Is this a bad gate?

[Rachel Anne]

We’re looking for a free-standing gate to section off part of the room for our bun, but we’re having trouble finding one. This is one of the only ones that seems like it could accommodate our awkward space (we just want a free-standing fence that could make a right angle and block off a corner of the room without toppling over), but I’m obviously concerned that the wood could get chewed up and our bunny could escape. I’m also a fan of the lockable gate part, but I wouldn’t want him to be able to squeeze through the bit of extra space there. What are your thoughts? Could it possibly work? If it really seems like this won’t work, do you have recommendations for another type of barricade?

Thanks!

[Bam]

Is it high enough? I can’t quite make out the measurements. It needs to be like 5 feet high to prevent a bunny from jumping over it.

[tobyluv]

It looks like this gate is 31 1/2″ high. You didn’t say what size your rabbit is, or if your rabbit is a jumper (jumps up on the sofa, etc.) That height might be okay for a smaller rabbit or one that doesn’t jump, but it’s possible that some rabbits could jump over it. Without seeing it in person, it’s hard to know if it’s safe for rabbits. It may have some little nooks and crannies that a rabbit could try to stick its head in, and you don’t want that. It does say it’s heavyweight in the customer’s comments, so a rabbit shouldn’t be able to push it around and get by it. There isn’t any danger of it falling over, is there? It says that panels are locked into place, so I guess it wouldn’t topple over.

Do they sell these gates at pet supply stores? I think it would be good to see one in person and make sure there aren’t any places a rabbit could try to stick its head or mouth through and possibly get stuck or hurt. And there is the possibllity of chewing. The wood probably has some kind of varnish on it, so you wouldn’t want it to be chewed on.

[Beka27]

Can you use a standard dog xpen unfolded?

[Rachel Anne]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll try to see if I can find this gate at a store to get a sense of what it really looks like. We actually haven’t brought home our bunny yet, I’m doing some preemptive research in my excitement. We’re getting a Holland Lop though, so I’m not sure if he’d be able to jump over it–my last Holland Lop never jumped over a regular 30″ high baby gate, but they’re all different. Certainly wouldn’t want to spend big bucks on a gate that my bunny could jump over or get his head caught in.

I’ve wondered about using a standard xpen unfolded, but worried it wouldn’t be stable enough in any shape other than an enclosed polygon. Do you think it could work?

What about using zip ties on NIC grids? I’ve never heard of or seen NIC grids before coming to this site, so I don’t know where to get them. Would that be stable enough to just make a big two-wall 90 degree fence?

Thanks again for the helpful responses

[Beka27]

An xpen is going to be much more stable than NIC grids. The pen is heavy so that is going to contribute to its being able to stand on its own. Grids are very light and would be no match for a determined bunny (unless they are attached to something).

[njbunny]

Nic grides are probably not a good option for what you need. I tried making a free standing gate out of nic grids and ended up having to zip tie the one side to the wall and made a large rabbit condo on the other side to hold it all up. If you can attach the nic grids to something then they will be ok. My bunny wont jump higher then 12″.

[Baxter n Boos Mom]

Although the gate is very stylish – I would worry about the wood, as my boys are chewers, and would gnaw constantly.

Fortunately for us, our boys are not jumpers so a 30″ Xpen works. But as others have said – it can make a difference if your bun is going to be a jumper. We use our Xpen to gate off areas….and it helps if you can secure the ends (lodge between furniture/walls)….because our boys will pull and push the gate until they can escape.

[Stickerbunny]

Wood on baby gates is just a chew toy to rabbits – I have one that has wood and Stickers has destroyed it (it was free though, so whatever). You want something metal and at least 36″ high.

[Rachel Anne]

Yes I was worried about the chewing. I was more interested in this piece because of the easy looking gate than for its attractive qualities. I’m going to need to get through often, and some of the gates on the x pens I’ve seen look a little tricky. Any Ideas?

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