I feel guilty...

[Happy Bunno]

Hey!

Yet again I have run into a problem... Over the winter break I have gotten extremely close with my rabbit. You might say "Well that's great!" but I'm very sad, angry (at myself) and worried. When school starts I can't spend enough time with him but the worst part of the story is the fact that my bunny has a small cage and I can't let him out 10 hours a day. I live in an extremely small apartment (4 rooms plus the bathroom and toilet). My room has 3 purposes: my bedroom, my moms working area and where my bunnies cage is. So you can imagine how small and packed with action it is. Both my parents have work daily and I have school from 8 am to around 2 pm. I can still give my rabbit attention but he doesn't have as much time to run around and exercise. The question is : Are there any ways for me to make the current cage a bit bigger? I just feel so guilty...

 

[Imbrium]

Not sure what's available in your country, but exercise pens (like for dogs) are versatile and could be attached to an existing cage to make a 'run' area.

 

[Happy Bunno]

Not sure what's available in your country, but exercise pens (like for dogs) are versatile and could be attached to an existing cage to make a 'run' area.

Well of course those are an option, but I think I don't have enough room...

 

[Imbrium]

They can typically be taken apart so that you don't have to use the whole thing - for example, you could use 4 panels instead of 8 to make a smaller area.

Not sure what you're using for a cage now, but a large dog kennel/crate is bigger than any storebought rabbit cage I've seen.

 

[Happy Bunno]

I'm using this
That's 95 cm long and 57 cm wide.

 

[somebunnylovesme]

You bunny is very tiny. Bunnies grow fast and grow fast out of their cages.

You could use cube storage shelves like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0735CKFJK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 and build around or attached them to the side of the cage to give your bunny a bigger play space. But, rabbits like to explore and can jump very high so you want a tall fence.

While your at school your bunny will probably be sleeping. Most rabbits get up in the morning and fall asleep after a few hours and wake up towards the evening. Even if you build a pen for your rabbit to play in, you'll still need to interact and play with your bunny so your rabbit can enjoy your company.

 

[Happy Bunno]

You bunny is very tiny. Bunnies grow fast and grow fast out of their cages.

You could use cube storage shelves like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0735CKFJK/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 and build around or attached them to the side of the cage to give your bunny a bigger play space. But, rabbits like to explore and can jump very high so you want a tall fence.

While your at school your bunny will probably be sleeping. Most rabbits get up in the morning and fall asleep after a few hours and wake up towards the evening. Even if you build a pen for your rabbit to play in, you'll still need to interact and play with your bunny so your rabbit can enjoy your company.

Haha! That's not the bunny, that's my bunnies toy.... my bunnies picture is above.

 

[A & B]

View attachment 39045
Haha! That's not the bunny, that's my bunnies toy.... my bunnies picture is above.

That's funny! I thought that toy was your bunny also! Is there another room your bunny can run around in or that you could set up an exercise pen? Living room, kitchen, bathroom, etc?

 

[Happy Bunno]

He can run around in the living room bur I can't put a pen or anything there.

 

[Happy Bunno]

I've actually lost all hope because I asked my mother if I could widen the cage somehow and she said no (very firmly...). My only hope is that my bunny doesn't get sick and that my father (I talked with him and he said that when he gets home he'll open the cage immediately) will open the cage when he gets home. I'm actually crying.

 

[somebunnylovesme]

Your father is going to let the rabbit out to run around? I'm not sure how big your bunny is. If you moved out that ramp/platform he would have more room to move around. Not everyone has the room to put up a luxury cage.

Its ok if you rabbit is in his cage while your at school/work and you let him out for a few hours to exercise and be bunny. There are dog owners that have their dogs stay in a kennel while they are at work so that they don't chew up things or start barking.

My bunny is free roaming during the day because there is always someone home. He has his favorite spot to hang out and most of the time he sleeps there. He is active for a few hours in the morning doing his bunny things like eating, playing etc.. and then sleeps until 6 pm or 8 pm. Then he gets up and starts hopping around. When I go to bed he goes in his cage and sleeps there. Then the next day its the same process all over again.

 

[Happy Bunno]

Is 8 hours enough time for a rabbit to hop around? Basically I could let him out in the morning for maybe a hour and then I have to go to school. I would arrive around 2 or 3 pm and my bunny could possibly be out already (because I told my father to let him). He would hop around until 10 pm and then I'll have to go to bed.

 

[Happy Bunno]

Your father is going to let the rabbit out to run around? I'm not sure how big your bunny is. If you moved out that ramp/platform he would have more room to move around. Not everyone has the room to put up a luxury cage.

Its ok if you rabbit is in his cage while your at school/work and you let him out for a few hours to exercise and be bunny. There are dog owners that have their dogs stay in a kennel while they are at work so that they don't chew up things or start barking.

My bunny is free roaming during the day because there is always someone home. He has his favorite spot to hang out and most of the time he sleeps there. He is active for a few hours in the morning doing his bunny things like eating, playing etc.. and then sleeps until 6 pm or 8 pm. Then he gets up and starts hopping around. When I go to bed he goes in his cage and sleeps there. Then the next day its the same process all over again.

My bunny doesn't really use the platform.. should I take it away? Would it make his conditions better?

 

[Happy Bunno]

Also a lot of the guilt comes from the fact that when I have to go to bed, I have to put him in his cage and then while I'm laying in bed he looks at me with a sad face... I feel so bad and then I can't sleep. He just sits on the same spot and looks at me.

 

[Hermelin]

Can you maybe use the bathroom as a bigger cage during the time no one is home.

I often use the bathroom in my house as a temporary cage before my family accepted to have him run around free roaming and the house was bunny proofed.

I’m often away from 7 to 18, with school so I can’t keep my rabbits locked up in the cage.

My indoor rabbit always get into the cage during the night when I’m going to sleep, he always stares after he have done binkys and play before slowly falling asleep on his house. He always stare at me and never turned away when he sleeps, have happened he fall off the house when he’s sleeping.

He will be quiet until I wake up and let him out again.

 

[somebunnylovesme]

The ramp and platform do take up a lot space.

I know there are videos like Lennon The Bunny that talk about how rabbits should free roam and shouldn't be in cages at all. Unfortunately, that doesn't work for all rabbits due to their owners busy lives. Rabbit can get into trouble when your not home not matter how bunny proofed things are.

If you can let out your bunny for 4 hrs a day that will work. Rabbits in cages will not get know you and you'll never see their personality come out. If you can set up an area where you bunny and you can spend time that is fabulous.

With cages sometimes owners don't have an area large enough to put a bigger cage in. Hopefully overtime your mom will see that your bunny is intelligent and accept your bunny as a house hold pet and allow you to make changes.

 

[Happy Bunno]

The ramp and platform do take up a lot space.

I know there are videos like Lennon The Bunny that talk about how rabbits should free roam and shouldn't be in cages at all. Unfortunately, that doesn't work for all rabbits due to their owners busy lives. Rabbit can get into trouble when your not home not matter how bunny proofed things are.

If you can let out your bunny for 4 hrs a day that will work. Rabbits in cages will not get know you and you'll never see their personality come out. If you can set up an area where you bunny and you can spend time that is fabulous.

With cages sometimes owners don't have an area large enough to put a bigger cage in. Hopefully overtime your mom will see that your bunny is intelligent and accept your bunny as a house hold pet and allow you to make changes.

I can let out my bunny for 7 to 8 hours every day. I think I should remove the platform. I have a little play area set up. It's small but cozy and it has a soft blanket on the floor...
He has a water bowl too but it's in the kitchen currently.

 

[melonpan]

@Happy Bunno , have you looked into building a cage upwards?
There are a bunch of DIY's for "rabbit condos" using NIC grids and even upcycled furniture to create cages in small spaces.

Maybe you can use the play area you've set up for him to squeeze in a bunny condo, then let him out in an X-pen when you are home.

Good luck!

 

[Happy Bunno]

@Happy Bunno , have you looked into building a cage upwards?
There are a bunch of DIY's for "rabbit condos" using NIC grids and even upcycled furniture to create cages in small spaces.

Maybe you can use the play area you've set up for him to squeeze in a bunny condo, then let him out in an X-pen when you are home.

Good luck!

I have thought about it...BUT MY MOM IS AGAINST EVERYTHING! She has some valid points but then she makes stupid statements like "I love it when he (my bun) is in the cage, he makes less mess", HE ISN'T A MESSY BUNNY AND WITH EVERY ANIMAL COMES RESPONSIBILITIES! I get that we don't have much room, but looking at the space that we have, I could definitely figure something out. I have so many ideas, but she says no to everything. Sometimes I cry because I feel guilty for putting my bun through this. When I was younger my mother bought the muesli type rabbit food and even though I knew it wasn't good for my bun I let it happen because my mother said that it's not bad and that I just wanted to starve my rabbit (my rabbit is slightly over weight, I'm working on it...) I know I keep blaming my mom, but I find myself blaming myself even more. This doesn't sound that bad, I know, but you don't know half of the story

 

[Happy Bunno]

I feel like I could do so much better, but my mom won't allow me. I still love my mom though, she can be really nice too...