Bunny Playpen too big?

[fluffybutt_sootsama]

my bunny have morning playtime and evening playtime everyday. When i’m home my bunny is always out from the pen,but when i’m working/going out he’s inside the pen just to make sure he doesn’t run off and accidents happen. he lives on second floor with me so there are stairs, scared he might fall from stairs >.< 

He’s always pissed whenever I lock the playpen, sometimes even when the playpen is open he is relaxing inside the cage but he doesn’t like it when I close in the pen he will start to dig and chew off the metal railings.

However, I recently spoke to its breeder (I owned this bunny for around 1.5 months now) he said that my playpen/cage is too big because previously in the breeder he only got 50cmx60cm cage. Whereas now his cage is 1.8meter x 1.8meter.

Does bigger pen induce more stress to bunny?

I heard from some people the smaller the bunny space is during travelling the less stress the bunny. Does this rule apply to house bunny?

I attached my bunny’s playpen picture for reference 

[Sr. Melangell]

My Olly has a big pen like that, I clip it to his cage so he can go in and out as he pleases, it is a lot taller than that as Olly likes to jump, he is 3 now, he used to chew the bars but has stopped now, your bunny is a baby, so it might be. “Oh my owner is here, give me food, look at my eyes, give me banana.” The only reason I can say for smaller spaces in a car is so bunny does not hurt himself if you have to slam the break on in a car, bunny won’t go flying and get hurt, I used to drive buses and we had to tell people not to put animals on the seat, some people would strap the bunny box to the luggage part, its best if bunny tumbles a little rather than get thrown in the air, Olly goes in a taxi to the vets and he is in the back with me strapped in with a seatbelt and I have my hand on the top of the box, its not far, some bunnies like small spaces to hide.

[Lola270]

I dont think its too big. It is a very cute cage, so is the bunny.
Hes probably just annoyed that he cant run around anymore. I woudnt worry too much about it.

[fluffybutt_sootsama]

thank you Lola and Pinky.
you both reassure me that my rabbit is fine
I am thinking about neutering him soon prolly his hormones caused him to chew the bar cage. He’s 11 months old so I think it’s a good time to get him neutered to prevent bad habits.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Nothing “too big” for bunnies. As you say he’s just probably miffed that he has to go in from playing when you’re not around !! A kid kicking off when he doesn’t want to go home.
Most buns here have the run of whole rooms or houses…. so no space is “too big”. Lovely area he has !! How Lucky.

Of course…. if you think the area is really too big for him – you could always get him a friend….. LOL

[BlacknWhite]

If your bunny knew what the breeder said, I can gaurentee that it would be mad at them xD. It might be stressful if the bunny was on cold concrete with nothing to play with and nowhere to hide, but obviously, that is not the case. What’s hilarious, is that he thinks he is “pent up” in that area. That’s like the biggest place some other bunnies have ever seen .

[Love4Bunny]

One thing I’ve learnt is that breeders and owners may have different mentalities when it comes to rabbit care. Your rabbit is a fortunate one, and this is a good forum for bunny peeps.

[Azerane]

His area is definitely not too big, it looks amazing! It’s not uncommon for rabbits to express their displeasure at being locked away. Ways you can counteract this include putting dig/shredding toys at the places he is most likely to dig at the bars, and chew toys at the places he most commonly bites the bars. You can also feed him when you lock him away, this helps him associate being shut away with positive things, and not just the reduction in play space.

[Love4Bunny]

Oh, yes, I second what Azerane said about feeding rabbits when you re-cage them. My rabbits know that treat time means they have to go inside the pen to get something, so they will do it automatically, by association. I treat them once they hop inside and give them pets when I shut the cage, so they always have positive associations with me.

[Author]

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