Do free roaming bunnies ‘need’ a hutch?

[sarahthegemini]

Hello and Happy New Year to all! 

As you know, I will be bonding Peanut and Buttercup in a couple of weeks. Once fully bonded, the plan was to use the dog crate (which is currently Buttercup’s hutch til we swap them again) as their food and poop station. It’s not very big (neither bun was/is ever confined to it, so it’s size never bothered me/them) but it’ll fit two cat size litter trays, which is also where I serve their hay. Currently, the hidey house that’s inside the crate is mostly ignored unless Buttercup feels like jumping on it. She much prefers to use the cardboard castle as a hidey home. Same goes for Peanut when he had the crate. Because I’m going to be using the crate purely as their bathroom/kitchen (lol) I’ve started to wonder if I could just do away with the crate altogether. I’ll keep the litter trays in the same place but get rid of the crate as I feel it’s a bit unnecessary. Obviously it’s going to be quite strange at first for them but it’s going to be a big change anyway as they’ll be going from living separately with their own hutch to being together. Not to mention, last time they were together prior to separation, they were penned at night whereas they are free range all the time now. And obviously because the living room won’t be split in two, they’ll have access to the entire house. I guess I’m asking if it’s okay to go from having separate hutches > living together with no hutch. As I said, the hidey home inside the crate largely get ignored as does the hidey home in the other cage. They’ll both be able to use the castle and the new cat scratcher thingy that has a hidey house so they’ll have plenty of spots to lay in. My boyfriend isn’t convinced and thinks the bunnies ‘need’ the crate. But what are your thoughts? 

 

I’m just a little worried that if I remove the crate, they’ll feel like they have nowhere to go and nowhere that’s “theirs” even though logically that isn’t the case. Buttercup never just chills in the crate, Peanut did occasionally when he had it but mostly opted for the mat just outside the crate or the aforementioned castle! I’m probably worrying over nothing, I mean I suppose it’s actually a bigger transition or “risk” turning the crate into just a food and poop station as that will essentially be taking away the option to just lay about in it. 

[Gina.Jenny]

mini and snickers like to go in their dog crate, pippi and jenny like the hidey house in the kitten tree or their hammock, podge always goes for the hammock too, gina likes to go in the cage she went in when we first rescued her. so it varies from bun to bun with us. I would guess the buns will soon show you what they do and don’t need in the way of offered hiding places!

[Bam]

Bam doesn’t have a cage or crate. He has two cardboard “houses”. He has a doll bunk bed. He likes to sit under the coffea table. Yohio hung out a lot under a chair. They do like a “roof” of some sort. But not all the time.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Gina.Jenny on 1/02/2017 8:53 AM

mini and snickers like to go in their dog crate, pippi and jenny like the hidey house in the kitten tree or their hammock, podge always goes for the hammock too, gina likes to go in the cage she went in when we first rescued her. so it varies from bun to bun with us. I would guess the buns will soon show you what they do and don’t need in the way of offered hiding places!

Now that I think about it, even when Peanut was scared, he wouldn’t run into his hidey home in the crate. He’d always run into the castle, and now he runs under the sideboard if he’s startled.  Maybe it’ll be fine without the crate! 

[Bambii]

As long as they have a safe place they should be fine right? I think i read that somewhere

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By bam on 1/02/2017 9:03 AM

Bam doesn’t have a cage or crate. He has two cardboard “houses”. He has a doll bunk bed. He likes to sit under the coffea table. Yohio hung out a lot under a chair. They do like a “roof” of some sort. But not all the time.

I think the castle would fit the bill then! And the cat scratcher…and under the sideboard, and the computer desk. Really they’ve got several options

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Bambii on 1/02/2017 11:11 AM

As long as they have a safe place they should be fine right? I think i read that somewhere

Hope so! I think the castle will do nicely

[Vienna Blue in France]

Just ask Chewie!! His dog crate is Q8’s whole appt !!! LOL

I think they like the choice to have something over their head (like to hide under a chair or coffee table ) and also somewhere off the ground (to jump up on to ikea doll’s bed or GJ’s hammock).

But not necessarily a crate/cage/hutch… ?
Unless you need to lock them in for a reason (going out, night, when a friend’s dog/kids come to visit) – then no, absolutely not.

There are lots of sideboards that have been converted into bunny condos that you can close shut (just Google them), so it doesn’t look like you have a “hutch” in the living room

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 1/02/2017 11:30 AM

Just ask Chewie!! His dog crate is Q8’s whole appt !!! LOL

I think they like the choice to have something over their head (like to hide under a chair or coffee table ) and also somewhere off the ground (to jump up on to ikea doll’s bed or GJ’s hammock).

But not necessarily a crate/cage/hutch… ?
Unless you need to lock them in for a reason (going out, night, when a friend’s dog/kids come to visit) – then no, absolutely not.

There are lots of sideboards that have been converted into bunny condos that you can close shut (just Google them), so it doesn’t look like you have a “hutch” in the living room

Funny you mention a hammock actually, as the cat scratcher I was originally looking at had a hammock but I decided against it thinking it wouldn’t be bunny appropriate, d’oh!

I don’t think I’ll ever have a reason to lock them in, they’re okay free roaming overnight and we rarely have visitors, and if we do, we make them adjust to the bunnies not vice versa lol! 

[Gina.Jenny]

Posted By sarahthegemini on 1/02/2017 11:35 AM

Funny you mention a hammock actually, as the cat scratcher I was originally looking at had a hammock but I decided against it thinking it wouldn’t be bunny appropriate, d’oh!

The hammocks we have are quite different to those hanging from kitten trees.

they are designed to keep dogs cool, but my buns love them, both on and under

[Bam]

Bam has a hutch in my mother’s house, for when we are visiting with her. It’s a two-level hutch that’s too small to be a good home for a bun, but we keep the door open so he can come and go as he pleases. He actually seems to like it. We put his hay and water there. It’s practical.

In our small cabin he has a dog crate, for when we stay the night there. There are gas appliances and a free roaming bun would just love to chew the gas hoses. We spent New Year’s Eve there, Bam so thoroughly neverminded the fireworks that I was quite impressed. I’d put a duvet around the crate to at least isolate it from the flashing lights, and I checked on him when it was at its worst and even I thought it was too much. But he just sat there munching on a giant kale leaf =)

TLDR: What I’m trying to say here is that a crate can be good to have when you go on vacation or visit people =)

[sarahthegemini]

I’ll definitely keep the crate in storage rather than getting rid completely just in case. It’ll come in handy if we ever move.

[LBJ10]

I agree. A hutch or cage may not be necessary. But as Vienna pointed out, you still may want to have SOMETHING to corral them in if for some reason they need to be locked up. It might be something as simple as you needed to use something potentially dangerous/harmful and you need to keep them away from it. I guess you never know.

[sarahthegemini]

I suppose if I keep it somewhere convenient – the pantry for example – then I can whip it out when needed. It’s a fold up/pop up crate anyway so super easy

[Author]

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