Indoor bunny behaviour

I notice quite a few of you on here have free ranging indoor bunnies - how long does it generally take for them to be 'trusted' to free range? Did you start it straight away when you got them or do you build this up over a certain length of time?

I only let my 2 out in the living room when we are home and can keep an eye on them. I would like to give them free run of at least the living room at all times but I'm not sure I could trust them at the moment not to nibble things (furniture, skirting, cables I thought I had protected etc!) and pee / poo everywhere. They are good at using their litter tray and I only get a few odd stray poos in the run but if they find something that resembles a bed / tray they use it as a toilet so I'm reluctant to let them loose in case they pee in places that I don't notice straight away.

They are around 5-6 months just now - is free ranging something that is easy to build up to in time or is it very much dependent on the rabbit?

I first moved my bridge bun, Poppy, indoors when she was 4 years old and unspayed.
She had a crate/zone set up but after a while we did away with it and let her just free range. I had never attempted to litter train her as I had no idea you could do that, but I started when she was unspayed. And she peed everywhere :lol:

I had puppy pads in every corner but the main difference was about 3 weeks after she was spayed (spent 2 in the puppy pen because she kept opening her wound!). She did 9 out of 10 pees in her litter tray which I think was impressive for a freshly spayed 4 year old bun! Poos were everywhere but that calmed down eventually too, but poos get everywhere anyway and are easy to pick up so never been bothered about those.

Are they neutered? If not I'd probably wait until a few weeks after they are so they 'get their bearings', then maybe have extra litter trays packed with hay in areas you can't really see so they don't have to run all the way back to toilet.

I think its easier as they get older, I used to leave my Alfred with free access after he was about 3 as he was quite good by then, Paddington on the other hand is still young and very adventurous, so he's restricted to his house / pen, when I'm not in the lounge.

Even though everything is boxed off, a few weeks ago I'd left Paddington on his down downstairs, and whilst I was on a conference call, I could hear noises from the lounge, as soon as the call ended I ran downstairs, and he's managed to move his wooden play house and chop through my internet and HDMI cables - so no surfing for me that night - had to watch a DVD!

little pic of Paddington:-

:wave:

I have had house bunsters for around 10 years and I think they are all different in terms of destructiveness but the one thing that always seemed to help both in terms of chewing and toileting was to start small rather than giving them the complete area.

By gradually increasing the space they have mine didn't seem to get overwhelmed and always seemed to have a sense of where their space was so although it can be hard to resist letting them scamp everywhere from day one, this approach has definitely helped.

Think just in my case I would worry too much giving them free access to everywhere if I'm not there as I think even the most trusted bunny can be tempted to chew and get into mischief - lol - its just their nature:roll::lol: - all mine have their own dedicated house home be it a bedroom or garage condo lol:roll: but then free supervised access time to both the garden and selective other areas of the house.

Ha Ha - I am completely OCD re mess etc too so have had to find a middle ground which works for them and me lol but I absolutely wouldn't be without them

Bungee came indoors to live when we lost Bo in April. To start with she was in her playpen with free range access when we were around to supervise. Then I decided to put up the baby gates and give her free range of the dining room and kitchen all the time, and the living room when we are home. We thought she would be a destructive house bunny, but she has been so good. Some slight nibbles on the furniture, there were some there already from where our first bunny Bramble had a chew anyway.
She only piddles in her litter tray and pretty much only poops in there two, with a few strays! I usually Hoover at least once a day...most days twice, but she is pretty tidy for a girlie bun!

I had Louie at 10 weeks old, not neutered (too young) and he freeranged from the day we brought him home. He also used the littertray immediately

I starting thinking that Doughnut needed more room as she had a hutch and run attached but free ranged when I was home. One day I got in and she had jumped out of the run and was trying to get to her hay rack from outside since she was shut out. Another day I forgot to close it and I got home and she was waiting by the door for me as I hadn't closed the lounge door. I then let her free range. She's always weed in her litter tray. He poops go quite a few places but mainly round where her hutch is which is where the litter tray and water is.

She nibbles lining paper, wires but I've bunny proofed as much as possible. Just got new furniture and she tests that with her teeth but has now left it and new leather sofa at the weekend. I let her nibble it and then she'd had enough. I find if I move her away she's more interested but if I let her nibble first thing then she sees what it is and then isn't bothered. Hopefully I won't go home tonight to find chunks out of my sofa! Just have a look at what they go for when they free range. I've got Perspex in the way of a lot of stuff so she can't get to it.

Thanks everyone, really useful information. They were both neutered 2 1/2 weeks ago so hopefully the hormones are dying down now! It would be lovely to be able to have them free ranging so hopefully they will be good bunnies and can be trusted to do this!

Hi, I've had my two since 8 weeks. They currently have a dog crate which is open 24/7 as their base. I think gradually increasing their space would be better as I literally just left my bungalow open to them and the first few days went crazy but are now very chilled out. Being honest, my two go more mad if I have any doors shut & certainly don't like change. But I leave everything open and they are absolutely fine. Our two are very much whatever room we are in they also want to be with us and always be careful of them following you as ours are constantly following us

But must admit, I love them xx

Although I do have little piles of toys in each room, i know I have been very lucky and our buns are very good! I have always used a firm no with my two and it's actually worked.. Plus when litter training, they do tend to use this mainly but I will see the odd stray poos.

Casco said:

They are good at using their litter tray

Click to expand...

Spoke too soon on this one, tonight they have peed in the corner of the run and also a little on the mat they sit on! They had being doing really well with pees only in the litter tray and the odd stray poo elsewhere. Hopefully just a blip.

They are still aren't that keen on us though and tend to run away when we approach them. I'm sure we'll get there eventually!

I find bribery works really well with bunnies to get them to like (or just tolerate ) you.

Yes funnily enough they do quite like us when we have food for them! Food is also useful at the moment when we are grooming Casper, the angora cross.

We have two boys in our house, one in the kitchen and one in the dinning room seperated by a pet gate. They are caged when we are not at home, but let to run free when we are home. Gradually expand the rooms they can use and they will remember where the toilet is. We do have a spare potty in the lounge. The only time we trouble is when the other rabbit comes in the lounge as you then get marking poops (the rabbits bond well at the pet gate, as have been previously bonded, but had a few fights as well).

We now need another pet gate as our pure Rex has worked out how to climb stairs, for the first time in 2 years!

Oh yeah, all square corners have a chew mark, door frames, chair legs and even walls! Our other rabbit is getting good a paper stripping if you need a hand at DIY?

I have a completely free range bun, to begin with it wasn't easy, when he was a baby (he's nearly 2 now)...he had an indoor cage to begin with, but he was only in there for a few days, and then I made a larger area in a corner of a room that was fenced off...and he was only in there for a month or so and that was only at night...he literally peeded all over the house claiming it as his own, his fave place was the sofa...it was a battle of wills for about 7 months (hang in there)....and then one day it stopped. Obi now has the whole house, and just like a cat or dog roams about freely...I always shut the bathroom door, and when I'm out at work he only has the dining room and all of upstairs....Now I'm not suggesting this is how you do it as this is the first bunny I have had the pleasure of owning and I'm still learning. Obi has a little tray which he uses brilliantly, but there are still the occassional random wee's usually when he's cross with me about something, (he doesn't like change if I move furniture about, or get back very late of an evening)... he sleeps under my bed and usually goes up to bed when I do...its a bit easier for me as he has no front teeth, they sadly had to be removed bacause of misalignment so I don't have to worry so much with a gummy bunny....but I do still worry!! He's an absolute joy to have about, he's a solo bun so I try very hard that he doesn't feel like he's alone, he's part of the family....and some would and do say he's the boss of the house!!!! :lol:

You do notice so much more with a house rabbit as they are often coming to see what you are up to and they have their own little ways as each rabbit is different.

Rex will sometimes be sitting on his box in the evening, he will wash his back leg, but them leave it forward like he forgot to put in back again. They do make you smile.

my little monster is indeed a freerange bun.
i've got him at 10 weeks freeranging, then at 12 weeks his hormones began to take the lead haha.
So to control the pees i put him in a playpenn.
everything was fine untill i closed the gate. He began kicking and running and jumping untill the whole thing came down and as a treat (or payback) he left little surprises everywhere in my room.
So now at 16 weeks he's freeranging again. The playpenn is around my bed and there is a protective sheet on my couch.
He has good littertray habbits, except for my bed and couch (too bad)

It will calm down after he got neutered. He's just trying to show whose boss when im not at home and is marking his territory.

my little monster is indeed a freerange bun.
i've got him at 10 weeks freeranging, then at 12 weeks his hormones began to take the lead haha.
So to control the pees i put him in a playpenn.
everything was fine untill i closed the gate. He began kicking and running and jumping untill the whole thing came down and as a treat (or payback) he left little surprises everywhere in my room.
So now at 16 weeks he's freeranging again. The playpenn is around my bed and there is a protective sheet on my couch.
He has good littertray habbits, except for my bed and couch (too bad)

It will calm down after he got neutered. He's just trying to show whose boss when im not at home and is marking his territory.

Your rabbit will leave scenting poos, go round rubbing his chin on everything. Our youngest used to spray (even sprayed the other rabbit), but once neutered that stops, just get poos for scent marking his territory.

I just pick them up and place them in their potties.

They do prefer fabric for scent marking of any kind as it retains the smells better.