indoor dog crate for free range bun

I'm half thinking about one of my bunnies coming inside and being a free ranger. Has been a few years since I had my old housebun and I'm interested in trying out a dog crate set up rather than my old ferplast 120

The area would accommodate a 36" crate. It would be a bedtime base. I'm a stay at home mum so would be free range during most day and evening.

I'm not the most practical minded and need inspiration to get me going so any 36" dog crate pics or suggestions would be really helpful

Thank you

For some reason the link won't work but if you click on Forum, then Housing, there is a sticky at the top by Elena which has dog crates in as well as other indoor housing ideas:wave:

36" is only 3' so, in my humble opinion, not big enough for a whole night. I have a rabbit proof room that they always are free range in, they used to have a crate but it wasn't their 'safe' place so I got rid!

I agree, 36" Is tiny for them ever to be shut in.
We have a 48" one but the door is only closed once a week when we hoover and clean their room!
I'm assuming if there going to free range most of the time anyway your going to have to do a lot of rabbit proofing so why not let them free range all the time!

I wouldn't leave a bunny free ranging while I was in bed as it isn't safe.
I had a housebun for years in a ferplast 120 so all the proofing has already been in place..
I was thinking of moving away from the ferplast to something more suitable. Praps I'll stick with that then

Hi, indoor rabbits cages and that size dog crate aren't really suitable. Rabbits are most active on an evening and very early in the morning, so it's much better for them to have a larger area for that time.

I have a dog pen for mine, it's 6x2 for them to be locked in on a night. It only cost me about £30. You could even attack one of those to a dog crate for the most space possible.


I think indoor housing has moved on quite a lot in the last few years so sadly a lot of things that seemed good when first bought aren't really suitable anymore. I had an indoor cage and have ended up keeping rodents in it because it's just not big enough for a rabbit.

So between 11pm and 7am is too long to be shut in while we are in bed then?
I hadn't noticed my previous bun being that active between those times..
Praps I'll use the dining room and jut leave him out then

sarattie said:

So between 11pm and 7am is too long to be shut in while we are in bed then?
I hadn't noticed my previous bun being that active between those times..
Praps I'll use the dining room and jut leave him out then

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Realistically it is as it is when they'll be most active. My rabbits used to be free range in my bedroom and it would be at about 5am that they'd go crazy and run about. Also as rabbits don't sleep for very long in one go, it's better for them to have more space to play/stretch their legs until you wake up.

A free range room is wonderful. A lot of people on here do it with no issues. As long as the room is bunny proof it's safe, and generally best for the rabbit.

I know it's irritating to have bought a cage and then be told it isn't really suitable, but so few pet shops have any idea of rabbit welfare and of course you don't question it. Finding this forum is the only reason I questioned how I had been keeping rabbits and realised how much happier they are since.

I haven't bought anything new I'll use my existing 120 and the dining room

I was just considering a crate as an alternative to the 120

You could kit out the dog crate with a shelf and then add a pen at nighttime. That would give your rabbit a hideaway area during the day and then a bigger area at night.

I found that if an area was bunnyproofed well enough for the day then it was good enough for the night as during the day you aren't watching them all the time anyway so they can easily make mischief! They get active around 5-6am so you may well find if you put them in a pen that they start rattling the bars at that time because they want to play.

That's really helpful suggestion. I've decided I'm going for that.
36" crate free range then with a pen added at night.
Seems like the perfect solution!!!
I just need to know how to kit out the crate!!!
I'll start a new thread!