Pen Help

[RemyRabbit]

Hello, all. I am wondering what the best option to house my 6 month old spayed bun, Remy, in. I am currently housing her in my 8 ft x 5 ft walk in closet while I’m away but she gets extremely destructive and abandons all litter training when I am gone. I would use an ex pen, but as I learned with the 2 ft baby gate I bought when she was 4 months old, she is quite the escape artist and can jump very high. I need something with a roof. I feel bad putting her in a crate but I feel that’s about my only option at this point, as she always finds a way around my rabbit proofing. I have bought a variety of chew toys made out of wood, cardboard, hay, etc but she doesn’t seem to care about them while I’m gone, as exemplified by my walls and baseboards. Possibly an indoor hutch? Let me know what you all think. Thank you.

[Rikashea]

Hello there! I don’t consider myself an expert by any means, but we dealt with a similar problem. Our biggest issue was that the buns couldn’t be left with the carpet unattended in our rental property and it was a nightmare. We now have an indoor hutch in our living room (we chose something that looks like it can blend in as furniture) and that is where we keep our buns until we come home. They are both bigger bunnies, so they each have a large hutch where they have their litterboxes, blankets, food, water, and an upstairs level where they have room to stretch and snooze. But whenever we’re home, we always let them run around freely and keep their hutch doors open because that’s where they know their food/water is. Then if they start bothering each other or get spooked by something scary like a vacuum, they know they can hide. The arrangement has worked very well for us and our bunnies seem happy. Hope this was helpful!

[Doodler]

Hi RemyRabbit! Sorry for what you are going through and I know it has to be frustrating.

I definitely wouldn’t rule out the pen as an option. A baby gate that is only 2ft won’t contain a lot of bunnies. You can get pens that are a lot higher. I have seen decently priced pens that go up to 48 inches. The highest ones I have are 42 inches and they have worked perfectly.

I find pens to be a perfect way to bunny proof and a good option to contain them when needed. To be honest a lot has to due with what you are willing to put up with. For example, I have pens around my nicer living room furniture and I know a lot of people that wouldn’t want pens blocking up some of their living room like that. With that said they collapse and can be put away when you don’t need to use them.

My bunnies have their own room and are free roam in that room. I have a tall baby gate in the doorway so I don’t have to close the room up at any time. I like to think they don’t feel very secluded with this type of set up. I have come to find ways to bunny proof that works for them and the room even has wall to wall carpet.

Although your closet is bigger than a lot of people have their rabbit caged in, I have to wonder if the issues you are seeing is due to her being bored and just showing frustration. I honestly would get her out of the closet and have her in a more open area and have her in tall pens to start with when you aren’t home. I have seen height recommendations range from 30 inches to 48 inches when it comes to pens but I have yet to see anyone say 48 inches is not sufficient. Shortly after getting my buck I can confirm he jumped a little over 30 inches but he did it towards the corner of a wall and just hit the wall. He has yet to try it again but just to be safe I would definitely go for the taller pen options. That’s why I went to the 42 inch pens. The downside with those is that they tend to be a little heavy and less stable when you are trying to rearrange them or collapse them but they work.

Good luck with your girl!

[DanaNM]

Second that I think a taller pen is in order! They sell some that are meant for larger dogs, and they aren’t too much more expensive than the shorter ones.

I also agree that if you are closing the door to the closet, she could be getting anxious about be blocked in with no escape (this happens with dogs as well). Using a gate (or pen) to block the door, rather than closing the door, might help a lot.

If that doesn’t work, you could build a NIC cube condo (which is what I use for mine when I’m not home).

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Sofia]

I’m not sure if it would work with your bun but what I sometimes did was put a blanket as a “roof” on the pen and put pegs on to keep it there

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