• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

How often should I let my buns freerange in the garden?

How often?

  • Every day.

    Votes: 12 66.7%
  • Every 2 or 3 days.

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • Every 4-7 days.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Once a week is enough.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I don't think you ever NEED to.

    Votes: 4 22.2%

  • Total voters
    18

yaretzi

Wise Old Thumper
I have a 6 x 5 shed with a shelf 56cm x 6foot, creating another bit of extra room. Between about 8/9am and about 9pm they have access via a runaround tube to their 6 x 4 secure run, which I move every few days to give them new grass and a new perspective on the world :lol:

How often do you recommend as the minimum for letting them freerange around my rabbit proof garden? At the moment, with college work, it's not that feasible to be letting them have 4 hour supervised runarounds in the garden every day, as I can't work out there with this damn WIND!

They have quite a bit of room inside their setup, but I'm aware they can't get a proper run, so I'm a little concerned about whether it's unfair or cruel to not let them out for a run every day. I haven't mentioned how often I let them out, as I don';t want people shouting at me :shock: If you could please vote and then if you want to explain a bit about why you've voted that specific thing, or whether you can't fit into a category, please elaborate if you wish :D

I should mention I rotate their toys in their shed and run every few days to keep their environment different (I don't have many toys in their run, they take up space which I know they prefer more empty) and I stimulate them with different ways of feeding (scattering food inside and outside, putting it in large boxes filled with hay so they have to dig, putting it inside loo rolls/wooden hamster tubes/hay balls etc for them to get out). I also feed them at different points in the day so I really doubt my bunnies are bored, I'm more concerned about them getting enough exercise. :)
 
Last edited:
Basically whenever you can! Whenever the weather is nice enough (mine aren't bothered by wind) I let mine out in the evening while I'm doing litter trays and their dinner. If I miss a day they start queuing up at the gate and pulling at it demanding to be let out.
 
If you garden is totally secure I'd go with a half hour/hour run about while your cleaning out and filling up food / water etc every day as a routine, it's the equivalent of us going for walk or popping to the gym. They will get into a routine of making the most of it so if they want to lie down they'll do that when they go back in if you see what I mean:)
 
I will never be able to let them out for 4+ hours every day, as they need to be supervised (I can leave them for 5-10 mins if I pop upstairs to the loo, or make a sandwich kinda thing).

My plan has always been to let them out every 2 or 3 days for a proper long run, and maybe an hour or so on the nights in between, but the hour or so may not happen every day.

I let them out for a run for about 3/4 hours 3 days ago, planning to let them out later on for a long run. They got an hour outside yesterday.
 
If you garden is totally secure I'd go with a half hour/hour run about while your cleaning out and filling up food / water etc every day as a routine, it's the equivalent of us going for walk or popping to the gym. They will get into a routine of making the most of it so if they want to lie down they'll do that when they go back in if you see what I mean:)

That's the ideal, I think. And in winter and colder weather that'll definitely be what happens, as I really doubt I'm gonna be happy to sit there for several hours in the cold! But while I'm cleaning and faffing I'll be warm and it will allow them to run around, so that's definitely the plan for winter :D!

In the summer, however, I'm wondering whether it's okay to replace that with several hours every few days? Especially for the next few weeks when I'm literally sat at my desk 14+ hours a day doing work and so only have time to pop in, feed them, change their litter tray, rotate toys around and give them a quick fuss rather than sit outside trying to do my work on a garden table while it's all blowing away :shock::shock:!
 
To me free range time is very important. I hate the thought of being caged my whole life even if it is in a large accommodation. I havent however voted on the poll as I think you should allow free range time to suit both you and the buns. If you can do that every day then great, if you cant then dont feel bad, as long as get some free range time each week to let off some steam they'll be happy buns :love:.
 
My 2 buns currently live in a 6ft x 4ft x 2ft hutch with a connecting 6x4x2 run.

I let them out everynight for an hour, would be longer but I have a terrier pup who needs out a lot at the moment.

When I move in my house in January, they will have free range from 7pm-9pm in the summer every night/all day at weekends.

Winter is an issue, by the time I get back at night, its pitch black I have to limit them to free range at the weekends. They will be in a shed/run combo by Feb though. :)
 
I voted for every day, but it doesn't need to be 3 to 4 hours.

Alfie and Bubbles are used to coming out every day like clockwork and, if it doesn't happen one day for whatever reason, they seem quite 'put out'.

I generally let them out for an hour or two in the evening and I find that, after the first 45 mins or so, they end up lying down somewhere anyway.... so if I let them out for longer but only twice a week say, they'd end up getting less exercise overall.
 
I think it comes down to personal circumstances, if you work full time its going to be impossible to let your rabbits freerange everyday, having said that i suppose you could do a couple of hours in the evening as already said.
i let my quad freerange but thay are becoming a pain to get in, we have a big garden so can easily spend half hour 'rounding' them up. but i do think its important to let them out as much as you can.
 
My buns free range every day as I think its really important to them- however I let them do so unsupervised.

Snowdrop gets let out when I get up at 6.45am in Summer when its light and then put away by my OH when he goes to work at 7.45am. She has a gut problem and I find a good run before breakfast helps get her gut moving and ready for breakfast.

I get home from work about 5pm and let Strawberry out. I will be in the house while he is out and just keep checking on him through the window every so often. Around 8pm he goes away and Snowdrop is let out again until 9pm.

Obviously in winter their time out is cut down alot as I dont allow them to free range unless its light.

I know some will say they should be supervised but they would only get an hour a day maximum if I had to be out with them as I have things to do inside and I would rather take the risk and them have a good quality of life than keep them cooped up.

At weekends they take it in turns and are out all day but most of the time after an hour they put themselves back in their wendy houses for a sleep during the day!
 
Back
Top