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Free ranging for the first time?

Kit06

Young Bun
I am the lucky owner of the beautiful Pancake and Princess Jasmine. They are nicely settled in their new home but I was wondering about letting them free range in the garden (under close supervision of course) for short periods? How do you go about this for the first time? I'd obviously check the garden for escape routes, dangerous plants etc but how to you ensure that once set free they'll return to their house? I don't generally pick them up except if they have to be moved somewhere but they are happy to be stroked and always come up to me (especially if I have something yummy with me) but I was wondering with all the lawn to munch they might not want anything to do with me!
Thanks
Kate
 
I've trained my two to recognise the sound of me shaking their bag of pellets so now all I have to do is shake the bag (or just let them see me with the bag even :lol:) and they both go running back indoors to wait for food. :D

I started by rattling the bag at their normal feed time, so that they would associate the sound with food arriving. Then I would put them in their run in the garden and rewarded them with a pellet every time I shook the bag and they came to me. They're actually pretty fast learners; it was a few yrs ago now so I can't remember how long it took but they picked it up pretty fast.
 
Great, I'll give it a try and start their training asap! They love their SS pellet things so it might just work! Thanks:thumb:
 
If they haven't eated grass before make sure it's very small quantities to begin with.

I prefer just to call it exercise time as free ranging is ambiguous. Some people use it for unsupervised access and that would be irresponsible.

Feeding them when you need to go back in is a good idea but if they don't want to you just have to end up trying to heard them back in.
 
We built up to it gradually. They have a 8 x 4 run on the grass, so they used that to start with. When we wanted to catch them, we would put a cat carrier in there, they would hop in, and we would transfer them back to their hutch. My buns dont much like being picked up, especially from a run full of tasty grass.

We went from a few weeks of that to free ranging. The first time, Coco disappeared straight under the fence, so we had to reinforce the fence again! Short periods to start with, and catching them by using the pet carrier they were already trained to jump into. Sometimes they needed a little encouragement!

This worked up to free ranging all day, and now at tea time, they sometimes hover around their hutch anyway, on very nice days I have to shepherd them down towards it and they hop in. They are getting used to the idea that they get a treat of greens or something around tea time. They usually go in, have a bite of that then snuggle up to sleep for the night now!
 
Great, thanks for all the advice, I'll attach my run to the front of their kennel run so they can get out for a bit of grass and practice calling them back in before they go free range!
 
I've trained my two to recognise the sound of me shaking their bag of pellets so now all I have to do is shake the bag (or just let them see me with the bag even :lol:) and they both go running back indoors to wait for food. :D

I started by rattling the bag at their normal feed time, so that they would associate the sound with food arriving. Then I would put them in their run in the garden and rewarded them with a pellet every time I shook the bag and they came to me. They're actually pretty fast learners; it was a few yrs ago now so I can't remember how long it took but they picked it up pretty fast.

That's exactly what we did and as Karen said, they'll learn very fast. Ours are like furry exocet missiles flying across the lawn to get to their hutch at teatime :lol: :lol: However, if they don't want to go in because they've not had long enough (in their opinion :roll:) they won't. I've spent many an evening trying to herd them back in. And failed! Stupid rabbits! :lol: Just make sure you give yourself time to get them in for the first week or so, just in case they decide not to obey. Losing your temper with them helps man nor beast (I know; I've done it!)
 
Mine are also trained to go back in their shed when they hear/see the pellet bag, they picked it up really easily.

It's also a great benefit to them if they can go back into their house whenever they feel like when free ranging, I leave the door to their shed open so they can hop back in when they please, I think it gives them comfort that they can retreat to their home whenever they need to.
 
Ours are like furry exocet missiles flying across the lawn to get to their hutch at teatime :lol: :lol:

:lol::lol::lol::lol: Mine are like this too - and they're usually weaving their way in and out of my feet too, so I have to waddle like a duck back to their house so I don't tread on one of them. :roll::lol:

It's also a great benefit to them if they can go back into their house whenever they feel like when free ranging, I leave the door to their shed open so they can hop back in when they please, I think it gives them comfort that they can retreat to their home whenever they need to.

That's a good point - I do this too. :thumb:
 
My two also get in the carrier when it appears, so they know it is time to go in. Sometimes only one will go in, so I deposit that one back in the shed and then the other reluctant one realises that his friend has gone and then he will come happily into the carrier!
 
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