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Are the stairs safe for bunnies?

purple_x

Warren Scout
I brought my 2 in a few weeks ago and they seem to be loving it atm. They have pretty much taken over my bedroom and have alot of space, all the room including their own maze of tunnels under my double bed (I got crafty with some old boxes and some sellotape lol)
Plus they have tunnels and houses and stuff and they like to wander over my bed too!

But I was just wondering if I would be able to open the bedroom door and let them out onto the landing and stairs?
Just so they could have even more space really. I know they have plenty where they are but I thought maybe the stairs would be fun for them to jump up and down as long as I knew they wouldn't hurt themselves.

Anyone know if they would be ok?
 
It depends on how they handle the stairs, this is individual for each bunny, but most if they don't feel confident using them, won't. We live in a split level house so have millions of stairs and our two fly up and down them whilst freerange all day, no probs at all. Nino took a bit longer to get used to them as has very short front legs so has to trust when he drops down a step rather than be able to put his front feet down and keep the back ones on the step above - but he got the hang of it eventually. He has fallen down them a few times but this was only because he paused at the top to periscope and toppled backwards! :roll:. Carpeted stairs are obviously safer than wooden stairs and I would feel much more concerned if the stairs had gaps in or were very steep. Most buns have enough agility to cope with them fine and they are great exercise IMO.:)
 
my two love bobbing up and down the stairs. They will learn to tackle them step by step then there will be no stopping them:lol:
 
Mine go up and down the stairs no problems. Just be careful as they have a tendancy to follow you up and down, make sure they don't trip you up :wave:
 
Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am going to let my 2 loose on the stairs tomorrow when I can sit and watch them in the morning! Just to make sure they're ok.
The stairs are carpeted and have no gaps or anything. And they aren't steep at all so the bunnies should hopefully be ok.

I guess I am just worried about them falling down and getting hurt, I'll see how they go.
 
I found it quite funny watching Bella attempt the stairs for the first time, she was such a wuss :lol::lol::lol:
 
Mine runs up and down the stairs at top speeds, but make sure u watch cos he gets so excited he sometimes misses a step and have slipped slightly, not that that scares or slows him down :roll:
 
Personally I wouldn't advise it - one of mine fell once and broke her front paw :( Also there was a thread in introductions the other day where some poor guy was dreadfully upset as his bunny had fallen down the stairs and subsequently died :cry:
 
I don't have any personal experience but do know of someone who's rabbit fell down the stairs last week and had to have stitches in their face and had smashed their front teeth.

I think it will just depend on the stairs and the rabbit, but ultimately, accidents happen when you least expect it.
 
I don't have any personal experience but do know of someone who's rabbit fell down the stairs last week and had to have stitches in their face and had smashed their front teeth.

I think it will just depend on the stairs and the rabbit, but ultimately, accidents happen when you least expect it.

This is true, but accidents can happen anywhere from experience. To be fair my two only actually use the stairs generally twice a day - once in the morning to come upstairs for the day and again at night to go back to bed downstairs, on both occasions we are generally walking behind them and if Nino is looking stiff with his arthritis we carry him instead. When either are ill they are not allowed to use them. I think it is personal choice really, we have no option, our house is split over 3 floors and they've used the stairs confidently for years.
 
Scamp treats the stairs like play equipment. When he's in one of his bouncy moods I let him run up and down to wear him out. The more exciting and varied an environment is the more possibility the is for accidents. I think precautions like avoiding gaps and uncarpeted slippy stairs is a good idea but you can't remove risk completely from everything. Bunnies can land wrong just binkying on a flat surface.
 
Scamp treats the stairs like play equipment. When he's in one of his bouncy moods I let him run up and down to wear him out. The more exciting and varied an environment is the more possibility the is for accidents. I think precautions like avoiding gaps and uncarpeted slippy stairs is a good idea but you can't remove risk completely from everything. Bunnies can land wrong just binkying on a flat surface.

This :D

Nino has had far more accidents 'off the stairs' than he has had on them, binkying into the wire of his run or the coffee table :roll:. Some days they both go up another floor of their own accord to find us, and Poppy is like Tamsin's Scamp - she barely touches the ground as she glides up them in two bounds. Without the daily stair exercise I honestly don't think Nino would be anything like as agile with his arthritis as he is, it keeps his muscles wonderfully conditioned. Today for example he has been up and downstairs all day... he loves it. I also think that buns that use stairs regularly will develop certain muscle groups not used in other activities which makes them stronger and less likely to fall.
 
Mine would love going up and down the stairs but Mischa is not so agile and struggles and falls down them so we have a baby gate at the top (all mine are upstairs). Going up he is fine so when I take them downstairs for nail clips or groomings or after coming back from vet trips I let them go up the stairs on their own.
 
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