Normal activiy for rabbits

Hi. I have another question.

What is the normal active level for rabbits? Bojangles is all alone in her cage for 9 hours a day. When I get home from work, I let her out of her cage to hop around before bedtime. On weekends she is normally out of her cage all day until bedtime. Sometimes Bo is very active and wants to play all night. Other times she just lies around. Tonight she played a bit with me, but for the most part she just laid around. She likes the sunlight, but because we live in Seoul, she does not go outside. We are in the middle of the hottest summer on record here so I have been keeping the shades closed to keep it cool in here, so she is not getting as much sunlight as she normally does. She is a year old and I have been told she is in excellent health. Is this normal for rabbits?

Rabbits dont have a specific time where they sleep. They nap on and off throughout the day and will have spurts of activity. They are more active at dawn and dusk, and again will have spurts of activity throughout the night. Mine are most active between 8pm - 12pm then again 5am - 8am They will have a few more spurts of activity throughout the day but spend most of the day napping.

That means she is likely to want to be active during the night when it sounds like she is shut in her cage.

How big is the cage as the RWAF recommends rabbits are housed in 6ft x2ft x 2ft hutches and then let out for activity.

Have you attached a run to the cage? There are some good ideas in the Housing section. Nine hours is certainly too long for her to be confined to a cage with no run attached.

Glad to hear that she is healthy and that you let her out a lot when you can.

A puppy pen could be a good way to give her a space to run around when you are in bed or out. You can get quite high ones that would still let her have boxes or rabbit hide aways in her run to sit/lie on without being able to get out.

Rabbits tend to sleep a lot in the afternoon time. But early in the morning and in the evenings they can become very active. This isn't true for all rabbits though. I think if they have the space to run around in they will use it at any time. A puppy pen or fence panels are a good idea. You could increase Bojangles' space but still protect your house. You can lay rugs down on your carpet too to prevent chewing and fill the space with a minimal amount of toys so that there is still plenty room for running. Access to sunlight or indeed any natural light is important but always make sure there is an option to seek shade so a hutch or box to hide in might be a good idea. I can imagine Seoul must be very hot just now. It sounds like you are doing things right though by keeping the shades closed. You can give bunny ice cubes in her water or just to lick on really hot days and a cool air fan is a good investment too. Sometimes extreme lethargy or sleepiness can be due to excess heat so Bojangles might be feeling quite warm these days hence her sleeping for long hours. If you can introduce more space and options to keep her cool you might find she becomes more active :wave:

Sadly, I do not have space to give her a run. I live in an apartment that is about the size of a master bedroom, that includes kitchen, laundry, and bathroom. Her cage is small, too small in my opinion, but I am on the lookout for a new cage (they are hard to find here.)

Can she not free range? I know my boy would be really miserable if I confined him for so long.

I totally understand how hard it is to get something suitable this side of the world but its not impossible have you thought about getting a large dog crate? I know that can be obtained in Korea as I was with a friend in Korea when she got a puppy and she went and bought a dog crate. That failing there's always taobao (Chinese eBay) as a lot of the animal stuff seems to come from Korea anyway

You may be able to extend upwards if you are short on space - adding shelving etc.

Alternatively - can you let bunny out first thing in a morning when you are getting ready? They are more active then, so may make the most of the space a little better

Princess, I found a rabbit cage on GMarket, but the site is in Korean. I have a friend who keeps saying he is going to order it for me, but he keeps forgetting.

Angie, I get up half an hour early to let her out to hop around and she is out the minute I get home until I go to bed. I would let her free range, but she is ripping up the wallpaper and I can't move all the wires out of bunny range.

moonturtle said:

Princess, I found a rabbit cage on GMarket, but the site is in Korean. I have a friend who keeps saying he is going to order it for me, but he keeps forgetting.

Angie, I get up half an hour early to let her out to hop around and she is out the minute I get home until I go to bed. I would let her free range, but she is ripping up the wallpaper and I can't move all the wires out of bunny range.

Click to expand...

You could put some NIC cages along the walls to prevent her getting access to them? & you can get tubes (like hosepipes) for your cables to go through.

This is all theory - I moved mine outside for a reason:lol:

Outside is definitely not an option! I think I worry too much about her. I really love this little rabbit and I am so scared something is going to happen to her.