I keep my 2 in a pen when they aren’t running around the apartment, I personally don’t like locking them up in a little cage. Its like locking a cat or dog up in a tiny cage… its just not right in my opinion. If your bun hasn’t ripped up the couch or torn up the carpet, then he likely wont start up just because… although you never know. Just make sure he has lots of his own toys to play with, and he wont get destructive. Thats the key, to make sure they have lots to keep them occupied. Don’t let non-bunny people talk you into locking him up, its like talking to an accountant about medical issues… lol

I keep my bunny in an 8’x4′ enclosure, though he’s allowed out most of the day, he prefers to stay in his area except during the evening.

I think I would always have some kind of pen or cage to put my bunny in at night, so he didn’t get into trouble, but others have had success with full time free range. I think it’s really just up to the bunny and the owner. I would be more likely to allow free range all the time if it was limited to one room that was fully bunny proofed – I don’t think I’d let my bun have the run of the whole house all night.

Welcome!

When I got my 1st rabbit, she was about 10-12 weeks old. I came home with her in a cardboard box from a pet store. Total impulse buy! So I didn’t have a cage and to be honest, never even thought about getting one. It was just so easy as it was. She litter trained straight away and seemed good about the place. I did take to shutting her in a room when out and over night. Now I have 2 rabbits and I shut them in their “room” o/night but they free range for the rest of the day.

Now rabbits can get destructive and “busy” so it is a good idea to bunny proof your home. https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO…fault.aspx   At my place, there are some items that have been sampled or torn at, but that pretty much goes with the territory of having indoor pets I think, so I’m ok with it. 

They do like to have an area that is their own safe space, so creating a zone in you home your rabbit can escape to might be a good idea.

How old is you bunny?

I’ll ditto what has been said and add that, in cages bunnies tend to not get the exercise and involvement with other household members as much as if they are in an exercise pen (x-pen) or free roam. Without the proper amount of play time, I’ve read their bones become more brittle over time and they tend to become heavy, more stress on the bones. But as long as your rabbit has 3 hours each day of uninterrupted ‘out’ time, it should be okay to have some kind of enclosure to keep them in, especially if you are not there to supervise during the day/night.
I currently have three pens, each for one bunny, that I hope to eliminate once I get them bonded together and then I plan to make a nice run/condo for them. Right now, I have to exercise them separately and that takes a LOT of time!

I think if your bunny has done fine without a cage this long, he doesn’t need one! I started out having a cage for my buns- I would let them out around the house all day, then put them in their cage at night. After a month or so, I stopped putting them in their cage for bedtime and just let them have the run of the downstairs 24/7. By then I was tired of the HUGE metal cage taking up a big corner of my kitchen, so I put it down cellar. My buns love their freedom- they hang out together most of the time, but at certains times of the day, they each like to chill in their own spaces in the house. I have two big cardboard boxes with doors cut out and they love to hide in them when company is over or they just feel antisocial. Their favorite resting spot is either on the kitchen chairs or by the electric oil-filled radiator heater in the living room. They have this special velvety blanket that they just stretch out on and roast their little butts for hours. The heater costs about $50 pr month, but it’s worth every penny- or so BunBun tell me .
Anyway! The point of all this rambling is that I believe buns do fine without cages. And whether or not they trash th house and furniture depends on the bunny. My girl, Nelli, devours shoes but never furniture, while my boy, BunBun, has made it his special hobby to completely remove all the stuffing from my couch. I would just be very careful about bunny-proofing- all electric cords must be covered to avoid any horrifying accidents. The only time I wish I still had a cage for my bunnies is when my kids have friends coming in and out. That makes me verrreee nervous! Other than that, it’s all good .

There is no way you can get a close relationship with your bunny and bond with it if it is kept in a cage. I don’t understand why people think such things – they would never keep their cat in a small cage in a separate room. Ignore those people, they clearly no nothing about house rabbits.

Mine are free ranging. Always have been. Neither Jack nor Karl makes any trouble when we are not looking. Molly might do occasionally, such as chewing a bit on the floor, but it is not like it is every day. And when she does, it is only when I have not been good enough with providing her new toys to chew.

But if your bunny is not fixed, you might experience both cheewing and peeing, so keep that in mind.

And remember: a bunny kept in a cage cannot jump up on the couch next to you asking to be pet, or come running into the kitchen to check on what you are doing, do funny binkies or race around the room. People with cage bunnies don’t really have bunnies, in my opinion. Instead, they have a still picture of a funny, active pet they will never experience or get to know.

It all depends on the rabbit and your environment- if the rabbit has good behavior (no cord chewing, everything is bunny proofed), you don’t have other worries about another pet accidentally hurting the bunny or worry about roommates coming and going and not watching out for the rabbit- I say go for it.

Free range 24/7 would just not work for my bunnies- so I settle for large pens and time out at night to play.

My bunny is free range at school unless I leave the room. Here, he has a dog crate and a large pen because I have a doberman that I do not trust and not every area of my house can be totally bunny proof. So I rotate animals here in the house… It works out.

Just wanted to add….I don’t think cages are bad. As long as they’re roomy and have some solid flooring. Plus the rabbit has exercise time outside of it. They can work quite well. It seems for many though, that pens or rooms work better. Easy to access to interact and to clean.

I have always used a cage, in part because I live in apartments so it’s important to be able to confine my bunny when I am not home to watch her.

There are many reasons to have an enclosure handy, not the least of which is their preference for places that are “theirs” that they can feel safe in. Also, they like a den type of feeling when they eat or rest, so it’s good to have their own little territory.

There can be many circumstances where you need to enclose your bunny for a time. Giving a party, a visitor that needs to stay away from bunny, or brings their own pet, maintenance and repair people with equipment or chemicals that would be dangerous, unexpected problems in the house.

I have attached a You tube video that shows an option for setting up a really nice habitat, not a cage, using an xpen. It’s a spacious way to enclose your bunny with everything he needs. I always let my bunny out when I’m home, but I feel secure knowing she’s in her cage when I’m at work. Right now she’s sitting next to me under an upside down wicker backet. Her favorite place in the morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch