Free Ranging Help

I need some advice regarding Angel.

She is living as a housebunny and has free range of our bedroom and the whole house at weekends. The only issue is, she is extremely reluctant to actually leave her cage, which is always open. She is a very nervous bunny anyway but I just can't seem to get her to free range of her own accord! I have tried taking her out of the cage and closing it up so she can't just jump back in but when i do that she freaks out and just huddles by the cage looking terrified . She does the same when I bring her downstairs without her cage around.

I appreciate it is highly likely her nervousness is down to a fear of people and that she only likes to free range when we are not around (hence why we only ever find her in her cage) but there isn't even any evidence of her having been out and about during the day (no poos, tho she is fully litter trained, her toys haven't moved, nothing has been chewed, food that has been left out not touched)

I am thinking the obvious solution is of course to get her a partner, which we are definitely looking at doing once this place is a bit less chaotic (moved in October, lots of decorating and reorganising going on). I just want her to be happy in the meantime. She seems perfectly content whenever she is in her cage but I really can't see any rabbit actually preferring to be confined!! :roll:

My rabbit Maisie is a bit like this and I think she will remain to be after all she's been through! But getting Marvin as a friend for her helped her become a bit more adventurious! We find that when people aren't around she is more active. All can suggest is to always leave her cage door open, even when you aren't there, and bunny proof as best you can and eventually her bunny-curiousity may get her out and about!

Here she is.... where she can usually be found :roll::lol:

Out of interest, is she spayed?

If so, i certainly think a neutered husbun could bring her out of her shell perhaps, from what i've seen on here :wave:

Are you sure she can physically jump out?

mattyp said:

My rabbit Maisie is a bit like this and I think she will remain to be after all she's been through! But getting Marvin as a friend for her helped her become a bit more adventurious! We find that when people aren't around she is more active. All can suggest is to always leave her cage door open, even when you aren't there, and bunny proof as best you can and eventually her bunny-curiousity may get her out and about!

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Well, I'm glad she isn't the only one! She is a rescue bun and her start to life wasn't the best so I am told so I think her nervousness stems from that. Though she has come a long, long way since I have had her

Getting her a partner has always been a definite just finding the right time!!

Yes she is spayed and she can physically jump out, I have seen her do it after a but of coaxing (though she jumped straight back in)

SisterMoonbeam said:

Yes she is spayed and she can physically jump out, I have seen her do it after a but of coaxing (though she jumped straight back in)

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I'd certainly go for the friend option. Out of interest, do you know what her previous accomodation was like? Before the rescue i mean?

Perhaps she was stuck in a small hutch and never let out so doesnt know what to do with all the space?

Rhianna (another member here) had a bunny that was rescued from an awful breeding setup that wouldnt leave the hutch for ages until he was coaxed out and now he has a friend i believe he's much happier.

A friend really helped Nutmeg too. And Smudge. Having each other has really bought Smudge out of his shell. Both of my pairs get into mischief together.

Get a wireless camera so you can see if she does come out when you're not there

Is the room very cluttered? She might be nervous because she is unsure of the environment, if there were fewer things around she might be more comfortable.

Yeah, my other pair are a nightmare together :lol:

I'm convinced they work together to plot. The original plan was to bond her with my existing pair as a trio but Fidget (female) wasn't having ANY of it!

I am not sure what her original accommodation was like but she was fostered with *Spider* for a while but when she was there she already had babies and was pregnant again censored so I guess didn't really have much of a chance to enjoy her surroundings there!!

I think I will just have to persevere with her and hope that when I find her a husbun it helps!

She looks like a REW as far as I can tell: do you know whether her eyesight is ok? If she can't see very well she will naturally be wary of leaving the safety of her home, especially without any other bunnies to warn her of danger xx

My bridge bunny Chrissy was free range but actually hardly ever came out of her cage. I'd take her out for exercise and she'd binky and hop around for a few minutes then go under a bed. Funny once out she'd hardly ever return to her cage but would stay under the bed or in one particular corner until I brought her back to where her cage was. Only time she'd come on on her own is if I laid on the floor in front of her cage then she would hop on my tummy. She loved to be cuddled and petted but when I left she'd go back in her cage. She seem to love to be in confined spaces.

is the area too clean of clutter? i know it seems better for a bun to have clear space and lots of it...but with a rew and any nervy bun..i had bandit who had agorophobia and hated coming out of his cage until salem sat and played with him..he used forward to salems visits upstairs and then he came downstairs and began bonding with the others....rabbits that is.
eventually he was bonded and bif spilt the 4 up..so eventually it was two frenchies together and two smaller buns togehter.
bif was always the boss but shed been badly badly treated and abused but had got used to us and she got him used to us donwstairs where hed been ok upstirs in one room and on the landing.

he ended up with bif in a thistle hall hutch in our lounge with a penned off area..he hated leaving the safety of the hutch..the cats had to go in and spend time with him in there...bif wasnt as bad..she wanted out to kill willow!!:shock::lol:
when willow passed bertie slept up against the pen panels to feel a part of it all.

give her an edge of the room and place cardboard boxes with holes at each end to become a tunnel..they also then become a good chew toy!
pet tunnels or go a charity shop and buy some kids play tunnels....leave them so she can hop around...my mum who was against cardboard boxes has a whole load aorund one edge of her lounge:lol::lol:

if you get a friend....make sure they have a play area side by side but penned off safely or during the day cages side by side then panels in the evening when your home.

dimmer swithces or fairy lights work bettert than overhead lights on...and never pitch dark..try a childs plug in night light.
the buns as a rule like a dark a place to feel safe in...even pet tents! or with bigger buns..a cheap childs pop up tent!

boltholes made out of a carboard box are essential..rews sight is worse than other buns..and they like thigns left in a regular space but if they have another bun they dont feel as out of control.

good luck!!

She is such a sweety! How lovely to see her back!

I would pm Hetty and talk to her about it.

I have no idea what accommodation she had previous, but she was brought to the doorstep, with her babies, in a washing basket with sheet over :shock:

And Thorn, the dad was brought in a tiny cardboard box.

I am pretty sure whilst with Hetty, it took her a long time to build up trust and come out of herself.

SisterMoonbeam said:

but I really can't see any rabbit actually preferring to be confined!! :roll:

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My two chose to cuddle in cage for 4hours yest,came out for abit of food then B hopped back in & snuggled down in litter tray in cage-but thats another story:lol:Is the access to your buns cage easy for them to get in & out?Maybe she cant get out easily or finds it difficult to go back in?Just a thought.