free range. help!

[mocha200]

i am trying to bunny proof my room for free range and i need a litte help. ok this picture is of my wall stikers they are kind of peeling off and mocha keeps peeling them off and eating them should i just take them of cuz they are all ready falling off any ways?

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this is my side table it IS finished wood and i was wondering how to protect it?

the bottom cord is sticking out a little bit i tryed to make it stay but i couldn’t is this ok?

i got this for christmas its a seat/ storge thing. would they chew on it?

 

[Cassi&Charlie]

lol, freerange is an experiment. Some thigs some bunnies LOVE, like Charlie adores eating leather shoes, whereas Layla wont touch them. The cord shouldn’t be a problem, but maybe some tape over it could help it stay?
I had to rub teatree oil and spray perfume on all edges cause my bunnies love chewing on anything solid, so the wood might get eaten.
As I said, it’s all an experiment and unfortunately somethings will get chewed.

[Elrohwen]

Cord first – no, I don’t think that’s protected enough. It just takes one nibble to kill a bunny, so I wouldn’t compromise on cord protection. Can you use tape to make the cord protector stay where it needs to be? It shouldn’t be too hard to fix.

Furniture – I wouldn’t worry about protecting furniture unless your bun has proven that he will go after it and will chew. For now you just need to make your room safe so he can have some room to run around – he’s not going to be free range 24/7, so you’ll be there to see if he’s chewing on furniture that he shouldn’t be. Plenty of bunnies do destroy carpet or baseboards, but I really haven’t heard of that many who love chewing on futniture. Just wait and see.

Stickers – if he’s able to reach them and is really interested in peeling them off, I would just take them down. If you’re supervising you can try to train him to leave them alone, but if you don’t mind taking it down that would probably be the easiest thing.

Carpet seat – That looks pretty tempting to chew on. Wait and see, but you may need to move it out of the way so he can’t get to it.

[mocha200]

well my mom is allergic to perfume

[mocha200]

ok i will try to tape the cored

[jerseygirl]

Bunny proofing is tricky!!

4 the stickers, maybe wipe with straight vinegar & see in that is a deterrant. If not, then you probably have to take them off or move them higher.
For your table, maybe wrap thick cardboard around it so it covers at least the bottom half. I know that’ll be a real pain…you may find they don’t chew at the cardboard so they might not be interested in chewing the furniture either. In time might be able to take cardboard away.
If you have any cord cover left over, you could pop a small peice over the exposed cord and try tape it onto the large peice to secure it.
Could you move the bed and side table over a few inches so the power point is behind the table?
On the ottoman – I’m guessing they would be interested in that but you won’t know until you let them investigate and show you all the things they’ll get up too. They might surprise you and leave it alone.
You might be able to buy seagrass mats the same size as each side and attach them together to make a sort of slip on cover. However, they will be more likely to go at it then as many like to eat seagrass mats – but at least that’s safe.

With free ranging, I find if you give them things they are allowed to destroy, the better. So cardboard hidey houses and sea grass mats to chew on. Mine spent lots of time just snoozing in their cardboard box, then daily it seems they go off to find something to do in the arvo.

[Elrohwen]

Anothing thing that is supposed to deter chewing is citrus oil. You can get a lemon or a lime, zest some of the peel, and rub that on your furniture. Wipe off any bits of peel so only the oil that was in the peel remains.

[Lintini]

I think the biggest thing I learned from letting Indy free range in my room is that for months he would leave something alone, then all of a sudden it was a great thing to ruin. Just be prepared for anything and sleep with one eye open :p You never know what they will find next that you missed or thought it wouldn’t be interesting to them.

Who knew that squeezing behind my aquarium stand would be so much fun and with all those filters and supplies underneath to get into! Now I have it blocked off with a bunch of stuffed toys squished between the wall and stand.

[Deleted User]

The green fuzzy seat/storage thing a rabbit might jump on, dig it up and then make a toilet in it. The cord definitely has to be covered all the way. — Basically anything you have is up for chewing, if not now, then later. I have had no luck with protecting anything by using perfume, it only made me nauseous but it didn’t stop the rabbits from chewing the underside of my wooden bed. I ended up putting cheap untreated pine wood over top of the underside of my bed and they are welcome to eat that which they do. I recommend putting cardboard even around the bottom of the wooden sidetable to protect it.

[Elrohwen]

I just want to ask – are you planning to allow him to be free range all the time? I think there’s some confusion in this thread as most members are answering your questions related to a full time free range bunny. I was under the impression that you just wanted to allow him some exercise time out of his cage which he currently doesn’t have.

In my opinion, there’s a big difference between what you need to cover up when a bun is totally free range vs supervised time outside the cage for a few hours. If you could give us more details I think it would help us help you bunny proof.

[MarkBun]

If tape doesn’t work, get one of those black binder clips that is used to hold large stacks of paper together and clip it around the wire. The bun might play with that though and wind up pulling the wire further from the covering though so you’d need to watch. i actually remove the silver handles from the binder clip after putting it on so they don’t really have anything to grab ahold of.

Short of affixing cube panels to the bottom parts of your side table, you might not be able to stop a bun from chewing. However, from the look of the design, if you take some of the cord protection tubing and cut it to fit around the bottom 6 inches of the corner, it might deter the chewing. First thing the bun will try to do is strip it off so at least you’ll have an obvious marker when they start in on the table. Or they may just ignore it all together.  I’d probably wait to see if they show an interest in chewing it first though because if you change it around while they were content on ignoring it, the change may make them want to ‘alter’ it back to the way it was and then some.

[mocha200]

i don’t want him going under the bed what could i put there to keep him from not going under?

[MarkBun]

Again, I’d suggest the NIC Cube walls. They’ll fence it out pretty well.

[FluffyBunny]

Some bunnies are really destructive and some aren’t at all. I’d say just start out with all the cords, wall outlets and furniture he can get stuck under blocked off and then watch him while he runs around the first couple times to see what he thinks is chewable.

[mocha200]

i blocked off the space under my bed and i covered the open cored anything else before he can come out?

[Elrohwen]

I think that’s a great start. Let him out for a few hours and see how he does. I would only let him out while you’re there to supervise for the first few days. You’ll learn pretty quickly if he’s likely to destroy things or not. Let us know how he does!

[jerseygirl]

Aw!! Let him out and enjoy . 1 thing – I’d make sure he has a safe place. So either leave his cage open or give him a cardboard box with some holes/doorways cut out of it. In new space, he may need somewhere to retreat to if he feels fright for whatever reason.
Expect some pooping….it should be only for a little while. Hopefully he’ll be an angel-bun about that though. Maybe put a litterbox in your room somewhere also.

[mocha200]

well he still poos on the floor in his cadge

[Elrohwen]

Just keep cleaning up all the poos in his cage and putting them in his litter box (I do this multiple times per day) and do the same if he poos in your room too. Some bunnies will always poop in their cage, but are perfect outside of it, so you never know until you try.

[mocha200]

ok, i am going to start tomarrow i wiil tell you what happens.

[mocha200]

ok i didn’t have time to do it today because i forgot i was busy but i am going to try to do it tomorrow but my mom is getting home from Florida tomorrow. but i will try. i was wondering when i let him out can i read or something after a bit or do i have to watch him for an hour.

[Elrohwen]

You can absolutely read or do other things – I don’t think he’ll need total supervision. Just make sure you stick around your room the first few times until you find out how much you can trust him.

I’m to the point where I’ll leave my bun out for hours at a time on his own. It’s definitely possible to have a well behaved bunny.

[Beka27]

It’s a good idea to supervise at first because that will let you know where there are faults with your bunny-proofing. You might think an area is safe, but within 2 minutes your bun has it figured out. Once you know that he is safe in the area, than you can start leaving him alone for longer periods.

[mocha200]

it went really well, he loved running around in such a big space. i was sitting on my bed and when he jumped up there i tried to pet him and he got all freaked out and jumped of and ran back to his cage. i guess he was still a little scared. he wanted to eat so he didn’t come back out but just to make sure he wasn’t scared of me i pet him in his cage while he was eating and he wasn’t scared of me at all. i guess he just didn’t know i was on the bed. i mean how would you feel if you jumped on a bed you have never been on and this giant hand came down and tried to pet you i know i would be scared. the only thing he started to chew on was my closet he was trying to get the door open cuz the door was open a little crack so he was chewing the trim and the door. do you know were i could get thoghs plastic corner covers?

[Elrohwen]

That’s great! I’m glad he had such a great time out. I’m surprised he jumped onto your bed – but maybe that’s just because it took my bun a few weeks just to jump up on the shelf in his cage 😉 Your guy is pretty brave! And I’m sure when he gets more comfortable he’ll be better with you petting him.

I would check a hardware store for something to put on your closet. Or, just get some NIC grids and build a little fence in front of your closet. You can put the fence in place when he’s out, then move it out of your way when he’s in his cage.

[mocha200]

i am going to let him out again today. how long before he can be left in there alone?

[Elrohwen]

I would supervise him for the first week. Then if he seems to be leaving everything alone and not getting into things, I would leave him alone for maybe 15 minutes at a time and gradually build up from there. It really comes down to whether you trust him or not and you’ll only learn over time whether he’s trustworthy or a troublemaker.

[mocha200]

ever scenes i have been letting mocha out, he has been ramming himself into the cage to get it open! normally it would just move it but this morning i got up and he had got the door open but he never went out of his cage he just wanted it open i guess. maybe he wants to know that he can go out if he wants to and isn’t lock up. i don’t know he has never done this before. what should i do?

[Elrohwen]

It sounds like he just likes his freedom! I would just ignore him when he’s doing this – letting him out while he’s banging on the door will just teach him that he can get what he wants. When he’s sitting and waiting patiently, go over and let him out to reward him for being good. His pen set up on your other thread looks really good, so I don’t think he really needs more space; he just likes running around so much that he wants to do it all the time 😉

I would also make sure the cage door is closed tighter so he can’t get out – maybe use a binder clip or something.You don’t want him getting out while you’re not home and getting into trouble

[mocha200]

all last night Mocha kept digging in his litter box it was so annoying how can i make him stop? my mom just picked up this new kind of litter its called yeturday news but its for cats is that going to be ok?

[Elrohwen]

YN for cats is a great litter. It’s more expensive than wood stove pellets, but in my experience it works just as well. The cat kind is actually better because you get a bigger bag for less money. Just make sure it’s not scented.

To get him to stop digging, I would recommend getting a type of grid to put over the litter so he can’t get to it. Some people use fluorescent lighting grids you can get at the hardware store, but you can great creative. The other option is to get a high sided litter box or one with a lip so that he can dig but nothing will escape.

[mocha200]

it was scented so we are going to take it back. i left the door on mocha’s cage open all day yesterday and checked on him a lot but i noticed he doesn’t come out of his cage much at all i thought he would be hopping around all the time. he seems to sleep more to, but maybe i just don’t see him when he is playing.

[Elrohwen]

You’ll learn your bunny’s schedule gradually. My bun sleeps from 9am through about 4 or 5pm. Then he’ll come out and snack on some hay or any breakfast he didn’t eat. Then he’s usually back to sleep until about 8pm. Lots of sleeping in there! Even when he does come out to see us, he’s usually lounging around or grooming himself – not running and binkying. Some bunnies are just lazier than others and lops have a reputation for being pretty laid back.

Also, it’s not unusual for a bunny to stay in their cage a lot. It’s their safe place and they like spending time there. Usually they’ll come out and do some exploring, but then they might go back to their cage for a nap. Maybe if you put a cardboard box out (with bunny-sized holes) in your room he would come out and hang out in there.

[mocha200]

ok. yeah he was out exploring a little yesterday. i am not sure about today. i will try putting a box out for him.

[mocha200]

he loves the cardboard box but he mostly is out hopping around at night.

[mocha200]

i was wondering about at night, could i let him run around all night?

[Elrohwen]

You can if you trust him. It’s really up to you and up to him and his behavior. At least he’s in your room and you’ll be sleeping there, so he won’t be running off to different parts of the house and getting in trouble.

[mocha200]

ok maybe i will try it tonight

[mocha200]

my mom came in my room today and she thinks it smells like animal and she is right my room is starting to smell. what do you guys do to make your house not stink?

[Elrohwen]

Are you sure that he’s fully using his litter box? Sometimes bunnies will pee in a hidden spot and you might not notice. Some bunnies can also spray, which can get pee in areas you never would’ve thought of.

How often do you change his litter box and what kind of litter do you use? I use wood stove pellets and have used YN. I only change the box twice a week and have no smell issues. The only thing I can smell is hay (which is unavoidable). You may want to change your litter or clean out the box more often.

Also, he wasn’t neutered too long ago, right? Unneutered buns are much smellier, so it could be that he still has some hormones and is a bit smelly. This should go away with time. My neutered bun doesn’t smell at all – I can put my nose in his fur and he smells completely clean – so I know any smells are a result of his pee, not himself. Pee can be taken care of.

[mocha200]

well every other day i completely clean his cage i
. wash bedding
. change litter boxes
. wash food/water bowl
. vacuum the whole room
and vacuum the rug that’s under neath the sheets

and their is about 4 poos outside the litter box every day. so i don’t know

it could be the litter i am using every time he pees it the strongest smell of pine. i am trying to switch over to YN but i don’t know can you just switch over or mix it for a while. i mixed it for today.

[Elrohwen]

Unless your rabbit is very picky about litter, you should be able to just switch it over without mixing.

I find that wood stove pellets don’t control odor as well as YN, so maybe you’ll have luck with that. It certainly sounds like you’re cleaning a lot (a lot more than I do anyway!).

And he could still be a bit smelly from hormones which is go away with time.

[mocha200]

my mom just said i could bring lulu inside if i cleaned the kennel and stuff so they could get used to each other a little but then mocha couldn’t free roam. Lulu isn’t spayed yet ether i have to wait till we come home in April from vacation because my dad is going to be traveling before then and my mom wants him there in case of emergency because the vet won’t keep lulu there over night. do you think i shouldso i can get to know lulu better so after her surgery i can tell if she isn’t acting normal?

[Author]

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