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Totally free-range

rolo

Alpha Buck
Hi all....

Does anyone have a totally free-range house bun??? If so, how does it work out for you?

Rolo has been protesting about his cage at bedtime. He's let out in the morning about 7am, then is out all day until about 11pm. Then he gets put to bed with supper and hay. But the past week or so, he's been hiding when he knows its bed-time and trying to catch him is stressing him out.

So, last night...after almost half an hour trying to get him in, thought.."Stuff it!!" and left him out. fenced off danger areas first.

Think he spent most of the night under my sons bed.

He seems much happier this am. Im tempted to let him loose all the time.

Thanks

Rach x
 
Not over the entire house (well my parents did with Lily, but I wasn't born at the time), but Izzy had free range of my bedroom, he was never put in a cage. Worked fine for him. If he's well behaved then I see no reason to lock him up at night, just make sure theres nothing he could get into to.
 
I have 2 house (flat) buns that are completely free-range and it works really well for us - and them! They sleep most of the night and I've never woken up to find they've trashed the place.
Bob used to be a digger and ruined a fair bit of carpet - but that was during the day when I was at work :roll:, he's always saintly during the night.

They have a thump now and then but that's the only peep I hear out of them. :)

If Rolo has shown himself to be trust worthy and you're confident he won't chew any wires, I'd definitely give it a go.
 
Sooty is pretty much free range he has the run of the whole house during the day (exept the room that cinders is in as they're not bonded) overnight he has his own little room which he has a hutch in, but the door to his hutch is never shut it's just a base really. I usually shut the door to his room, but some nights I dont, like if it's very warm I leave it open to let more air in. He tends to say in his room any way out of habit I suppose. Hes usually in his hutch when i come down in the morning, he seems to like being in his hutch as long as the door is open and he knows he can get out.
 
Mine always went into their pen at night or if I went out. Have you tried giving a treat when it's bedtime? My buns used to sit and stare at me when they knew it was getting to bedtime and everytime I stood up, they would get all excited because they knew they were going to get a treat. I never tried to catch them. Just put their treat in their food dish and they ran in themselves.
 
It works great for me :)

All they have is a litter tray, no rooms, no pen, no cage.

They tend to sleep either, under my bed, on the landing or under the sofa and just do as they please.

They have stopped chewing the skirting boards since they have been totally free range too.
 
Thanks for your replies.

I have tried treats in his cage to lure him in, but hes not very food orientated at all. My other bun used to do anything for food. You could have got him to spin from the lampshade with the promise of a munchie:lol:

Think Im going to leave him to roam and leave his cage open, then perhaps bit by bit phase out the cage (it'll certainly give us more room!!!) Hopefully will just have a litter tray.

Rach x
 
I do. :wave:

I am just uber lucky though as he is very clean - only goes to the toilet in his litter tray and has never chewed a thing!
So no cables or furniture covered etc.

He is such a little darling. :love:

He can go upstairs if he wants to, but he rarely does, he is content with staying downstairs!
 
I'm attempting it with Yuki, but he ends up just jumping back into his cage when he gets tired.
The only thing that's stopping me having no cage for him is toilet training, I don't have the first idea when it comes to that (techniques, how to etc.) so at the moment I just have him out till he gets bored or I leave the room.

I think if you're confident he wont do anything, then let him be out at night :) Good luck!
 
I do. :wave:

I am just uber lucky though as he is very clean - only goes to the toilet in his litter tray and has never chewed a thing!
So no cables or furniture covered etc.

He is such a little darling. :love:

He can go upstairs if he wants to, but he rarely does, he is content with staying downstairs!

ditto (apart from the never chewing a thing:roll:):)
 
Oh and he does have a nero cage open all the time with his litter tray in and hay, he has 2 cat beds and a fleecey blanket downstairs and a bed upstairs too. He loves his bed in the kitchen under the table and his fleecey blanket in the living room under the unused fire.
 
My two have free range of the upstairs .... they have their own room but access to the landing and the other bedrooms at all times.

They spend most of their time in their room (because their toys, hay and litter tray are in there) ..... but they mostly chill and sleep on the landing.

So far we've had a few chewed curtains (so now I just make sure they're not near bunn level) and a bit of digging (but usually only where there's something to dig - ie the corner of the carpet where it was already a bit freyed).

Other than that they're very well behaved, never keep us awake at night (the very occasional thump) and I'm going to really miss them just being 'there' when they go back outside this weekend!
 
All my buns are free range :)

I have Rhythm, Reed and Rascal downstairs. I then have Rebo, Zooty and Bluey in my bedroom and the landing, and in the animal room I have Ella and Heather.
I love not having to shut them away :D
 
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