Some Info On All Different Floof Bun Housing?

[Subliminally_Twisted]

Hey,

I’m considering getting my own bunny, and as someone who is only generally educated in the rabbit-relm, I figured I should join a forum and educate myself before I go any further. If one of you are willing to take the time, could you give me some ideas on a habitat? I know the cages they sell at pet stores are not suitable for a floof-bun (sorry if that name annoys you, I came up with it and thought it sounded cute), but what exactly is? After doing some light scrolling, I read something about pens and dog crate cages, but I don’t know what is best or if there are other options. I’m considering adopting a trio, so I know whatever I decide on is going to have to be big, and I would perfer it if whatever you guys suggest is not the most expensive, awesome-looking enclosure out there.

Thanks in advance!

Also, if it helps any, I’m considering getting either Lionheads or Lops. I don’t know if either breed happens to need extra space due to having extra energy or something like that. I just want my buns to be as happy and healthy as possible, while staying on a slight budget.

[Sirius&Luna]

Hi,

Lots of people here make their own enclosures out of either a pet store bunny hutch plus x pens, or those little metal squares that you can zip tie together. I have totally forgotten the name of them!

Even better, if you can, is to make them free-roaming or enclosed in one bunny-proofed room.

I have a lionhead and two lop trio – my lionhead is more active, but I think that’s just his personality. The general rule to bear in mind is that rabbits need to be able to stand in their enclosure without touching the ceiling, and be able to lie across the width without touching the sides. They also need enough space to sprint around it!

At the moment, I have a wooden enclosure that my dad built for me, much bigger than a standard pet store hutch. But in a few weeks I’m moving house and they’ll have their own room, which I’m very excited by.

There’s some good examples of habitats in the BUNNY INFO section too

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Welcome, it’s great to see someone do their homework before getting rabbits! People have kept rabbits for a long time, but keeping rabbits as actual house pets is a fairly recent development. Manufacturers are slow to catch up on it: many products from food to snacks to hutches aren’t good for a rabbit’s long-term health. You’ll find that many hutches sold in pet stores aren’t large enough for rabbits to walk around in, and that many foodstuffs have the wrong nutrients. Most experts advice pelleted food with a high fibre content and low in sugar and starches. Rabbits should always have access to unlimited hay, this is good for their teeth and their gut health.

Many people here let their rabbits live indoors, because it’s safer for them and you’ll have more contact with them. You can form a deep bond with rabbits, just like you would with a cat, dog or bird. Many rabbits love to socialise and snuggle up, and they love playing with toys. They are sensitive and intelligent animals who need interaction and stimulation to stay happy. There are many posts here about home-made rabbit toys and bunny-proofing.

No matter the breed, all rabbits need at least 3 hours of supervised exercise each day. It’s true that smaller breeds are generally more active, but even the larger rabbits benefit a lot from (semi-)free roaming. Exercise helps to prevent illnesses and behaviour problems. Rabbits who are cooped up all day can get hyperexcited or agressive when you feed them or clean the hutch. With nothing to keep them busy depression and boredom are also big issues. These issues can literally half their life expectancy.

Letting a rabbit out of the hutch doesn’t mean that you have to turn over your entire house to them. This is one of the doom scenarios people picture when free roaming is mentioned: poop everywhere and mass destruction. Luckily rabbits can be litter trained, and after their spay/neuter their toilet habits will also improve.
Many people here let their rabbits roam in a room or a part of a room. Rabbits don’t like to walk on slippery floors, so you can create a rabbit-friendly section in your house with mats or carpets. Being a prey species, rabbits love places to hide in when they are napping or lounging. They want cover from above, it’s an instinct to protect them from birds or prey. You can make hiding boxes by flipping over a cardboard box and cutting a hole in the front and the back. Cat tunnels are also big favourites.

Our situation:

Our rabbit is semi-free roam: he is in his hutch at night and he can walk around freely in the sitting area of my apartment during the day. I’m always home because of my disability, and he actively seeks me out for cuddles. For people who have work, school or other activities I’d recommend 2 or more rabbits so they can keep eachother company.
Breintje can roam in the sitting area of my living room. He has a hutch where his litter box and water bowl are, and he can jump in and out at will. The sitting area of the living room is carpeted, and he often jumps up on the couches to join me or my BF for a snuggle.
He has a hiding box underneath the coffee table and a play tunnel next to it. He loves to lounge underneath the coffee table because it gives him protection from above. Breintje would love to hide underneath our couches too, but we don’t think that’s such a good idea because he may decide to “improve the area” by chewing holes in the bottom of the couches. We put large sheets of alu foil underneath them because he hates stepping on it. You can also hear it when he’s trying to get into a place he shouldn’t be.

Rabbits have natural instincts like digging, chewing and tearing. It’s important to create toys to let them indulge in this behaviour whilst keeping your house intact. A bored rabbit is a very destructive rabbit. We made a digging box from shreds of paper, in the morning we put his pellets in this box so he has to dig for them. It keeps him busy for hours and he loves to turn it into a little game. Each rabbit can have a favourite material to chew, and a favourite activity. Some prefer wood, paper or hay. And you have diggers, chewers, and rabbits who love to throw things around. Breintje is a paper chewer/tearer all the way. He has a nice big phone book all to himself, which he often drags across the room. He likes to tear out full pages and eat them whole. TP rolls are also a nice play item, these are a good size to throw around.
We rotate his toys evey 3 weeks or so to offer him new stimuli and to keep him interested. Luckily he shows little interest in cables, but most people with rabbits will need to protect their items with cable protectors.

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