Bored free roaming bun

[bunny34422]

Well.. not sure if one room counts as free roaming but I cleaned out the spare room for Timothy to live in and I use his old x-pen around the door since he tends to scratch on the door and sneak out with us when we leave the room. I’m trying my best to let him have as much space as possible but it’s hard because I can’t bunny proof the rest of the house. Plus my grandma is allergic so he has to be confined to the one room she doesn’t go in.

I don’t know if this is good enough for him because he’s constantly trying to escape. As soon as anyone enters/exits, he runs to the door and tries to sneak out, rattles and chews on the cage bars when he can’t, and often just sits by the door. I tried draping a blanket over the pen but whenever I do that he tries to jump over it.

Is he bored maybe? I try to switch things up by swapping out his toys weekly and buying new ones once in awhile, but he isn’t very interested in most toys unless they’re edible. I sprinkle forage mixes over his veggies and I buy different treats which he consumes within seconds (don’t want to give him treats too often anyways). I thought about adopting a friend but unfortunately can’t until I move out and get my own place… which won’t happen for another few years.

I don’t know what else to do, lol… going to build a few more hideouts with boxes but any tips on how I can improve his room? I’ve thought about maybe ordering those storage grids and building upper levels for him to explore since he likes being high up, is that a good idea or too dangerous? What kind of mats/floors do you guys use for those enclosures?

[Wick & Fable]

I think using grids to build some hidey houses and places to climb is a great idea! It is secure as long as you get good quality grids that are all square, snap together, and use zip-ties to extra hold the grids together. There are a lot of options for how to floor those structures as well, and there are some examples in the RABBIT INFO section of this site, where you can see different habitats members have shared. For my grid-cages, I secure a sheet of cloroplast to the grid and lay cut carpet squares that you buy from hardware stores.

Different toy arrangements can be good for rabbits who engage with those toys, but if you feel your rabbit is board, I think making more structural environmental changes would be more enriching. At the same time, any animal would be naturally curious and want to explore more space where they suspect it is, so why should he be barred from going to the other place when everyone else can go (humorous interpretation of what’s going on in his mind, not me lecturing you!).

“… but he isn’t very interested in most toys unless they’re edible.” — This is an important observation. Trial and error is needed to figure out what individual rabbits like. If a rabbit isn’t interested in something, then that might be a personal taste and we need to find what they do like! This can include different sizes, materials, sounds, and “groundedness” (i.e. something that can be thrown around vs. attached and unmoveable). Some people talk about “toss” and “chew” toys, where chew toys are more anchored and take the place of rabbits who might like chewing baseboards in their free time.

I found binderclipping a bed sheet to the pen sides effective, but making sure it’s on the outside only, because if any drapes over the top to the inside or is too short and creates a fabric “step” up, my rabbits try to launch and climb up it:

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[bunny34422]

I see, thank you! While we do school from home my sister and I do try to spend as much time with him as possible. Even if we’re with him, he will still sit by the door if he hears my brother or parents in another room, but it makes sense.  I’ll just keep experimenting with different toys and structures to keep him busy, and take a look at some pics for inspiration.

I was also draping the sheet on both sides of the pen, so I guess that encouraged him to climb it! I’ll try the outside only this time. Thank you for your advice!

[DanaNM]

I think structural changes are a good idea! My buns really like tunnels. I am currently in a similar situation, where I’m staying with my in-laws with 4 rabbits (AHH!), so the buns are in a room vs. having more of the house to roam in. To keep things interesting, I got some concrete building forms and made a cross shaped tunnel that they have been really enjoying running through and chewing on little bits of it (I imagine them working on their “burrow”).

Not sure what grows in your area, but palm fronds that have fallen down from palm trees are also really fun for bunnies to play under and chew on (so many textures and edges).

This is also kind of a counter-intuitive answer, but he might actually be more satisfied with his arrangement if you actually confined him to a pen for part of the day, and then let him out into the room for exercise another part of the day. I have just noticed with my buns, when they get 24/7 access to an area, they seem obsessed with the one spot they aren’t allowed to go (the grass is always greener I guess!). But when they get penned for a chunk of the day (mine currently get 12 hours in their condos, then 12 hours of roam time), they get excited about running around the new area when I let them out, and run around exploring and chinning everything. I think this could be especially effective if you rearrange his hides and toys when he is penned, then he gets a fresh place to play when he comes out.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[bunny34422]

It doesn’t let me upload a pic of the bunny room, oh well. I have seen people use those concrete building tubes as tunnels on Facebook, but it was too late since I had already bought a big cat tunnel. I live in New York, so I’ll have to see if I can find anything (safe) outside!

I originally planned on letting him roam the room during the day and confine him at night. But he started shaking on the bars throughout the night and it kept waking us up. So I draped a sheet over it and then he tried to jump over (unsuccessfully, he ends up kinda hanging on the side) 🤦‍♀️ Which is why we decided to just let him have the entire room. I think I’ll try using a sheet as a roof too and see if that stops him from trying. I was surprised by how determined he was to escape!

I try to rearrange his stuff but not sure if he cares for it 🤷‍♀️ I will see if I can make a c&c condo first and then try the pen again. Thank you for your advice as well!

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