

[KingKuba]

Junior is out all the time. Takes naps under the bed in the afternoon.

Used to keep him in the cage at night and take him out in the morning but after a few weeks of giving him freedom and being good we just trusted him.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

1) What time do you let your bun out for evening exercise?

7ish I bring them in for evening pets. Being outside bunnies, I don't do it for such long periods in the winter espcially at night. But i do try for consistance.

2) Is s/he actually awake at that time, or is s/he still sleepy and, thus, lies around much of the time?
Ripley's really to go run around in circles around me whenever I'm willing to let him out. Taffy spends her life eating hay in the upstairs of her hutch.

3) Do you do anything to encourage your rabbits to exercise when they're out in the evening, so that their time isn't spent just lying around?

Ripley doesn't need any encouragement to run. Taffy sits like a big lump wanting treats.