Exercise Ideas

[Ivory]

Hazel has learned how to hop up into the sofa of my seemingly bunny-proofed room. Not ON the sofa, IN it. As in, crawling up into the back part and chilling out on the top of the folded sofa bed...under the back cushions. I can hardly reach my hand in to get him.

This is a problem. A really big problem. Hazel is good about using the potty in his cage and all that, so I used to let him have about three/four hours of run-around time in that room. Unfortunately this new developemt prevents that.

This wouldn't be so much of a problem, except for the fact that Erik hates all males and throws a FIT whenever Hazel is in any room but his own. The only other rabbit-proofed room is my room, and the living room. My room won't work because Erik is in there, and the living room has even more sofas for him to climb up into.

I have an outside pen, but it doesn't seem to be large enough for true exercise time. Does anyone have the remotest suggestion of what to do?

 

[naturestee]

Yup, do what I did. Shove a whole bunch of extra pillows and blankets under the couch so he can't get under. And block him from going behind it. Extra NIC panels work nicely for that.

It's ugly, but it works! It took me an hour to get Mocha out from under my reclining sofa once. Never again! Helps that several months after that we rearranged the house and switched that couch out for one in a different room that was easier to block off.

 

[Ivory]

LOL! I tried for about fifteen minutes then I figured out that he wasn't in a bad way for me to pull out the bed slightly, so I just did that, and he fell off onto the ground.

I'm sitting in the room with him now so he doesn't get up. He's frankly too concerned about getting food from me. I swear, this rabbit is ravenous...and he gives me this look constantly that says, "FEED ME MORE!" He's just going to get an hour of exercise tonight, but hopefully tomorrow he will be able to get more.

....pubescent rabbits are always fun. I'm so used to Erik, who has been neutered for over a year and completely uninterested in many things around him...doesn't chin anything...doesn't poop anywhere unless Hazel has been there (sigh), doesn't mount anything, is well mannered (well, he's pushy, but aren't they all?)

Here is a picture of Hazel, in a moment of happiness.

 

[somedaii]

Hazel is adorable!

::gushes::

 

[iluvmybuns]

Oh yes mine figured that out too. They chewed the lining from the bottom and crawled up into the back of the couch. It was an awful feeling because I was sure one of them was going to get stuck and I wouldn't be able to help. (mine is a regular couch)

What I did is this:

Stapled that 4" tall vinyl molding (like in businesses) to the legs of the couch and made it impossible for them to get under. Not sure if it would work for you, but, that solved my problem.

 

[Bassetluv]

I don't have any NIC cubes at home (wish I did!), but I have had to be creative in blocking Anna from getting under my computer. Unfortunately hers is the only room where the computer can run, so I took my son's boxes of comic book collections and stacked them in front of the area where wires run. (Good thing he doesn't read this site, as he doesn't know I'm using his comic book collection as a bunny barrier .) I also bought some plastic tubing to cover the wires to the fan and looped it up behind a small table.

I think blocking your bunny from the sofa with NIC cubes, or whatever works well, would be best.Since he's small enough to fit into your sofa bed, take extra precautions. I know that many ferret rescues won't adopt out ferrets to people with sofa beds because there have been so many injuries (and worse) with ferrets getting into the sofa and getting caught up in the mechanisms. Bunnies aren't quite as wiry as ferrets, but I'd err on the side of caution and make sure Hazel's not able to access it at all.

btw, he's a sweetie!