Night pen troubles

[MimzMum]

I am noticing lately that Pip doesn’t seem as comfortable in her night pen. The ramp-shelf combination doesn’t seem to be working as well for her as it used to, but she does like being up on the shelf at night, I see her sleeping up there. It is her favorite spot to throw stinkeye from. Getting up to it and down from it are becoming a problem for her though, I think.

She is a consummate chewer. I could not put any fabric or carpet on that ramp to make it easier for her to dig her claws into it to climb. So I am wondering if I got some of those tub stickies (the kind that help keep you from slipping) and placed them on the ramp, do you think that would ease her getting up and down? Or do I have to worry that she’d try to peel them off and eat them?

Honestly, I’m afraid she’s going to break a leg trying to vault that ramp. She seems to be sliding a lot on even the floor of the pen as she moves about as well. I hear a lot of scratching toenails (yes, she needs a trim) and I don’t like the wild look in her eye that I see when I come to investigate.

Eventually, she and Mimzy will have a ground floor xpen to live in. They are doing much better bonding wise and I think we can have them together 24-7 soon. At that point, she won’t have anywhere to jump up on and jump down from, so the problem will be solved that way.

Do I continue to fuss with the ramp until then? Can someone think of a way to make her climb less stressful? Or do I get rid of this setup altogether and she just has to sleep on the floor of her pen with nowhere else to go? (I think that would make her sad.) I have her sleeping shelf all the way down on the bars of her night pen, it can’t go any lower and she can’t get to it without the ramp. Any ideas?

BTW, she has the largest model of the Superpet Pen. It’s just like the one that rabbitpam has for SammiKins. But I think it’s just all around getting to be too small for her.

(Either that or she’s making it hard on herself on purpose to make me feel bad and put her and Mimz together quicker, I am not sure.)  >.<

[BinkyBunny]

So what is her ramp like right now? Is it plastic and are there any little steps on it? If it’s wood, you could fasten some wood strips for gripping.

Also, you said she seems to be having troubles on just the floor too? Are her nails terribly overgrown? Has she gained a bit of weight? You said that she may be outgrowing her pen, so has she grown alot? Obviously this would add weight and could make things become more difficult.

[bunnytowne]

Hmm that does seem something to look into if she is having trouble on the bottom of her pen.  BB good idea putting little wood strips oh noo it is plastic isn’t it. oops nevermind.

 

[Alicia Conklin]

What about getting one of those little sea grass mats and tying it on with that rope stuff that is safe for bunnies?  We have those little ones and they’re only a few bucks and I think it’d be the perfect size to go on a ramp like that.  That way she could chew on it if she wanted but it’d also give her some good traction to get up there.  Tying it around to the back of the ramp would also give her some strips for added traction….like if you tied it around from front to back in rows it’d be just like wood strips would be if it was a wooden ramp. 

I think the stickies she might try to rip off.  They usually don’t sit perfectly flat and I know with Tucker if she feels a lip to something she makes it her life’s work to rip whatever it is off of that surface. 

[Beka27]

grass mats are a good idea, and it could be replaced as needed. or can you remove the ramp altogether? will she jump to the shelf, or is it too tight of a squeeze for her? how close are you to xpen living? another option would be to divide the xpen in half and give her and Mimzy each a half until they can be trusted 24/7 together.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Instead of a ramp, what about steps?
I got rid of the ramps for our condo once Rupert had mastered the ramps, since they didn’t really walk up the ramps, the jumped from the ramps to the next level…so I use several things for steps…

Mazehaven (you could use a cardboard box too)
Those igloos (http://www.bramblebunnies.co.uk/Shop/Rabbit_Igloo.jpg)
cat condo (http://www.petstuffresale.com/images/5-31-04/1hole-cat-condo500.jpg)

Anyways, just some ideas, using objects that they can hop on for steps instead of inclined ramp

[MimzMum]

Wow, lots of questions! ^_^ Okies…
BB, the ramp is plastic. I suppose the hubby could find a way to put wood ‘steps’ on it, but I think that would probably greatly compromise the ramp itself. A good idea though, if I put wooden climbing stuff into the xpen eventually.
Yes, her nails are long and want cutting. My eyesight is bad so I’m going to have to make an appointment with the vet. She’ll clip them for $15. Pip is a little on the heavy side, but not as bad as she has been in the past. She has no trouble moving around in the xpen, even on the linoleum floor of the kitchen she moves better than she does in her night pen.

Alicia, grass mats are what I use for the flat of the floor in the xpen and they are Pip’s favorite thing to chew. Sadly, I know she’d just have them all off in a thrice. It is a great idea for bunnies who don’t chew their mats though. Thanks!

Beka and K&K, She’s actually been trying to forgo the ramp altogether and jump straight to the shelf, but she can’t manage it. Her little back feet swing under and the next thing I know my poor bun is sprawled on the floor of her night pen like, “Whahappen?” It looks so painful. I though of putting one shelf ahead of the sleeping shelf and using that like a step, but that keeps the door from opening properly, so that’s out. I will be glad when she and Mimzy are in the xpen together permanently, which should be very soon. ^_^ In the meantime, I’m just trying to keep her from breaking her neck. >.<
I replaced the ramp in question with a slightly sturdier one that she cannot slide down the length of the shelf. The other one is just too loose and I think she was probably afraid it didn’t feel firm under her feet. She was doing better last night, but this setup is definitely wearing thin. I also put Carefresh on the floor for her, she seems to really like the comfort of soft, cushy stuff on the floor. I should probably check her toes to see if they are hurting from the plastic floor, which she usually doesn’t have any bedding on. (She used to pee on it before she was box trained and we’ve just never gone back to it.)

Our room is very warm now too. The heat in the house is hellish. The hubby keeps it that way because we have boiler heat and it’s hard to keep it at temperature, so he doesn’t let me drop the thermostat. It’s very frustrating. As Pip’s pen is closer to the ceiling than the floor (perched on top of Mimzy’s) I think she’s getting the brunt of it up there, and I want her down from there a.s.a.p.

Thanks for all your ideas guys, all good things to think about as i begin to make Mimzy & Pip’s transition from separate living quarters to “The Honeymoon Suite!”

[Author]

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