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› FORUM › HABITATS AND TOYS › X pen Height
Currently our bunny housing situation is that Nibbler lives in the bottom half of the unfinished cage my husband and I are building and Georgie lives in a store bought cage that my husband got when he picked up a tiny Nibbler. We have 3 dogs, one who I do not trust around when the bunnies are out. So as mush as I would love for them to be free range, its just not a reality for us. I have a makeshift run that I let them out in as much as possible, especially Georgie since her cage is too small, but I’d like for them to have more space.
Both rabbits are used to the dogs since their cages are in the living room, so them seeing each other isnt an issue, but right now my makeshift run isnt high enough and the dogs can look down over the sides, so I wont let the bunnies out if the dogs are around. How high of an x pen should I look for? I’d like for it to be high enough that I can have them out, supervised of course, without having to put the dogs outside.
That all depends on how large your dogs are.
They have a wide range of sizes. My friend uses a 36″ tall one to contain her beagle-sized dog, but I think if he was dead-set on it he could climb or jump over it. Keep in mind that if you really don’t trust your dogs, they could knock down the x-pen or jump over it, even if it’s tall, as most x-pens aren’t that strong.
I’m assuming you will be building a bigger cage for Georgie? Or maybe planning to bond them?
NIC cube condos are a good way to provide more space in a secure way, as you can have a roof on them.
. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Yes, we are planning to bond them after they’ve both been spayed. My husband is in the military so hes gone for a bit and when he gets back we will be finishing the top portion of the cage and she will live there until they’ve been bonded and we’ll put the ramp down so that they can have both top and bottom together.
We have 2 large dogs and 1 medium sized dog. Mostly I’m concerned about the rabbits being able to jump out. They will never be out with the dogs around unsupervised, as long I’m around and the dogs cant put their heads over the barrier I’m not too concerned. I just dont want the bunnies to be able to jump over the x pen and get loose because then I think I’d have a disaster.
I based the height of mine on TWICE the FULL length (measure when laid out) of your bunnies. My Zou when a youngster could jump like a kangaroo. Since though she’s become ‘slightly heavier’ in her adulthood (don’t we all!) and so i reckon i could have got a lower one, but the then dog or a future dog could have maybe jumped over….
I am happy with mine’s height of 100cm and i would invest in the best quality you can. Some puppy pens look very flimsy on the internet. I uum’d and ahh’d for a while before I bought mine, recommended by a member here. Very happy with it. And it looks very smart in the living room, almost contemporary art (lol) rather than a DIY attempt. I think it was around 80 GBP. There were ones around 110 GBP but i honesty dont know what the difference could be. Make sure you get one with an “open topped” little gate you can open up and step in whilst standing up, rather than a gate that you have to crawl through !!!
They tend to be called “heavy duty” puppy pens, and they will be stand free on a floor (without having to put pins through to grass). And you can shape them to whatever shape you want. My ends do not join together to make a closed run but are attached to the sides of the NIC condo making a big “run” in front of it. Make sure the pins have rubber stoppers at the bottom to protect your flooring.
Hope that helps
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Ah, gotcha!
Yes my lazy bun is fine with a 30″, but i’ve had others that could clear that if they really wanted to. I did have one bun that cleared 36″, so I think 40″ (~100 cm) would be solid!
Not sure where you are, but I’ve had a couple different pens. The better quality one that I’ve owned is “precision” brand. There might be even better out there though!
. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Zou cleared 40″ once upon a time, but it was rebounding off of a wall next to it (she jumped, ran up it and fosby-flopped over – i’ve got it on film !!!) !!! ![]()
Whoa! I’d love to see that in slow mo!
. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
Thank you so much, I will be looking for one 40″ or taller. I just hate to have Georgie especially cooped up in her cage. I try to have them out as much as possible, but then I dont want to be neglecting my other 3 animals by leaving them outside. It’s a catch 22, so I really need to get an x-pen where I don’t have to worry as much.
Vienna, I would love to see that video
If i was more clever’er (
) I’d post it, but I ain’t, so I can’t !!! ![]()
Update
Well we bought a 42 inch x pen and now that its here, I think I could have gone with a 36 inch. Oh well, at least I know they’re safe and I don’t have to worry about putting the dogs outside when the buns are out.
That’s where the worldwide saying “it’s better to be safe than sorry” absolutely means what it says !!!
(Nothing worse than having bought the other one and it being no good!!)
If you have photos that would be great !!!
The pen makes 10 week old Georgie look teeny tiny. How long do bunnies grow anyways? I know how big Georgie will be since I met her parents, but I have no idea about Nibbler.

Haha !!! Bless !!! It all depends on the bunny of course….
If the dogs weren’t around, you could probably turn the grids on their sides…. but then magically the bunny turns into a kangaroo !! Haha.
Haha yep! I do really like how the dogs don’t even question it because of how tall it is.They go up and sniff noses, but besides that they just leave the buns alone.
› FORUM › HABITATS AND TOYS › X pen Height
