Thinking about getting a new bunny. We currently have a three-level NIC cage condo but are thinking of just making it one level but larger, with more room to run (the condo is currently one cube wide, four cubes long). So my question is this: does a bunny necessarily need a whole room to run around in, or would a long NIC cube "run" be enough room? Our current bun has chewed the carpet and couches enough that I'm leery to let another one run free. Thoughts?
Room to run? Or just cage time?
- Thread starter jen92473
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zombiesue
Well-Known Member
I think it would be unwise to let one rabbit run around and not the other.
How large are the rabbits in question? That's going to matter too.
How large are the rabbits in question? That's going to matter too.
Korr_and_Sophie
Well-Known Member
You can set up a large pen for the rabbit to run around. This can be good if the rabbit is not good with the litter box, your room is not bunny safe, or you just want to keep the rabbit a bit more contained.
The run should be fairly big. I have 2 pens, one is about 5X6 feet and the other is about 6X8 feet and both offer a good area for the rabbits to run around and play.
1 cube wide isn't really isn't enough for a rabbit. I would make it at least 2 wide and 3-4 long (bigger if you can).
The run should be fairly big. I have 2 pens, one is about 5X6 feet and the other is about 6X8 feet and both offer a good area for the rabbits to run around and play.
1 cube wide isn't really isn't enough for a rabbit. I would make it at least 2 wide and 3-4 long (bigger if you can).
RabbitGirl101
Well-Known Member
1 cube will not be wide enough. I would recommend building a square cage rather than a tall cage. You can then take them out and it will still work out. Giving rabbits run time is totally up to you. If you only feel comfortable letting him out to run when you supervise then that is perfectly ok! My rabbits stay in 24" by 24" cages and they still binky away in their cages. I do let them out once a week and more hyper rabbits are taught hopping so they burn more energy. It works out really well for me
- I have holland lops and lionheads
- I have holland lops and lionheads
I should clarify: our current bunny has a 1 cube wide 3 cube tall condo that she's let out of each day (hence the carpet and couch chewing). We are thinking of donating her and getting a new, baby rabbit-I believe it's also a mini lop. I was wondering if we reconfigure the cage to be long vs. tall-1 cube tall but 4 or 5 cubes long-if that would be enough room to let her exercise or if she *has* to be let out to run circles around the room. Hope that clears up any confusion.
Imbrium
Jennifer
One cube tall isn't high enough for a bunny to stand up all the way/stretch out vertically, at least not as an adult.
House bunnies (whether it's one bunny or a pair) should have either 4-5h a day to run around outside their cage or at least 60 square feet of space (a combination of the two would also work).
I specify "house bunnies" because the lifestyle differences of breeding and show rabbits cause their nutritional/dietary needs and space requirements to differ significantly from house bunns. As a result, the standards used by breeders differ from those recommended to pet owners... not because they have "lower" standards - any decent breeder takes exceptionally good care of their rabbits and ensures that their needs are well-met - but simply because what's considered "ideal" for one group isn't always appropriate for the other. For example, I'd never feed an 18% protein pellet to my loafy little house bunnies because that's way more protein than they need (which could cause health problems); breeding/show bunnies, by contrast, NEED that extra protein and wouldn't thrive on a 12-14% protein pellet the way house bunnies do.
At my house, I have a 2x3x5H (in grid counts) condo with three levels (two of which are two grids tall) and I fenced in my whole living room to give them about 120 square feet of running-around space - talk about spoiled!
I'm currently living in a 2 bedroom apartment with my boyfriend until next spring/summer, though (about 3h away from the house) and we have less room here. I made a 2x4x5H condo here; it's in a corner and I used an x-pen (16' long when fully stretched out, which is the length most are) to make an 8'x8' pen around it (providing 64 square feet including the bottom level of the condo) by attaching each end to a wall (I put 2-3 screw eyes in the wall for each end and zip-tied the end panels to the screw eyes). Alternatively, two x-pens would create the same size space - that route costs more but doesn't require a few holes in your walls and would be a better choice for a bunny who likes to chew baseboards.
It's important to remember that pet bunnies don't really fit into the "cage animal" category for one key reason - they don't have exercise wheels to run on. Because of this, they need significantly more space for their size than anything else that lives in a cage.
House bunnies (whether it's one bunny or a pair) should have either 4-5h a day to run around outside their cage or at least 60 square feet of space (a combination of the two would also work).
I specify "house bunnies" because the lifestyle differences of breeding and show rabbits cause their nutritional/dietary needs and space requirements to differ significantly from house bunns. As a result, the standards used by breeders differ from those recommended to pet owners... not because they have "lower" standards - any decent breeder takes exceptionally good care of their rabbits and ensures that their needs are well-met - but simply because what's considered "ideal" for one group isn't always appropriate for the other. For example, I'd never feed an 18% protein pellet to my loafy little house bunnies because that's way more protein than they need (which could cause health problems); breeding/show bunnies, by contrast, NEED that extra protein and wouldn't thrive on a 12-14% protein pellet the way house bunnies do.
At my house, I have a 2x3x5H (in grid counts) condo with three levels (two of which are two grids tall) and I fenced in my whole living room to give them about 120 square feet of running-around space - talk about spoiled!
I'm currently living in a 2 bedroom apartment with my boyfriend until next spring/summer, though (about 3h away from the house) and we have less room here. I made a 2x4x5H condo here; it's in a corner and I used an x-pen (16' long when fully stretched out, which is the length most are) to make an 8'x8' pen around it (providing 64 square feet including the bottom level of the condo) by attaching each end to a wall (I put 2-3 screw eyes in the wall for each end and zip-tied the end panels to the screw eyes). Alternatively, two x-pens would create the same size space - that route costs more but doesn't require a few holes in your walls and would be a better choice for a bunny who likes to chew baseboards.
It's important to remember that pet bunnies don't really fit into the "cage animal" category for one key reason - they don't have exercise wheels to run on. Because of this, they need significantly more space for their size than anything else that lives in a cage.
S
Sophie's Humble Servant
Not sure if I'm reading your post correctly. You are donating your current rabbit? As in giving her away? And replacing her with another rabbit?
If this is because of the chewing behaviour, which is normal rabbit behaviour, there is no guarantee that the new rabbit won't chew. In fact the odds are with chewing. There are things you can do to minimise them chewing on the things you don't want them to. It can take some patience and possible modifying/blocking access to these areas.
I put up pieces of cardboard against my couch and this prevented Sophie from digging and chewing the couch and carpet right beside. I've all but taken away 1 piece because she's stopped chewing for the most part(I've provided her with lots of wooden sticks and other things to chew so she's not as interested in my furniture).
Rabbits should always have as much room as possible to run around outside of their cages. My cage for Sophie is 5 feet long, 5 feet tall with 3 levels and 2.5 deep and she gets the kitchen and living room to run around in when we are at home. So to answer your question in my opinion, you still need to let her have exercise outside of the cage.
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