Tigger Requests a Window Seat

Tigger plotting to get to the window ledge

Plotting ...

Tigger uses her new steps up to the window

Enjoying the new steps ...

Bunny coming through ...

Bunny coming through ...

Flopped in her new space.

Flopped in her new space.

We decided when we were looking towards the future bonding of Tigger and Shadow to rearrange our living space a bit and dedicate our smallest bedroom to them.  The bedroom was off a hallway enclosed on three sides right across from a bathroom.  So, it provided easy access to two very good neutral territory spaces.  We set them up in side by side cages in their new room and let them settle in, getting used to each other during the two months until they would be old enough to be fixed. We thought we had a really good plan to keep them and the room safe.

We were living in an apartment, so couldn’t make permanent changes.  We didn’t think we could make the window ledge in the room a safe enough place for them, so we started with the intent to block access to it.  We put a black plastic shelving unit in front with bins fully fitting the shelves holding some of their food and hay.  On either side of the shelf unit, we had a set of plastic rolling units with drawers, storing more bunny stuff.  On either side of those we had a covered corner litter box.

Well we should have known that Tigger would find a way to wiggle through everything we had in place and get up on to the window ledge.  You can see her in the first picture sitting on top of the corner litter box formulating the plan.  I didn’t think she could manage it and found myself out maneuvered once again.  We had to quickly move things to get her safely back down and work on plan B since it was clear she was going to insist on getting up there.

We took the storage bin off the second shelf that was almost level with the window ledge.  We put it on the floor in front of the shelving unit with a throw rug on top to make it a little less slippery.  Then we put another throw rug on the now empty second shelf.  The bin on the floor and empty shelf now made a stairway to the window.  We wedged some cardboard into the window space that was folded to fit and fill all the open areas. With the shelf and bins in front, the cardboard was held firmly in place.  We put another throw rug on that to provide a comfy hangout spot. 

You can see Tigger in the pictures checking things out, running through and flopped on the window sill.  We actually made the cardboard ramp through to the litter boxes on each end, so the rabbits could hop up, run across the window ledge and out on to the litter box on the other side and hop down again on the opposite side of the room. 

It became a bunny version of a jungle gym for a time.  They would hop up and down the steps, run through side to side from the litterboxes and just hang out on the window ledge during the day and evening.  It was fun to sit on the floor and watch them on their alternating run times zoom around and take different pathways up down and around to hang out surveying things going on outside the window.  This shelf is also where Tigger would commando crawl around underneath the lowest shelf of the shelving unit. So she just really had a blast with this set up.   

You knew it couldn’t possibly last, right?  Tigger was never a rabbit to leave things alone.  She was always trying to push the limits further and further.  She decided to become a bungineer and wanted to re-engineer the window entirely.  She just loved to test our ability to bunny proof.  With a pet security deposit on the line, and a deep concern for her safety and well being, we always kept pretty close tabs on what Tigger was up to when she was roaming around.   

Coming Friday, the window seat area changes again …

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