Which is the best set-up?

[Cassandra]

I might be fostering a rabbit, and I will have to provide the housing [unfortunately]. I’ve searched about a lot of different options for housing, and I can’t make up my mind as to which one would be the best. I’m hoping you guys can help me and answer this questions: Which would be the best set-up?

I thought about free-run as that is the best option (according to the HRS), but then again this foster rabbit might not be completely litter-trained. Plus, she might be super destructive with everything, no matter how well I bunny-proof. At night, she would be confined to a large dog crate.

Instead of free-run, I thought I could have the rabbit live in my bathroom, which is all marble floors and a limited amount of stuff she could chew. The bathroom gets a decent amount of sunlight and fresh air but isn’t much larger than 8′ x 2′.

Another idea I had was to house her with an x-pen that connected to the bathroom, which would be lots of space for her.

Lastly, she could just live in an x-pen. I don’t really want to spend a whole lot of money on x-pens as they are expensive in my area, but I would if it was best for the rabbit.

So the break-down:

1. Free-run in my bedroom w/ large dog crate at night

2. 8′ x 2′ Bathroom

3. X-pen

Which is best? How large would my x-pen need to be if I decided to house her in that? What suggestions/advice can you give to me about your recommendation of housing?

EDITED TO ADD: Also, if my foster bun were to live as free-run, would she still need to have run/exercise time? I’m guessing not, but you never know…

Thanks in advance for your help, guys!

[rosalie68]

I would buy some NIC grids and cable ties and make a pen with those. They have them for about 14 dollars at bed bath and beyond. very simple to make and u can always change the shape or add more. If you already have the dog crate then u could add the NIC grids to it for a yard and keep the litter box and hay and everything in the crate. you can form the grids to look just like an x pen for a lot cheaper. There are some pics on this site of some of the condos and pens that ppl have made out of grids. they dont have to be super fancy or anything.

i wouldnt start a bunny out as free run. you will have to see their personality first. I have 2 buns and 1 of them is laid back and might do ok as 24 hr free run but the other bun is definitely not an option! he gets into everything. i have to keep all eyes on him. i would be worried to go to sleep with him out lol. so, start off with something for the bunny to go in until u get to know it better.

kim

[rosalie68]

i think if they were already free run in a good size area then they wouldnt need extra exercise. they would get it whenever they wanted to since they werent confined to a small space or cage.

[Lintini]

I agree with Rosalie, I would start out with a cage of NIC grids because it’s a great price and simple to put together, and you can make it as large as you want. And then you can go from there with letting him/her have free range when you find out their personality.

[KatnipCrzy]

look or post of Craigslist in your area that you are looking for a xpen or see if there is one for sale.  You will have to ignore all the other horrid ads in the pet section- but that could be worth a try.

[Elrohwen]

I vote for the xpen – they’re great! You can probably find one on Craigslist or make one of NIC grids. Most xpens are 4’x4′ which is plenty large enough. The smallest you could do (for a small bun) would be 4’x2′ probably, as long as he got lots of run time.

I would recommend against free range – not all bunnies are able to be trusted free range, so I wouldn’t count on it.

[della luna]

Ok so I’m not going to offer any advice, as I’ve only had my bun for a week and a half now!

But I keep Ava in an xpen (we already had one) with a crate attached while I’m not here and she has free run when I am. The pen is only set up to be one side of the ‘cage’ though, as I use my walls as the other three (the pen runs the length of my room). I have to admit that I am lucky though as Ava is not a chewer at all!

[Beka27]

I’m pretty sure that HRS does not say free range is the BEST option, or if it does, it is very conditional. It is ONE option for some rabbits and for some households, but it’s not always possible or desirable. You need to look at the situation as a whole… are there other pets in the household, what is the set-up of the house, are there young children with toys left out, older children/adults with “toys” (electronics/cords/shoes/clothes) left out.

I also would not recommend housing a rabbit in a bathroom 24/7. He or she would not get enough interaction. There is usually limited air circulation and it’s damp when the bathroom is in use. And… bathrooms will have things that can be chewed… rugs, cabinets, shower curtains, baseboards, etc… Your best bet would be an xpen or NIC condo (minimum size 4×4 feet, or 2×4 feet with levels) in a central area of the home (living room/dining room) where your bunny can get plenty of attention and daily interaction.

Cassandra, I admire your diligence, but I was under the impression from some of your other posts that your parents are pretty much against a rabbit.  A major concern I have is the lack of parental support, and if you don’t have money for something ESSENTIAL like an xpen/proper housing, which is a one-time purchase, I’m unclear how you figure you’ll be able to support a rabbit on a monthly basis (average monthly cost is about $60… equivalent to buying an xpen every single month). 

I am not trying to be confrontational at all, I am trying to help, and please clear this up for me if I’m incorrect and if you have been given permission to foster a rabbit and I missed the thread.

 

Edited to add: Thinking about it further, if you were to foster, I would absolutely recommend an xpen over a NIC condo.  Fostering is usually temporary (unless you have plans to adopt or it’s a special needs “sanctuary” bunny…) so you may only foster for a couple months before that bun gets adopted out.  With a NIC condo, you would have to disassemble the entire thing to store.  An xpen could be cleaned, folded up and stored away in a closet or basement in about 5 minutes.  The xpen will be more sturdy and you could use it for multiple animals over the course of many years.

[Laura]

My vote is for x-pen. But I have found that most buns hop or climb out of the x-pen if it is shorter than 3 feet. I currently have 3 fosters and no money so they are in cages that I borrowed from the Humane Sociey.

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