I really need your help

[Karla]

Karl and Freddie are full-time cage bunnies stuck in a small commercial cage now, and I really want to make something nice for them so they can get some exercise before they die of depression or stasis.

It is impossible for me to get cubes and make a pen for them, so I need you guys to be creative and help me think out ideas on how to make a pen for each of them. It has to be within a reasonable price limit since I am unemployed, and it has to be something I can do myself and I am definitely no handy-woman!

Heeelp

 

 

 

[Monkeybun]

Can you get a dog exercise pen at all? Thats what mine are pretty much in all the time. I have a condo built, but the pen is attached all the time to it, and i never lock the cage door. Smudge is just in a pen, and it works for her.

[Karla]

I actually just had a look at dog pens and was about to ask in here if that would work. Great.

Is it something like this, you have:

I wonder if it is sturdy enough, because they will kill each other if one of them gets out of the pen. Doesn’t it look like it is meant to be outside and in the ground?

And is it big enough if they are supposed to live in that pen for a lifetime?

[Karla]

I’ve just bough a run now. Uh, looking so much forward to seeing it. I guess, if I just use strips, it should be sturdy enough. Hoooraaah for some more freedom for Karl and Freddie!

[Deleted User]

If you want to upgrade the security to make sure there will be no escaping into the unbonded rabbit’s pen, if they are going to be in the same room, you can make cardboard exensions on the outside walls of your pens. Also, use a sheet for your peace of mind. I have two escape artists, Neigey and Duffy, one climbs and the other jumps really high, so high he jumped out of my outside pen. So I have cardboard extensions and drapes as a top.

 

 

[Otti]

If you don’t want to add cardboard to the sides and cover up all the way, you can also just pin a sheet cut to the right size over the top of the pen. You can use just a normal bed sheet, curtain or any kind of material, cut it into the right shape, and pin it with binder clips. It should be enough to prevent the bunnies from jumping out and you can open just a corner of it when you need to to feed them or open the pen and clean it.

[Monkeybun]

Moose likes to jump.. we extended the top of his pen with NIC grids for now, the other 2 don’t seem to care enough to try and jump out. But the pens work great for me

[Karla]

I know you guys have seen tons of pens, but I am just so excited to have pens now instead of the commercial cages that I wanted to show you how Freddie and Karl live now  I am soooo happy and relieved. They were just sitting there in their cages not moving or anything, just looking so depressed. I really understand why so many people with hutch bunnies think that bunnies are boring.

I don’t feel constantly bad now anymore, and I’m even considering visiting my parents for a few days around Christmas, because I won’t feel bad to leave the bunnies now. Yeaaah

Here it is:

I do try to keep Molly in the pen as much as possible, but as you can see from the picture, she still gets her freedom. She really doesn’t do well in confinement, and most of the time, she is trying to move the pen or chew the bars. But for the sake of the bonding, she is only out a couple of times a day though.

Thank you guys. Without all your pens, I probably would not have considered it, since to me the options are only cages or free-run.

[Jessi]

Karla,

How big are your pens. im in the process of making on for marley and your seem like the perfect size

[Deleted User]

Wow! What nice pens! I knew you’d do something amazing, you are so good at making pretty habitats~ I especially like the top netting. I saw it online somewhere and always wanted it. Whoops: I just realized Molly was in between the zebra stripes… LOL

I hope your xmas will be great! Just take the bonding slow now that you feel good about their housing.

[Karla]

Jessi, the run is made up of 4 single elements that are each 115 cm x 52 cm – I have no idea how much that is in inches. It is actually a good size, although I’m sure the bunnies would like it bigger

Petzy, Molly does blend in very well with zebra stripes And thank you.
Sessions are going very slowly and without much progress, but I am sure we will get there eventually. I was very relieved to find that there was a top netting in the package – I’m sure they would have found a way to kill each other otherwise!

[jerseygirl]

I am soooo happy and relieved.

Well I’m happy for you! This is so good that it has taken away that feeling of guilt you had and pressure to get them bonded. You being less stressed about this is going to be better all round. Yay for pens!

[aims]

where did you getting the from! i could use some of that

[aims]

ummm apparently i forgot how to speak english hahaha.

i meant to say, “where did you get the netting from”

[Karla]

Posted By aims on 11/23/2010 09:41 PM

ummm apparently i forgot how to speak english hahaha.

i meant to say, “where did you get the netting from”

Hahaha  The pen came with the netting – it’s from Zooplus. Unfortunately, they don’t ship to outside Europe. Perhaps you could buy a fishing net in a fishing store? Had there not been a net, I would have used a bed sheet to cover it, although the net does of course work much better. 

[jerseygirl]

Aims, what about that netting for putting over roof rack cargo. It’s sort of elastic and has clips around the edges. I can’t find a good pic…

Be careful with netting with too large a weave incase any bunny attempts a vertical jump and gets caught and tangled.

[aims]

yes… come to think of it netting might not be such a good idea for my rabbits. othello tried to climb a wall the other day. i have no idea what he was thinking, there wasn’t even anywhere to go, he just tried to climb directly up a wall! he would most definitely get tangled in netting, he seems to go looking for trouble!

[jerseygirl]

I’m currently using some net curtains on and outdoor pen.

[lashkay]

I wanted to get a million things from Zooplus, they wrote me a very kindly-worded note that they, like you said, don’t do USA.

For those looking for a place that does ship in the USA, a great & economical option for x-pens (dog pens) is at this link:

http://www.digitpet.com/product_group.cfm?cid=1001,2006,3016&pid=12037M

That’s just the link to the model with the walk-thru door I got for each of my bunnies. They have 8 panel, add-a-panel enlargeable ones, and 10-panel in varying heights and different doors. I love mine – and just as importantly, so do Petie and Dustor!

[Author]

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