No cage at all okay?

[brittbritt]

When I adopted Gabby about a month ago she had been living in a too small pet store cage for rabbits/guinea pigs all winter long in the people’s garage. That’s one reason I jumped so fast to get her as I was heartbroken at the way they were treating her. The daughter had tired of her.

Since her first day here I have not offered her any type of cage at all. At first I had her in our laundry room with a baby gate in the doorway to keep her in there. After her spay and she had some healing time she is now given the dining room and kitchen along with the laundry room as her area. My mom gave me a much longer gate to use in the doorway between the kitchen and living room.

When we are home and can supervise Gabby she gets to come out in the living room and hang out with us. If we go somewhere or are not going to be able to supervise her such as bedtime she is put back in the kitchen where she has the 3 rooms to stay in.

I keep her litterbox, food, water and hay in the laundry room where it’s always been as to not confuse her. She pulled one of my large fleece blankets out of a chair and has it under the kitchen table. I’ve seen her digging in it and laying on it and by it. In the afternoons sunshine comes through that window and she sunbathes there.

Do rabbits need a cage as their “safe area” or having most of her things in the laundry room make it seem to her as a safe area? I just want to make sure I’m doing things right since she is able to come into alot of the house instead of a cage.

[Monkeybun]

As long as they have a place that is “theirs” you don’t need a cage at all Sounds like she is fine with having the laundry room be her space

[brittbritt]

Thanks, I just hated the thought of having to put a cage down for her after her living in the tiny one all winter. I want her to be free range in half the house eventually.

[Dee]

I agree with Monkeybun- I got rid of BunBun and Nelli’s cage after a few months because we never used it. They seemed to prefer hanging out in the living room or on the kitchen chairs. I think that bunnies tend to “claim” certain places as their own, and as long as they are allowed to do that they feel pretty secure. Nelli, my shy girl, needs lots of hiding places, so she’s always lurking behind or underneath something. BunBun prefers being where he can oversee everything. He likes to sit on the kitchen table where he has a good view- it’s so funny when I walk in the kitchen door and see him all loafed up on the kitchen table, overseeing his kingdom.
I do the same thing with the litterbox and food/water as you- I left it in pretty much the same place (give or take a few feet) when we got rid of the cage. That way they always know where the essentials are.
That’s adorable that Gabby pulled your fleece blanket under the table, and that she sunbathes . There are few things cuter in this world than a sunbathing bunny. She sounds like a very happy rabbit!

[Author]

Messages