Brainstorm with me – pros and cons of a balcony?

[PamperB]

Hey everyone!

I live in a house and Pamper, my bunny, lives in my room with me. She has a very large cage and is mostly outside the cage, except at night when I sleep.

My dog is in my yard most of the time, and since she’s a puppy and has never had any contact with Pamper, I don’t take Pamper outside anymore. My dog is a vizsla (bird hunting dog) and since she is too young and is just starting to learn certain commands, I wouldn’t be relaxed if they met.

Since Pamper can’t go to the yard anymore, I was thinking about bunny proofing a balcony we have, which is “on top” of the patio below. I would take her out on nice days so she can be outside and smell some fresh air like before, but she would still be with me if it gets too cold or too hot, or at night.The balcony is never used by anyone in my family. Do you have any ideas as to how I could do it so the space between the rail is covered? Do you think it would be safe? I seriously wouldn’t want to be watching her every five minutes just to make sure she’s okay. There is a communication with the next door neighbor’s roof and my worry also was cats. But I have never ever seen any cats nor poop. 

Here are some pictures.

The second one is taken from my room and shows the part without rail a little better.

[Canada_bun]

um… I’m throwing out some wild guesses here… I’m no pro, just a bun lover 

The space between the rails that I can see can be blocked off with chicken wires? or bug screen? or horizontal wires that limit the space further so that the best your bun could do is stick the nose out to investigate. Nothing wider though – I’ve seen Thumper squeeze himself into impossible spaces (well they

were impossible till I saw him rummaging around in them. Like our couch which is flat against the wall except for a bit at the feet/bottom). You don’t want your bun to be able to squeeze through any more than the nose, because with their innate curiosity it may encourage the bun to go further.

I don’t advise plastic blocking just because you don’t want your bun to be ingesting that, and if the plastic is chipped away at day by day it could provide an opening that you’re trying to avoid.

Also block off the part with no rail with something heavy – something that your bun can’t push away or gnaw through or squeeze through.

I have to say I’m more worried about the cats, though. Man they are sneaky! And they’re predators by nature – a bun running around maybe very tempting. Also, you will still need to keep an eye on your bun for birds of prey – if it’s a balcony and there’s no roof, all it takes is one swoop. 

Overall, though, I’d say your bun doesn’t miss being outside one bit. If she has a large cage and is free range most of the time, she’s probably happy and comfy where she is. Domestic rabbits are meant to be inside, so chances are if you have enough toys and stimulation, they’re fine! 

[JackRabbit]

That’s a pretty open space. You’d have to do what Canada bun said plus protect from above. Seems like alot of work and alot of risk. For fresh air, could you just open a window that’s out of your bunny’s reach?

[Deleted User]

I am NO bunny expert either, but I wouldn’t worry too much about taking your bunny outside. I can leave the door open to grab something and if Henry could talk he’d say ‘please close it behind you’, hahaha! He hates outside and when we have the house sprayed for pests and he has to spend a few hours outdoors he thinks he’s being punished. My boy is free roam and with the window’s open for fresh air I never felt the need to take his world outdoor’s. He has never made me feel that the grass may be greener on the other side (of the door). I don’t think it’s necessary…..

PS – And if it’s too hard, I don’t do it! Lol! It’s looks like a lot of hard work and I personally don’t see the benefit???

[tobyluv]

Unless the balcony was made totally predator proof, with hardware cloth (or any metal fencing with small openings) on all the sides and the top, your bunny would not be safe from predators. Even then, a predator can come close to a rabbit and make it injure itself from fright. I don’t think you would want to be enclosing the top anyway, because you would have to build extension posts to make the top high enough for people to walk under. And it wouldn’t be very attractive either, to have the balcony totally enclosed in fencing. Outdoors, there is also the possibility of parasites getting on your rabbit Rabbits are very content living indoors, and you can always open windows near them when the weather is nice, so that they can get fresh air.

[Megabunny]

Ha Ha AH That was my thought exactly. A LOT of work! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

[PamperB]

Okay, you convinced me. Maybe in another life. Thank you guys for the comments and suggestions!

[Author]

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