Going free-range

[Zap]

Classes are going to start up again soon, so I’ve been working on making more space for Remmy that doesn’t require constant supervision.  I finally got my hands on the NIC set and blocked off the danger-zones (such as cords and tasty-looking wall decorations).  I’m planning to put a cover over the NIC pieces around my computer area when I’m not in the room because I foresee a too-smart-for-his-own-good rabbit jumping onto the bed and from there to my night-stand!

 

I also ordered some new willow toys and grass matts to replace what have become nothing more than tasty shreds stuffed into carboard boxes.  The cage links block off the wires in the event they fall onto the floor, as I tested out in the photos.  (Normally the wires are up and out of the way.)  Embarrassingly enough, I had some trouble figuring out the connector pieces for the cubes…

Remmy is afraid of using the stairs and hates the flooring downstairs, so on those rare occasions when we go down he either stays on the couch with me or in a play-pen.  This is the room I was really worried about proofing, and it took some trial-and-error to figure out how tempting the wall design and my laundry basket were!

 

Any helpful hints or comments from others with free-range bunnies?

[Elrohwen]

Can you explain more about the area he’ll have free range in? Is it the whole house? Or just a bedroom? I think going free range in one room is much easier than the whole house. I’d also live with your bunny proofing for a little while and make sure there isn’t something you missed – bunnies are sneaky and will get into all sorts of places that we didn’t expect.

[kinggoblin]

I tried free-range for awhile…. then he developed a taste for carpet. Now he has to stay in a cage + x-pen in the kitchen and only gets to come out when I am there to constantly clap my hands and yell “NO!” lol. But if you don’t have or are worried about the carpet…

[Sarita]

It definitely depends on the rabbit!

Right now I have Bobby free range and he’s very non destructive and an all around good rabbit. There are the occasional stray poo’s but that’s no big deal. He has free range upstairs (except for the room where my 3 other rabbits stay) and downstairs. I am lucky that he does not chew on cords (maybe because he has dental problems).

Prior to Bobby, I had Pepe free range and he was excellent too but then again, he had dental problems as well…must be something in my water LOL.

I do have a pretty cord free home but I’ve caught Bobby chewing on my cable cord/tv cord but I lifted it out of his way (he’s short) and we’ve been fine.

He does jump up on an ottoman I have downstairs but he doesn’t do anything but sit on it.

I think though if I had a jumper or chewer, I would confine them more – I like the freedom of having my home clutter free and bunny proof definitely clutters up the house and can sometimes be unattractive…I know that sounds crass, but there’s a cost for destruction and owning a home is expensive.

[LoveChaCha]

It honestly does depend on the rabbit.

I started to slowly let Chacha become free range after my dad and I moved into an apartment. I rabbit proofed (like you did with the NIC grids) around lamps, and tv area. She did pretty well while I was at home to supervise her. I would put her in her condo when I went to work. When I went out to the store for something, I would let her be free range to see how she would be. She didn’t destory things. So I slowly took the leap of free range faith from there, and little Chacha has been free range since early last year

[Stickerbunny]

Powder is a good bun and doesn’t destroy carpet, so I let him be free range around the whole house. Stickers is a carpet destroyer if I am not watching her, so she can’t be free range. It all depends on the rabbit. Let him have some time without you in the room (go into another room) and see if he does any mischief before you let him be free range without you home.

[Elrohwen]

Sarita, very good points!

Otto is perfect in the house and doesn’t chew anything and doesn’t leave his normal space (no jumping or trying to get into small areas or anything). Hannah’s not much of a chewer either, but when she gets bored she’s always looking for new places to explore, especially ones that I thought I’d blocked off 😛 I would trust Otto free range, but I’d be too worried about what Hannah was getting into. I do leave their cage open on the weekends if I go out for an hour or two, but that’s during their nap time so I know she probably won’t even move until I get home.

[Zap]

Well, I’m going at it slowly for now. I let him free-range all of yesterday, but I was home all day anyway, so I stayed downstairs with some friends for a while and took a short grocery store trip. When I came back, he had not gotten into trouble. The free-range is the upstairs, which is my fiance’s and my bedroom and the hallway, though usually the door is closed so he doesn’t go into my housemate’s bedroom, which is also upstairs. He’s allowed to go downstairs, but like I said the door is usually closed and he’s afraid of the stairs, so it is mostly just the one, big room. He did try to get at the heater cord, so I stuffed the cords into a cardboard box and blocked it off with more cubes. Remmy is a bit of a chewer, but he really likes big boxes that he can run into and chew at the back. I blocked off the parts of the wall he used to chew at and put lots of boxes out. He doesn’t chew the carpet, but he will sometimes dig if there is food in stuck in it, so I’m trying not to get any food in the carpet! :p I closed him up for the night. I’m not sure if I really needed to but I didn’t want to overwhelm him. While he was in there he ate some hay and drank some water, which I think he was too excited to do while he was enjoying his freedom! We are going over to a friend’s house for a couple hours tonight so I think I will lock him up for that but let him free-range for the night this time (I am very nervous about him being out when I’m not home!). I hope that he can enjoy freedom full-time soon!

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