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Forum THE LOUNGE Do You Have A Free Roam Bunny?

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    • Little Lion Head
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        We’ve been having some serious talks about letting PumpRock free roam our house 24/7. Well by serious talks, I mean I’ve been slamming into my hubby’s brain and forcing him to eventually take my stance on it. 

        These two (knock on wood!) have never really chewed on or dug at anything. It’s shocking how well behaved they are actually! Pumpkin went through a short stage before we got Rocky but we haven’t had issues in months!

        They would have access to the entire first floor of the house, including 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. I’ve never seen them go into the bathroom, but they do enjoy certain bedroom napping spots.

        They are currently free roam when we are home and in a HUGE condo (I would guess 11 feet by 4 feet) when are not home.

        Questions for those with free roamers:

        1. Where is your bunny’s “home base?”

        2. How do you feed hay (feeder, rack, in litter box?)

        3. What surprising issues have you run into? (I know about the chewing and digging, etc. but what other things should I be thinking about?).

        4. Advice/thoughts?

        I’m actually not concerned at all that they don’t have enough space. I know they have MORE than enough! I’d just love to get this condo out of my living room!! It’s such an eyesore. And I’d like to have kids one day and would like to have the space for baby things like swings and bouncy chairs!! So really it’s me being selfish and the buns will get to benefit!


      • BubblesJo
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          Chester has been free roam pretty much since I adopted him. I took us less than two months to reach that agreement

          1. Where is your bunny’s “home base?” Chester has a cage that’s open 24/7. It’s really not that big, but it’s the one he came in when I adopted him. And I try not to mess with him when he’s in there, so it’s his safe space.

          2. How do you feed hay (feeder, rack, in litter box?)  I have a small rack and add hay twice a day. It’s above the litter box. Although Chester likes to spread his hay out on the floor of his cage.

          3. What surprising issues have you run into? (I know about the chewing and digging, etc. but what other things should I be thinking about?). Chester likes to wake me up just before day break. Today he woke me up at around 5:30… Would not happen if he wasn’t free roam. He also thinks that the house is his, so I’ve caught him sleeping on the coffee table. Or sneaking into a closet. Nothing too bad.

          4. Advice/thoughts? It’s fun having a free roam bunny Can only imagine with two!


        • Stickerbunny
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            Powder used to be free roam, before he bonded to Stickers. He never chewed, he was pretty good on litter habits and he even slept in the bed. Pretty good bun. After the bond, no way. Started chewing, digging, litter habits went out the window.

            So… if your buns are well behaved… not much different than having a cat around. You might get woken up early when they wanna play, you might get some stuff destroyed. The biggest surprise Powder gave me was he liked to sleep under the bed and one morning I woke up to the bed SHAKING like crazy. Somebunny had chewed a hole in the underside of the box springs and was doing bunny 500s inside of it. *sigh*


          • Sarita
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              Yes, Bobby is free roam 24/7.

              He has a room that is kind of an odd little room in my home – not really a bedroom or a loft but open to the hallway upstairs where is his litter box, food, and willow tents are but he goes all over upstairs and downstairs.

              Hay in the litter box and in front of his box on an area rug. He’ll poop on the rug but it’s easy clean up – I vacuum with his own special vacuum his room every morning.

              Nothing surprising really – lately he stays at the bottom of my bed at night – not sure if he’s sleeping or what – sometimes see him stretched out (but I have to wear glasses) and sometimes he nudges me for pets – this can be disruptive when you are trying to sleep. He does leave fecal poops at the end of the bed – I don’t love that but it’s easy to clean and since it’s just me, I allow it…not that I have a choice.


            • Little Lion Head
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                Oh my gosh Chester is IN that tiny little hay basket. Too cute!!!!!

                Stickerbunny–that sounds like the behavior I mentioned about Pumpkin. After we brought her home she chewed a hole through the bottom of our BRAND NEW couch to get into the chaise lounge and take a nap. Now that the hole is there she hasn’t ever added more but still goes in there to sleep.

                Bobbys little area sounds perfect!


              • LongEaredLions
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                  1. Where is your bunny’s “home base?”

                  Our bunnies have a condo in the entry way.

                  2. How do you feed hay (feeder, rack, in litter box?)

                  Two bent-grid hay racks over their litter boxes.

                  3. What surprising issues have you run into? (I know about the chewing and digging, etc. but what other things should I be thinking about?).

                  Any small spaces AT ALL. I have found that with lionheads, the fluffiness is very deceiving and they can fit through smaller gaps than you might think. Roxi has been known to squeeze through a 2.5×2.5 inch gap. I have NO idea how.

                  4. Advice/thoughts?

                  Even though Free Range may not be for everyone I have personally found it to be very rewarding for both me and bunnies. Nothing better than coming home from work and plopping on the couch and then a bunny hops right up next to you! Good luck!


                • Sarita
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                    I agree, it’s so much more fun and liberating as an owner to have a free roam rabbit. I feel it’s easier to care for a free roamer than a rabbit who is confined in some way. I’m lucky that Bobby is pretty near perfect as a free roamer.


                  • BubblesJo
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                      Chester’s middle name is ridiculous

                      Rewarding is the right word LEL! It’s just so awesome to have Chester jump on the couch when he wants pets or more attention. Or seeing him zoom and binky on the bed when he successfully wakes me up in the morning!


                    • Little Lion Head
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                        When we had Boston we lived in a tiny little duplex on the top floor. I loved it when I came home and hubby was already there and had let Boston out. She would always be waiting for me at the top of the stairs when she heard me opening the door!


                      • Bam
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                          My bunnies are free roam but since they are not friends, I’ve divided the apt with a gate. Bam has the living-room and Yohio has the rest. I pretty much totally agree totally with what the others have said already, incl the sursprisingly small spaces that a bunny can fit into if a bunny wants to. Yohio likes to dig in my bed-linen, so I keep fleece blankies at the foot end for him to dig in.

                          Yohio’s safe space is under the bed where he naps during day-time, in the afternoon/evening he naps on the bed. Bam’s safe place is under the coffea-table. I’m sorry to say that I’ve hay EVERYWHERE incl in my gym tights. I put it in the hayboxes, but the bunnies spread it out. I’ve not figured out a solution to that and I doubt I will.


                        • Little Lion Head
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                            Someone told me once they use the bottom of a typical rabbit cage for a litter box. We have one of those cages and that actually might work to put right where their “home” is now!….hmm…..you guys are giving me good thoughts to think about!


                          • BrunosMama
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                              Great questions, LLH! Our dream is to have the buns free roam, just in their own room. We have tried introducing everyone…….it was not a great adventure. So we are pairing everyone off in rooms.

                              My question is…..how do messy people have free roam buns? Housekeeping is not exactly our strong suit. Just wondered if anyone else was a messy free roamer?


                            • Stickerbunny
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                                I’m not the best housekeeper, mess is fine… as long as you keep unsafe things and things you don’t want destroyed up. However, the messier the house gets, the more destructive my buns get. So, there is that issue.

                                LLH – I use the bottom of a pet store cage Stickers came in as a litter box. They like it. Though, it’s a bit more of a pain to clean than regular litter boxes, since it’s so big. lol


                              • jerseygirl
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                                  Ive seen the cage bases used to coral everything for free roamers. So litter boxes, hay food and water bowls all in there.

                                  I intend to come back to this thread to answer the qu’s more but for now I just wanted direct you to these 2 images. For inspiration perhaps?

                                  See mr hankers pics here:
                                  https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/119865/afpg/2/Default.aspx

                                  Also, AndHenrys litter set up for Henry here:
                                  https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/130279/Default.aspx

                                  You’ll also find plenty of disguised litter box ideas on ikea hackers site by putting the term “litter” in the search feature.

                                  Not certain if you’re looking to disguise or not but these make nice home bases regardless.


                                • Bam
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                                    At my mum’s house, Bam has a cage where he keeps his waterbottle, hay-rack and food bowl, the litter-boxes are elsewhere though, in the two places he’s chosen himself. He goes in the cage to sleep at night but the cage door is always open.

                                    I can’t bring Yohio to my mum’s because he’s such a destructro chewer. He has a sitter (bf) when I stay at my mother’s.

                                    I’m a messy person I have to admit, but having bunnies makes it worse. If I were a very tidy person, I’d go berzerk over free-roam bunnies, so the bunnies benefit from my liberal view on house-cleaning. (I do clean, so it is clean mening sanitary, but there’s hay and hay and more hay just about everywhere except in the kitchen.) I sweep every day. It’s a bit like brushing a heavily coated shedding dog; you can’t be sure it even makes a difference, but hope never dies.


                                  • Roberta
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                                      One has to get creative. My house is a mess at the moment, has been for the last two years and will probably stay that way for anotherv12 months. I hate it but I am getting inventive. I have some wooden bunny hutches people donated. No good forvreal bunnies so I am converting them to storage seats to put in the bunny area. Itvwill take a lot of the mess from their rooms and round the house. I really can’t let them loosevat the moment or I’d never find them.


                                    • Anne's animals
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                                        1#:my bunny has a hutch(indoors)
                                        2#:we se cafe fresh bedding but in the conner theres a pile of hay.(litter box is in the hutch)
                                        3#if your bun is not spayed the bunny will have a poops out side of the litter box.
                                        4#a room with nothing in it would be better so you don’t have to do much bunny profing


                                      • Pomandcourt
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                                          My angora is free roam by her choice. I came home the second day I had her to a completely destroyed cage. She was kept in the entryway so I was imagining a ruined apartment. Nope. She just tore her cage apart and then sat calmly in the apartment the rest of the day. Just to let me know that she would mess me up if I tried to keep her in her pen -_-

                                          1. Where is your bunny’s “home base?”

                                          My entry way is tiled so her litter box, water, and hay are there. It’s where I had her caged originally. I just too a square off the x-pen so it’s a little fence to keep things relatively in the same space. She does occasionally decide it’s not right and pulls the whole thing into the middle of the floor. She’s a strong bun.

                                          2. How do you feed hay (feeder, rack, in litter box?)

                                          Same set up as when she was in her cage. If you bun can easily enter and exit their current set up as it is now, I would just leave the door open. My other buns are not free roam (we’ll get to why in the next question), but when I’m home their hutch door is open so they can pop in an out as they please. They would like the door open at all times even though they like to spend most of the day sitting in their hutch.

                                          3. What surprising issues have you run into? (I know about the chewing and digging, etc. but what other things should I be thinking about?).

                                          She tore into the couch cushion. Wouldn’t even jump on or off the couch (still is nervous about it) and I came home one day to find stuffing everywhere. Nothing is out of reach for them. My hutched buns chew everything. Especially my boy, Luke. He’s starting to teach Pom to chew as well which is not good. He’s chewed base boards and a little bit of the wall behind the curtain. When we visited my parents he tried to chew up their bar stools and the bar.
                                          Any loose papers = bunny toys. Any loose cushions? Now bunny toys. If you don’t want it to belong to your bun, it needs to be put up high or into a drawer or cupboard.

                                          4. Advice/thoughts?

                                          Make sure all cords are out of reach and unplugged. Phone chargers, computers, TV, etc. Bunnies can fit into the tiniest of spaces so don’t assume they can’t get behind/underneath your desk etc. Not only is it annoying and potentially expensive, your bunny could electrocute himself.
                                          Personally, I don’t let my free run girl into my room or office at all. Sometimes I’ll let her in my room with me when I’m tidying, but other than that no. That’s my preference though. I like to have my own space too.

                                          As Pom is an angora, anywhere she frequently lays or brushes up against is coated in wool. I imagine most long haired buns are the same.

                                          I love having a free roam bunny. I’m so sad my other guy insists on chewing walls and baseboards or they’d all be free run. If I move to a bigger place, I’d definitely have a bunny room instead of my current set up though. A room with all their stuff and then just have the door open when I’m home so they can come out, explore, and keep me company.


                                        • Little Lion Head
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                                            Thank you all so much for your advice and input! My parents come to see us in a couple weeks, so we’ll get the basement door up and then I think we’ll start the transition…


                                          • Sarita
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                                              Here’s my set up for Bobby – the first photo just kind of gives you an idea of the room – it’s an open space – not sure of the initial purpose of it, but it does not have a door.

                                               

                                               


                                            • Cottontail
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                                                Questions for those with free roamers:

                                                1. Where is your bunny’s “home base?”

                                                Pete:  When we had our own space he had his cage (always open) in our bedroom, and an open condo where the dining room would be if we actually had a dining room table.  He also loved to chill out under or next to the couch in the living room.

                                                Tilly: She’s only free roaming under supervision because she has issues with personal space that Pete and Zoey can’t cope with yet.  She had a cage in the office and a gate separating her from Pete’s run of the apartment.

                                                2. How do you feed hay (feeder, rack, in litter box?)

                                                Pete:   He loves his hay in piles on hay mats.  That way he can dig in it, make a nest out of it, and eat it while he relaxes in it. He doesn’t like hay in the litter box because apparently that’s “unsanitary.”

                                                Tilly:  Her hay has to be over her litter box.  No matter where the hay or pellets are, if she’s eating dry food she’s pooping. lol

                                                3. What surprising issues have you run into? (I know about the chewing and digging, etc. but what other things should I be thinking about?).

                                                Pete:  We found out that he can jump about 7-8 feet straight up without a running start.  You want him to stay out of something? Good luck.  He’s been known to open and close the xbox, and disappear behind the TV…  He also will slip past you when you open a door if you’re not careful.  Always look down when you open a door, even for a moment!

                                                Tilly:  She will eat ANYTHING.  Even if it’s a dried bit of ketchup on the carpet that no one but her noticed.   Got a warm room? She will block the floor vent with her belly and then the room will get really warm and it will be harder to get her to move from her cool place.  We have to block access to the vent with an angled grate or fan or she’ll make the room toasty and her belly chilly.  She also digs when she wants attention or she gets bored.  So we try to keep different toys near base-boards so that she doesn’t start at the carpet by the walls.

                                                4. Advice/thoughts?

                                                Got windows?  Make sure you don’t have anything fragile on the sill.  Eventually the bunnies will find a way to get there and things will break or the bunny will fall because they think they have more room than they actually do. 

                                                Look in the fridge before you close the door;  I nearly closed Pete in once.

                                                Get a filing cabinet if you don’t have one already.  Don’t leave papers out on tables or desks.  Chairs or shelves allow for them to get places you didn’t think were accessible.  I got in the habit of pulling the chair at least 3 feet away from the desk whenever I left the room because otherwise Tilly would become a paper-shredder and Pete would climb on the computer.

                                                Keep a vinegar/water bottle handy for spot cleaning.  Also, figure out if they like or hate bitter apple.  If they hate it use it to sprits areas that you don’t want them in or things you don’t want them chewing.  If they like it, you have my sympathies… Tilly thinks it’s candy.


                                              • Little Lion Head
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                                                  I love Bobby’s space!! That “room” was obviously meant to be a bunny’s home base–it couldn’t be more perfect!!

                                                  7 feet straight up CT?! Holy cow!!! And I am picturing Tilly taking up all the cool air. Smart bunny!!

                                                  We don’t really have window sills because our living room window goes floor to ceiling with a like a half inch ledge sticking out. Both bunnies have gotten stuck on that between the condo and the window though. And they both keep crawling back there on it trying to get to the back of the condo from the outside. It doesn’t make any sense lol!

                                                  The only other space I would worry about is the dining room, but even after 7 months, Pumpkin has never gone in there. Rocky likes to wander in once in a while but doesn’t stay long w/out Pumpkin to keep him company. She just doesn’t like the floors; he likes to nap under the end tables. There are two plants (one on each end table). They can’t get up on the tables, but leaves do fall sometimes. I have an Umbrella Tree and a China Doll. I will have to be viligant about making sure there are no leaves on the floor.


                                                • Little Lion Head
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                                                    I am still ***patiently*** waiting for my husband to put up the basement door so I can start transitioning to free roam.

                                                    So confession time: I am a super anxious worry wart. I worry about everything and sometimes I worry about things that don’t make sense and can’t stop thinking about it. Anyways, today I was imagining what it will be like when the bunnies are free roam and started worrying about them getting outside. Those of you that have free-roamers: do you block off the area of your house where you come in and out?

                                                    Honestly, I have never seen either bunny go into the kitchen (where the back door is) which is really odd. Our first bunny didn’t mind the linolem at all. So I’m probably overthinking it, but who knows! I’m just so super paranoid!


                                                  • ALMNS
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                                                      My rabbit has no interest in the door leading to outside. I have a 2nd floor balcony and I leave a door open when I’m able supervise so he can get fresh air. He will put his nose to to entrance and hop away. He really dislikes breezes comingopen window/door or floor fan.

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                                                  Forum THE LOUNGE Do You Have A Free Roam Bunny?