How much playtime do your bunnies get?

[Mariah]

Hi!

My bunnies have cages which are attached to their very own xpen. They don't play together yet, because Papaya is not neutered and he keeps humping her which causes fights. I let them both out into their xpens for about an hour before work the days I'm working. Then they go back into their cages which I'm at work (aprox 11 hours). I want to leave them out while I'm at work but I'm scared about them either chewing the walls- ive bunny proofed so I don't think they can and chewing their flease blankets I have on the ground for them to lay on.

When I get home from work they go into ther xpens for another 2 hours or so. When I'm not working, they are out for longer, sometimes the whole day if I'm home.

Is this ok for bunny playtime? Or is this something else I should be doing?

The reason why they have flease on the ground is because there was carpet but they were chewing it, so I removed it. Then I tried a big fluffy blanket- Papaya was peeing on it, so I tried a mat- they were also chewing on it, so now it's flease. If I take the flease out, it's only concrete...

What should I do? They haven't been chewing the flease yet... But it's only been a day so far trying this.

Also, I should add I do open their xpens up one at a time and they have the run of the living room. I do about an hour of that on the days I'm working for each bunny and I do go sit with them, pet, kiss etc with them. Papaya gets groomed about 3 times a week- he's a fuzzy lop so I have too or else he gets horrible mats. Papaya can be snuggled and held. Kiwi does not like to be picked up.

Any comments and suggestions would be great!

Thanks

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Hm. Your bunnies sound like they have a pretty good life! A friend of mine (well she's not really my friend) keeps her dwarf rabbit in a rabbit cage and it never gets out.
Yes you have it right though, a couple hours a day is fine. Reading out loud stimulates neural connections in your brain while also bonding with the rabbits! So read out loud often! As long as there is human traffic around and they can stretch and stuff they're good.
I think the fleece on the floor is fine. I use a polar fleece blanket on the floor as well but Acacia gets all confident and digs it all up so she can walk on the hardwood She's silly.

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Hm. Your bunnies sound like they have a pretty good life! A friend of mine (well she's not really my friend) keeps her dwarf rabbit in a rabbit cage and it never gets out.
Yes you have it right though, a couple hours a day is fine. Reading out loud stimulates neural connections in your brain while also bonding with the rabbits! So read out loud often! As long as there is human traffic around and they can stretch and stuff they're good.
I think the fleece on the floor is fine. I use a polar fleece blanket on the floor as well but Acacia gets all confident and digs it all up so she can walk on the hardwood She's silly.

 

[Mariah]

That makes me feel great! Thank you!

I feel guilty because I live in a basement apt so they don't get natural light. I keep their light on for about 12 hours a day. I'm looking into getting a timer for the light because in wondering if it messes up their shedding routine? Kiwi is going though her first shed (she's just over 1 year now). Is 12 hours of daylight too much? Too little?

 

[erinmoveit]

It will get easier as they get older. Once they have both been spayed/neutered, they will be able to bond and a lot of those destructive behaviors will pass. This will allow you to be more comfortable leaving them out for longer hours.

 

[Mariah]

So what is Kiwis problem then? She's been spayed for almost a year now, and she still digs the carpet and chews on the walls.

Papaya just pees sometimes and poops out of his litter box. He's a carpet chewer too, but not as bad as kiwi.

 

[LakeCondo]

You're doing great for the situation of not being neutered & being in the basement. And I think shedding has more to do with slight temperature changes than the amount of light, though I'm not sure.

But I would suggest one thing about lighting, for both you & the bunnies. You and/or they might be affected by SAD, as light from most light bulbs isn't the same as natural light. Even light coming in through window glass isn't the same.

So I just got myself some full-spectrum light bulbs a few days ago. Now, I'm not exactly euphoric since I installed one, but I figure they can't hurt. They give you full-spectrum only when there's no shade or anything between the bulb & you, so I'm using it in a goose-neck lamp right next to me as I type. It looks exactly like a regular florescent bulb.

I got the 60w equivalent, but they range all the way up to 350w equivalent. That's a 10.5"-long bulb, so is for people with serious SAD. My goose-neck lamp would be so front-heavy it'd be crazy. Anyway, I got them on Amazon & the brand I decided on is ANZO.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Do they have positive outlets for their instincts? I have a dig box where they can dig as much as they want and not hurt anything. For chewing I offer apple tree twigs which are much tastier than walls or furniture. I rotate my pairs running free but someone is always out. They don't always DO much, but I think they like having the choice.

 

[LakeCondo]

double post

 

[LakeCondo]

I want to correct the brand name for the full-spectrum spiral florescent bulbs: ALZO.




Mariah wrote:

So what is Kiwis problem then? She's been spayed for almost a year now, and she still digs the carpet and chews on the walls.

Papaya just pees sometimes and poops out of his litter box. He's a carpet chewer too, but not as bad as kiwi.

Now they CAN be trained away from habits. It's probably easier to block off the walls & cover the carpet in their areas. They definitely can be litter box trained & is worth the effort.

 

[Mariah]

I will look into the full spectrum light bulbs ASAP!

Now a dig box- what is a dig box made out of? Is it made out of cardboard? I worry about them eating the cardboard and getting constipated and gas?

They do have chew toys- the wood blocks and the toys that hang that they can chew on. They do chew those but also the walls and carpet. Maybe I need to get more?

 

[MiniLopHop]

My dig box has clean dirt, no fertalizers or additives such as perlite. My garden center has a basic organic dirt in a bag (sterile). I added that to a 10 gallon aquarium that I had, about 1/2 full. I only have one that really likes to dig, but it keeps her out of trouble.

I have twigs and chew toys all over. I have found they like the natural plain twigs the best though. I think the apple twigs are a little sweeter? I just know they love to nom them first.

 

[MiserySmith]

Sounds like they're getting lots of time to play. Some buns just get bored easily and need extra mental stimulation in the way of toys.
My Peppy gets out for 8-13 hours a day in his pen. Rarely I'll let him stay out for the night. He's very good and doesn't destroy anything.

 

[BunnyLove89]

My bun, Weston, gets 2-3 hours of playtime with me each day. I like to watch tv before bed and I let Weston on my bed with me until Im ready to go to sleep. Other than that, his cage is attatched my walk-in closet which i've bunny proofed for him to be in whenever he wants. He actually only goes into his cage to eat. He's so spoiled. I waited 22 years to get a walk-in closet and now it's Weston's Suite. :rollseyes

 

[Dulmit]

Your buns sound like they are getting plenty of time to play.
If you want to leave them out, you can always make a pen style cage with a floor. This will keep them from chewing the walls and keep your floors safe. I actually have my guys in a full time pen and find it makes cleaning and care much easier.

If you are interested give me a PM and I can give you a design idea or two.

 

[agnesthelion]

Agnes had free run in her "apartment" (what we jokingly call her area..lol) pretty much all day from when I get her out in the morning til night time.

Then, the little stinker started climbing and falling and scaring the crap outta me! Plus, had peed on the couch a few times.

For her safety and the care of my furniture she is now on supervised free time which averages anywhere from 4 hours to 8 hours a day depending on when we are gone or what we are doing.

She gets spayed next month and I'm hoping it takes care of some of the problems and we are working on curbing bad behavior so she can go back to free run.

I just feel guilty every time I have to put her back in. But it makes me feel good to see how much she likes it in there. She will lounge in there on her own time.

Anyway, so I know the feeling but it sounds like they have a good setup and you are doing very good!! I always think of the "cage rabbits" who literally spend their whole libes in a cage and that is no life, but your buns sound very stimulated However, i would take orlenas advice on the light. I think it is very important for their health.

 

[Bebe623]

Leon has full run of the apartment but a few areas have to be blocked off. He was being put in his cage at night but he learned how to break out so he's out all day and night now.

 

[LakeCondo]

Mariah wrote:

Now a dig box- what is a dig box made out of? Is it made out of cardboard? I worry about them eating the cardboard and getting constipated and gas?

Cardboard is fine to chew on. It's just pulverized wood dampened & dried, after all. Not as good as wood, but ok. Lots of people have a Cottontail Cottage for their rabbits, made of cardboard. See catsandrabbitsandmore.com for a picture.

 

[Mariah]

I know you guys says its fine to let them chew on cardboard, but I'm so leary! I'm such a parnoid bunny mom! I will have to warm up to the idea.

I'm glad you guys are saying in doing a good job. I hate putting them back in their cages when I'm working or for the night... I would just hate to see anything happen to them. When kiwi was chewing the carpet last week, I was worried cause her poops were coming out stuck together in strings. I pulled the poop apart, and sure enough, it was carpet... That's why I took the carpet out completly!

My bunny cages have been a work in progress, as well as bunny proofing the house. It's slowly starting to come together

I will also get them both a dig box. Maybe that will decrease the destruction they are doing to the house! I don't mind so much, but the bf does and plus we are only renting... :S

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Ours get 4 hours in their own room everyday and every sixth day they get an overnighter out--about 8 or 9 hours.