From Pen to Free Range?

[Morwen]

 Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if I could get a little help with making the transition from a large pen with lots of free time to completely free range. Right now, I have two 1 year old rescue bunnies named Hoyle and Jazz. They’re well bonded and very happy. At present, they live in a pen that is basically half my living room. During the day when I’m home, I leave the gate open and they have absolute freedom. Most of the time, they sleep. Jazz particularly likes to sleep in my bedroom while Hoyle prefers to stay in the pen inside his cardboard box.

Night time, however, is a different story. At night, they both becomes quite active and enjoy getting into mischief. I’ve worked hard to bunny proof my home so that they (and my belongings) are safe from one another and so far it has worked out ok. The only problem is that they sometimes outsmart me and there are some things that just impossible to bunny proof.

For instance, Hoyle is a climber. He’ll jump from one piece of furniture to another, gaining altitude as he goes, until he’s in a position to get onto my desk or table where I keep all the stuff I don’t want the bunnies to chew. Jazz, on the other hand, prefers the subterrainian approach and enjoys digging and ripping – especially my carpet. Together, they share a mutual adoration for the piping that trims my leather couch.

Thus, I’d feel comfortable leaving the bunnies alone during the day but early mornings and evenings are a completely different story. The climbing and digging are easy enough to deal with but I really do worry about my poor couch. So, this leaves me with three questions:

 

(1) Does anyone have a good suggestion for protecting the couch? I’ve tried the water spray bottle, perfume, chew toy distractions, and blankets to cover their favourite parts.

 

(2) If I were to remove the pen boundary and reclaim the space for my living room, would my rabbits be angry and perceive that their home had disappeared despite the increase in their new freedom?

 

(3) Does anyone have some good tips for transitioning the bunnies (and myself) from pen to free range?

 

Thanks very much!!

[sibley]

(1) How about a motion detector alarm? Whenever they get close it beeps loudly and scares them away.

(if they’re too expensive you can make your own with a motion detector plug and a plug-in alarm left on)

[Sarita]

Here’s my suggestion – just let them roam free when you are home and pen them when you must leave and at night – just keep a routine with them for night – night time back in the pen. Leave home – back in the pen – obviously you can do this at your discretion if you are only leaving for a short time.

I suspect that much of this behavior is age related too and perhaps as they get older and the behaviors subside (and they don’t always even if they are altered) then you can consider free range.

I know that is not a “solution” to your problems but it might be safer for the rabbits and your belongings. Some rabbits just cannot be free range all the time. I have a lovely female rabbit that loves to dig and demolish carpet and she is about 8 years old and that behavior just is instinctive for her and she cannot be out on her own due to this behavior – I’ve tried and it doesn’t work…that’s not to say your rabbits won’t outgrow their behaviors though.

[BinkyBunny]

IF you do end up going completely free range then you still would have to establish a section/hidey house etc that is theirs so they can feel comfortable and safe. It was also true, as Sarita suggested, that as bunnies age, many of them mellow- much less destructive, but in the mean time I would just suggest at least penning them at night or at least confining them to one room you feel they coudn’t do any real damage in.

Especially since one of your bunnies likes to climb high and jump all around the furniture, for his own safety, you would want to be around/awake if he hurt himself.

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Could you make the bathroom their home for night time and when you are out as they are quite damage free areas, that way they are sort of free range and you get your living room back.
When i had lots of bunnies and they were free range in the living room, we had many contraptions, including a fire guard that went over the sofa when we went out or went to bed, but in the end we put them in the kitchen at night and when we were out. Although they did flood the kitchen by finding the washing machine pipe. lol not funny at time but seeing them all stood on the water free spot in the kitchen like they were on a raft was quite funny in hindsite xx

[Adalaide]

That’s hilarious. If there’s trouble to be gotten into a rabbit will surely find it. They probably were trying to look all innocent too. “We don’t know what happened, we were playing and suddenly there was water. Rescue us plox.”

[sibley]

lol ha yeah… bunny island.

[MooBunnay]

I think it is really great that you are giving your bunnies as much freedom as possible – but I do agree with Sarita that it might be safer for them if you keep them somewhat contained at night, because you really don’t want them to get into anything too dangerous at night. Their chewing and digging behaviors are so instinctive that they are pretty hard to stop. It sounds like they are getting plenty of exercise, is there a particular reason you want to move them to free roaming?

[sally]

 Thats tickled me very funny !!!!

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Yes we still talk about the bunnies pool. They taught us lots of things, we went in before we learnt to use the fire guard on the sofa to a room full of foam in the morning from where they had pulled our sofa apart. We have had so many adventures with our bunnies.
I really want to build a nic condo instead of a pen but dont know best place in uk to buy them. Does anyone have any info ……

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By PEPPA GEORGIE on 05/31/2009 01:39 AM

I really want to build a nic condo instead of a pen but dont know best place in uk to buy them. Does anyone have any info ……

UK resources I have:

 

• http://www.screwfix.com
• http://www.displaysense.co.uk
• Wikes Hardware Stores (in store)

 

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Thank you binky bunny will have a look at those xx

[RabbitPam]

You could get a few items to protect the vulnerable areas during the day. A slipcover over the couch could be thrown on temporarily or get one you really like and tie it down. They might figure out they can climb under it, but more likely will just drop onto it and it will protect your couch, plus be washable.

I also cut strips of seagrass mattes and put them over carpet places that are more “tasty”.

Don’t underestimate the power of training. You can say No to the bad behaviors, and give them a toy instead, with a treat if they stop and go to play with the toy. (Good bunny) They are more rambunctious when young, but also trainable since bad habits are not entrenched. They may learn that there’s nothing in it for them to continue to do some behaviors. The couch doesn’t taste that good anyway.

And there’s always the diggy box toy.

[Beka27]

Welcome here! Just agreeing with the others… not all buns can safely be free-range. While I LOVE the *idea* of 24/7/365 free-range bunnies, I know it’s not a possibility for my pair. I feel more comfortable knowing where they are at night and having a place I can pen them when we’re not home. As long as they are receiving plenty of exercise, there is nothing wrong with having a bunny-safe space, and really, I think many buns prefer having their own area. Oftentimes, my buns choose to hang out in their pen, even tho they are free to come and go during the day. It sounds like you’re doing a good job keeping them active and happy. Thank you for rescuing them. How long have they been with you and when were they neutered?

[Morwen]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks very much for your thoughts, I greatly appreciate it. Here are the answers to some of your questions:

I’ve had Hoyle since he was just 8 weeks old. He started off in a store-bought cage with daily exercise time. As he grew, though, it was clear that the cage didn’t give him enough space and I wanted him to be happy during the day while I was out. Thus, he graduated to a pen in the living room (I had him neutered around the same time).

I got Jazz when Hoyle was about 7 months old. Like I said, I wanted Hoyle to be the happiest bunny in the world, and I’d read that bunnies often enjoy company of their own kind. Since, as a student, I’m in class fairly often, I also wanted him to have company when I couldn’t be there for him. I found Jazz in a shelter that was a few hours drive from my own town. She’d already been neutered there, which was a huge plus. I drove out once to meet her myself and a second time to bring Hoyle for their first introduction. By the time all 3 of us came home together, Hoyle and Jazz were bonded and that was that.

When Jazz joined our family, I increased the pen size so that both bunnies would have room to run and play without needing me to be home. The pen now spans across half my living by means of a fence on one side, 2 walls, and the sliding door to my balcony. Because I keep stuff on my balcony (like my bike that I use everyday), I’ve found that it’s been difficult to navigate through bunny territory without disturbing the lapins, stepping on a stray poop, or tripping over the fence with a bicycle on my shoulder. Because my apartment is a one-bedroom student affair, there really isn’t an option to do things differently.

This is what lead me to think that if I could just do away with the bunny pen, then Hoyle and Jazz could have free run of the house (Jazz loves, loves, loves sleeping on my bed during the day) and I could move all my furniture back and have room to roll my bike through the living room everyday. I knew that Hoyle and Jazz would be delighted with the increase in freedom and I trust them during the day because all they usually do is sleep… but morning and evening is a different story. Twice a day, my lovely little fluffballs become whirling mad rabbits that sprint throughout the apartment nibbling, digging, and otherwise causing mischief. Just today, Hoyle took another chunk out of my couch while I was busy filling their breakfast bowl with kibble. There are really very few things for my bunnies to prey on since I’ve rabbit-proofed everything and toys are scattered everywhere, which they generally ignore. The couches and carpet are pretty much all that’s left. So, I was just wondering – from the perspective of people who have free-range rabbits – how do they deal with these sort of issues?

From the sounds of it, most free-range rabbits aren’t as creatively mischievous as mine and simply aren’t interested in furniture or floors. I was thinking, though, that cats (and such like) are probably as destructive as bunnies with the scratching and whatnot, but we don’t generally keep them confined to pens. How are these behaviors mediated so that our furry friends may go free-range?

[Beka27]

Can you try a smaller pen for when you are not home and at night? A 4×4 foot dog xpen is adequate space for two rabbits, as long as they still get exercise time every day. Not all rabbits grow out of the destructive behaviors, or if they do, it might take several years for them to “mellow”. It’s important that they are given things to occupy their minds… toys, boxes, mazes, diggy boxes, etc. A bored bunny is typically a mischievous bunny. If everything is bunny-proofed and the only concern now is the couch, can you place a pen around the couch so they cannot gain access to it?

[MooBunnay]

I think for bunnies, the best way to keep them safe is really prevention and bunny proofing because you can try to train them as much as possible when they are supervised but you are never quite sure what they will do un-supervised. For me, I’m always the most scared of the electrical outlets, I’m just convinced that one day one of my bunnies will want to taste them….

I think a slip cover may be the best idea for the couch. You could probably find one to just slip on when you need it, and then take off when you have company coming over, or someone that you would want to see the “nice” couch That would also help a lot in case they ever got it their head to start marking the couch as their territory.

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

I dont know anyone who has them totally free range, everyone seems to have somesort of pen for certain times i think but i could be wrong. Our were totally free like i said years ago and did cause lots of damage.
As for the wires, one of ours did manage to find a four way adaptor from behind a cupboard and chew it, they were fine but the cat who joined in the chew electrocuted himself, he fortunately was also fine apart form his tounge became shaped like an egg timer from the burn, and the carpet had a burn mark too. Was very scary but all concerned were fine. They are so clever and so determined once they decide to try for something. xx Would love to hear about anyone whose bunny is totally free all the time though xx

[BinkyBunny]

Both Jack and Rucy were once totally free range once they got older and less destructive, but when we rescued a cat, we weren’t sure if they would hurt each other. Plus, Rucy is a climber and one day she wasn’t acting right – took her into the vet and she had a hernia (which can happen from an accidental bunny bunt from a human or fall or ???) So, it just made me worry that she must have gotten up too high and fallen at night.

So for those two reasons, my husband made a special pen door that keeps them in the bunny room when we want to without me having to close the whole door.

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By MooBunnay on 05/31/2009 07:40 PM
  For me, I’m always the most scared of the electrical outlets, I’m just convinced that one day one of my bunnies will want to taste them….

.

I have that same fear!  I also  worry about the cords that are covered, but just right up to the outlet is where the cover stops and it’s easy enough to pull back for a determined bunny, so that always freaks me out.  Most of the time though outlet or the actual connected plug is not enough in their path to cause them to chew, but still….I worry about that too.

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Arr wow were they just well trained not to chew carpet and things? I was thinking maybe when they are older and calmer they might gradually become free range, but it is comforting to know there is a place to keep them safe when needed. xxx

[Morwen]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all so much for your immensely helpful insights and advice. I must admit that I was surprised that more people don’t have completely free range rabbits. I had been under the impression that the majority of bunnies ran loose as a goose throughout the household. It’s been reassuring to learn that this isn’t a case and it’s not a problem with my training the rabbits to keep them from eating my couch and carpet. Rabbits do as rabbits are!

Since my bunnies get upwards of 5 hours of free running time on most days and have a pen that is 10ft by 4ft, I’m not worries about their exercise or happiness. My concern was really for the aesthetics and practicality of accessing my living room and balcony when needed. From the sounds of it, it may be possible to downside the bunny pen (perhaps even compromise with my furry friends by building a second level with NIC cubes) to that I can reclaim some of my floor space again, while still offering my poor couch some protection.

Thank you, one and all, for all your help. It’s been very much appreciated.

[Author]

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