How much freedom is too much?

[CaseyK]

Bandit and Buttercup have free reign of the apartment during the day, and I have to say that I am starting to like it when I leave them out and I jet woken up in the nigt by bunnies playing on me on the bed. However I am concerned that I am giving them too much freedom by kleaving them out all the time. I can tell that they dont like going in their large, shared cage at night; but I am torn on the issue. Thoughts?

[BinkyBunny]

You will probably get slightly different opinions about this  as some will not feel comfortable allowing free range due to unforeseen dangers they may get into.

There are some people who have 24/7 free bunnies and other that do not due to chewing, littertraining issues, and bunny proofing problems.

Mine are free 24/7 – but I also know my rabbits very well. Rucy who is no less than 8 years has never been a trouble-maker, and Jack who used to be a destruction master has settled down and does not chew on carpet or furniture anymore, and both are littertrained. I have also bunny-proofed the place.

Be sure to check out the Bunny Proofing section under “Bunny Info” – be sure to read it over and do all the safety precautions – like cover electrical cords.

Rabbits are most active at dusk and dawn, so they will be active probably before you awake. I know many times I am awakened by Binkies down the hallways. But this is also the time they will get into trouble, so good luck as you may find something new to bunnyproof. OH…books, don’t leave books out where they can get to them.

Let us know how it goes.

[Beka27]

it is going to depend on your individual buns. mine can stay out all day long but we pen them up at night. please be aware of where they like to hang out b/c if they are behind something, they could be causing damage that you might not see until you move or rearrange furniture. also, in case of a fire, you will need to gather them quickly to evacuate. that’s no time to go searching for bunnies… i am contemplating allowing mine out all night, but if i did, they’d be baby-gated into their bunny room. but as it stands now, they have a double xpen, so they are certainly not wanting for space…

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Definitely depends on your buns. Some will chew ANYTHING including carpet and furniture and until that’s addressed and your bunnyproofing is 99% (I don’t think we can ever get to 100!) you won’t want to do this.

That being said, clearly your buns MUST be well behaved and/or your bunproofing is up to snuff if they can have that much out time My buns are free range 24/7/365 and I love it. There are cons, like coming home and having to check ten hiding spots to say hi; But I love not having to round them up before bed or leaving for work. And they love the freedom. It’s a choice you must make based on your buns and your home

[Sarita]

If you live in an apartment my only concern would be maintenance people or leasing people coming in – I know they are supposed to let you know before they enter your apartment but I know sometimes they don’t. I would be afraid they would not shut the door, or scare the rabbits, etc…

I have one rabbit who is free range all the time and he’s very good otherwise he would be more confined.

[CaseyK]

Thanks do much for the advice. I think I am going to try it free range for a while. Last night my little guy was up on the bed with me laying all spread out, like a little puppy!

[Balefulregards]

Coco is free range 24/7. The bedroom door is open, she has simply never looked to go past the door. I am not sure if she feels the bedroom is more than enough space, or if she feels the cat has ownership to the rest of the house.

That being said,our bedroom is well bunny-proofed…although she does find new things to remind me. Like picking up any dropped clothing.(Chewed) or pillows that find themselves on the floor ( chewed).

She is a youngish rabbit ( maybe 2.5 to 3 years old) but was rescued from a situation where she lived in a smallish cage. Perhaps this space feels like more than enough for her. It was not worth it to me for the fight to get her back in the cage at night…nor to listen to her throw every blessed thing around the cage and all of her litter out on the floor.

She is pretty good at night. Only once or twice have I woken to a bun on the face. Mostly she settles in on the carpet next to my side of the bed…looking for all the world like a guard rabbit. It is only when I oversleep that I get the rabbit on the face in the morning with the “Greens Now, Woman! attitude. I also put her final ration of pellets in her bowl before MY bedtime ( around 11:30 p.m.) so she has enough to sustain her. She only gets about a 1/4 of a cup per day, so I divvy it into three “refills” throughout her feeding day. I find that when I have forgotten to replenish before bed – she gets mad…and that is when I have a 4 and a half pound rabbit staring me down in my bed…

But yeah – totally depends on Your Bun. I often wonder if Coco had a rabbit friend if I could trust them the same…I suspect she would be quite the ringleader…..

[bunnytowne]

I would like to give HB the run of the bedroom too.  However after putting him in the kitchen I notice he loves to chew on rubber. The bottoms of our shoes. towels have holes in them  the stroller has been chewed on too.  Cotton’s stroller  at that.  So I keep him in the bathroom fulltime loose in there. 

HE gets to go to the kitchen when I am home and can watch them so they don’t get crazy between the xpen bars.

Now Cotton has free range of the living room except at nite. He goes to his house. Ruby is in her house when I am not home so her and Cotton don’t get into a tiff.   She will calm down by dec. and I will leave them together 24/7 at that poing.  She goes in her house at nite too. And Cotton to his.

 

[jerseygirl]

HI binking buttercup. Just wanted to ask, is Bandit the mini rex you got as friend for Buttercup? Did they end up bonding? I remembered your post from while ago (had to re-read bout details though).

[BonitaBonsworth]

Hello! I am new to posting, but read posts alot. My bun has been a free house bun for only about a month now…I just moved, and in my old apartment she had to live in my bedroom, and she would get under my bed and chew carpet and such, so I couldn’t let her out when I wasn’t around there. Now in my new apartment, I can keep her in the living room and now that I have learned where she likes to play and chew (I had to put a rug under my couch sidetable and cover the table legs in cardboard….) I have decided to let her out all day (she still goes up at night, I’m not really sure why though I’ll probably quit doing that soon too…) As long as I am sure to put up all paper goods that I dont want her chewing and tv remotes off the couch, she is good and just plays with her things. I do want to put a pet cam in my house just to see waht kind of mischief she gets into though…hehe. She is funny now that she has so much room, she is slowly getting used to it and taking over more of the house…I know come home to her lounging on my couch, and the stairs she never dared climbing down before she now races up and down. I like having her out all the time, but I definitely had to do some work and really learn where she likes to go and stuff before she could be out full time.

[CaseyK]

Jersey Girl,
Yeah Bandit is the mini rex, You guys were right about giving it more time after he got fixed. They are inseparable now. And love to flop, bink and groom each other.

[jerseygirl]

Posted By binking buttercup on 11/08/2008 6:32 AM
Yeah Bandit is the mini rex, You guys were right about giving it more time after he got fixed. They are inseparable now. And love to flop, bink and groom each other.

 

This is FANTASTIC to hear!  Glad the effort paid off.  Bandit is a great name, by the way!

[Author]

Messages