Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Transitioning to Supervised Free Range?

Viewing 6 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • pinknfwuffy
      Participant
      660 posts Send Private Message

        Hi everyone, I adopted Olaf, my six-month old Californian, on Halloween. He has been a really great addition to my life and has a lot of potential. I had him neutered a week ago and he is a very friendly, curious bun. Right now he is living in a 2×3 C&C two-level condo. When I am home I attach an x-pen to the cage so he can binky about and come and go as he pleases.

        I have only let him explore my entire living room twice (no x-pen) and he was pretty good. Lots of new smells so he was interested in exploring and eventually laid down against a wall where he was fascinated by the sheer curtains. I would love to let him have free range of the living room when I am home but am unsure how to make that transition. My concern is urination as I live in an apartment with hardwood floors. He has great litter habits but I don’t think he has grasped the concept of going back into his cage to use the potty just yet. How should I go about training him to use the cage as a home base? Should I provide another litter box outside of the cage just in case?

        The room is bunny-proofed (wire covers, trimming protectors) but I’d like to make this transition as easy as possible for both of us. If you have a free-range bun, how did the transition go? Thank you in advance!


      • Bam
        Moderator
        16836 posts Send Private Message

          You should provide a second litter-box. The tricky things is where to place it. It’s very diffucult for a human to figure out the best place for a litter-box, bunnies tend to want to choose the place themselves. For starters perhaps you could cover the floors with f ex old newspapers, beacuse once he’s peed in a spot, you can place the box there.

          I suggest you wait a few weeks more though, since he’s so recently neutered. Right after a neuter, the hormone levels in the blood stream are fluctuating, and a bunny might for some time become super territorial and pee-mark like he’s never done before. This “post-neuter craze” generally subsides after 2-4 weeks.

          If you always serve him his food in his cage it’s very likely that he’ll keep viewing the cage as his home base.


        • Niamian
          Participant
          377 posts Send Private Message

            Redford and I have gonne recently trough this transition and as bam said you’ll have to keep in mind that she has gonne trough neuter quite recently. And your bun might not be herself yet. We have learned that the harder way.☺
            Considering second litter box, Redford just decided one day that it would be perfectly logical if he goes to the toilet in the bathroom. Now, he would be ok with me when I would tell him to use his potty in the base. He would hop in but later on do the same thing. Nothing helped, not treats, not giving him some time to cool off. Sa eventually he trained his human to give him another litter box. Smart bunny.
            And as far as going back to his home base, I keep his hay there and give him palettes and vegetables there too so he started hoping in by himself there as soon as we gave him freedom to go out and in as he likes. Now thats one of his favourite lounging spot.
            He usually comes in for some hay and just flops with his had in his food bowl. ?


          • vanessa
            Participant
            2212 posts Send Private Message

              I use 3 litter boxes for my pair, and that’s for only half the bunny room. The other pair on the other side – are good with one. But they don’t get free time yet. So Guin and Lancelot have 3 boxes. Their main box with their food and hay rack, a hay filled bos on the 3rd level of their condo, and another one close to the bedroom door. Guin started peeing on the 3rd level when I let her start living there. The box stopped it, although she does’t use that box for much toileting. Sometimes she still tells Lancelot to get out of her main litter box coz she wants to sprawl out with some alone time. So he has a litter box close to the bedroom door, otherwise he will go on the floor when she kicks him out of the main box. He won’t use the one on the 3rd level either. Since Guin stopped peeing up there, I’m temped to take that boxdown. Lancelot doesn’t use the litter box in my bedroom so I took it away. He always goes back to his homebase. To use the litterbox – and to eat and sleep. He plays and naps in my room. Guin won’t come out of her room.


            • pinknfwuffy
              Participant
              660 posts Send Private Message

                Thank you, all, for the quick and detailed responses. I really appreciate it. I will definitely take into account his neuter and stick to the x-pen for the short term. Maybe in a month or so we will explore expanding his range. The tips of a second litter box are super helpful. At one point, when I first let him try the x-pen, he had an accident where is litter box is located (except on the opposite side of the cage). I’m hoping this means he knows that general area is a good place to go. If I do let him free-range eventually, I think putting another box on the outside of the cage (near the inside litterbox) might be a good option. Unless, as you said, he chooses otherwise. Thanks again! :]


              • Niamian
                Participant
                377 posts Send Private Message

                  Oh my, Im so sorry. For some reason I just overlapped and thought you have a girl bunny. So my apologies for the mistake.

                  And btw. I remembered one more thing that I read here some times ago and that might help you, it did help me. Try to introduce your bunny one room at the time before leting him around the house completly. It will help not to get undecided poop fest all around the house.


                • pinknfwuffy
                  Participant
                  660 posts Send Private Message

                    No worries! Boy, girl, doesn’t matter in this instance. Still super helpful. :] I appreciate the extra tip and will definitely make sure we start small and one room only. Thank you! Your avatar picture is absolutely precious, by the way! Bunny loves to read! Or, eat. ;]

                Viewing 6 reply threads
                • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Transitioning to Supervised Free Range?