Bought and Outdoor Pen

[Andi]

After seeing some pictures of a dog pen someone I know bought for their rabbits, and hearing the price I decided to go check it out.
$107 later i came home with one very heavy box, inside is this…. (From the website)

Dimensions: 5’L x 5’W x 4’H (60″L x 60″W x 48″H)

I think with a little messing around I have a good start to a outdoor rabbit eclosure that i can leave them in unsupervised. Once I get it open and set up, I will have a better idea, I may buy a second to make it even bigger.
My original plan was to make a concerete floor frame, so poles to pen panels could be inserted, and the rabbits could not dig thru the concrete to the outside. Then have a grass inside, with a house/hidey area and such. I was going to build each panel myself, but i think this was probably a bit cheaper in the end, and a lot less work.
Because it’s metal, I can weld it and unlike wood it cannot be chewed or go rotton.

My friend has the large chain link ones for her bunnies outdoor area, but those i found much more expensive and much to large for the area I plan on putting this. I am excited to get it set up, but I have a lot of moving things around first. I may not have how I want it until next year, as i have a lot of house renos going on as well.

 

 

[Deleted User]

How far are the bars apart?

[Andi]

I don’t know, I’ve not taken it out of the box yet. My friends rabbits are all very small, she said her tiniest bunny can squeeze his head through the bars, so she is going to line the bottom with smaller mesh. I was thinking of doing that as well, or zip tieing NIC’s to it maybe (I have SOOO many lol).

[MissKris&Koji]

If they are small it’s probably not that small – I have a tiny bunny and his head is probably about two inches at the widest part. But for the sake of safety lining maybe a good idea. If you’re going to go to the lengths of a concrete floor, I’d stick some grids on or maybe some pegboard to the outside (that could even provide some shade?).

[MissKris&Koji]

Also you may want to think about keeping other small creatures out, not just yours in. I guess they wouldn’t really bother the rabbits. But I know I caught one of my brave rats slipping through the dog crate to visit bunny right after he moved in while the rats were having their hour out to run. If you don’t have any small yard critters that could be harmful or annoying to the rabbits that’s nonapplicable though. Just a thought, I have no idea what might live in your area…. snakes?

 

[Lintini]

Looks great for the price, can’t wait to hear how your buns like it!

[Deleted User]

It’s a nice thing, Andi, since you don’t have weasels around.
–Why am I struck with the least weasels, the smallest carnivore in the world? Apparently they are rare so I guess I should feel special.

[Andi]

Poor Petzy, If you didn’t have rabbits i’m sure we’re be “Wow you have a weasel, they are so cute” … but instead we’re thinking “Dang Weasels!”. I’ve never seen a wild Weasel, well a stuffed one a friends Dad hit with his truck (YUCK!).
For preditors were I am, pretty much Cats and at night Racoons. We don’t have dangerous snakes (never seen a garder even here), mice/rats stick to the farm fields and the neighbouring cats get them. I see hawks and eagles once and a while, but usually they are getting attacked and chased off by small birds. I have a fulled fenced backyard that keeps dogs and people out.
Oh we have a LOT of Cottontail bunnies, they used to be in my yard all the time before we put up the fence.

I have three hutches, one two story Baby & Bubba lived in, then the one out there now that Bo came in, and then I have one of those expensive store bought ones on legs that is inside my house as an emergency cage (and a play space lol). I am thinking of putting one of them inside, or making something totally new. Ideas ideas :p

[MissKris&Koji]

Oh, well that is good then. I grew up in Louisiana where large snakes could be a problem for small bunnies. Now our only annoying yard things are groundhogs and chipmunks. We do have bears and vultures, but obviously they wouldn’t get in a closed pen.

[Deleted User]

A scary story form up the road where I live. A guy breeds a rare type of turkey and eagles have actually grabbed the turkeys’ cages and picked them off the ground.

[Andi]

Holy Smokes! That would be a sight to see, an Eagle carrying a cage.
Up north we had issues with Owls trying to get our Chickens, I think the trees and bush around the property was to dense for an eagle to get in there easily. I was told Eagles won’t fly between two houses because there’s not alot of room for their wing span. Still when I’ve seen them, even far away i stand in the middle of the X-pens, not worth finding out.

I know about 3 hours away from here where it’s dryer they have rattle snakes. I am kinda glad there are not to many ‘fun’ critters in my area LOL…

[Deleted User]

Post some photos of that new outdoor cage with some of your rabbits in it. I would enjoy them.

[MirBear]

jeeze petzy you’ve got it bad!!
weasles and big birds

“My friend has the large chain link ones for her bunnies outdoor area, but those i found much more expensive and much to large for the area I plan on putting this. I am excited to get it set up, but I have a lot of moving things around first. I may not have how I want it until next year, as i have a lot of house renos going on as well.”

Thats the kind i’m getting for my babies.. the chainlink, i’m wrapping chicken wire around the bottom and seperating the 2 sides with my x-pen.
This wont be an outdoor play area for them though this will be there actual cage. ( i’ll of gone from the smallest cage on BB to the largest )so what i’m going to say is. POST SOME PICS!! i’m going to need idea’s..
mine wornt be outside though ( at least not in cold weather) so all i need to do is have something put underneith the pen and my mom will be happy. like a tarp or something, just so if they have an accident (because my mom still doesnt think that they can be litter trained even thought they are.) that it doesnt seep into the concrete.

i get mine tuesday

[jerseygirl]

Andi, could this run be set on a NIC grid mat? That could prevent digging out but still allow the grass thru for them to munch on.

[Deleted User]

I don’t recommend NIC grids as a flooring; even on the most level ground, the bars will irritate a rabbit’s feet.

[Andi]

I’ve set it up, but weathers been kinda crappy, and the cage is to small for everyone to be in it. Only Ani’s been out in it so far. i’ve not put the roof on, as i want to modify it some. I really wish now I had bought two, as i don’t care for the small size, good for some time outside, but not for exersize (next to digging, as I put it in my ex veggie garden).
If you burried the NIC grids maybe, but they will eventually rust. I was going to use burried chicken wire, and concrete sides to prevent digging out. But this years already coming to an end, so this project will be for next year.

[MirBear]

UGHH!!!! PICS ALREADY!!!
i’m really excited to see what you’ve done with yours so far.. and andi. you could consiter making many many levels to make it HUGE!

we had ANOTHER no-show tonight. -.- my mom said to get ahold of these people one more time. set another date and if they dont show thats it. no more. RAHHHH!!!!!!!

[mocha200]

mirbear: are you trying to get people to set it up?

[Andi]

the pic with the dog… that’s pretty much it LOL, i just built it, nothing more LOL

[MirBear]

Posted By mocha200 on 09/08/2010 08:53 AM
mirbear: are you trying to get people to set it up?

 

no, were buying it off of them, and they are supposed to drop it off.

[Author]

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