Outside playpens

[Eepster]

 It is such a very nice day out today, that I was thinking about getting in as much outdoor time as possible after I pick my son up from school.  Unfortunately, outdoor playtime for my son, means not getting to do after school bunny time.  I would like to make an outdoor playpen so bunny can come out side and have some playtime there.  It will let everyone get a little fresh air and sunshine, and Porky could try some fresh grass and dig in the dirt.

I would love to see what others have done for outdoor playtime.

Some of my concerns are:

Should I make it really predator proof?  I would be outside with them supervising, but if the pen was predator proof then my son and I could do things like run into the house to get a glass of water or use the bathroom.  Can I really make it truly predator proof though?  Wildlife is moving back into this area rapidly, and have foxes and very large hawks living in the park acroos the street.  Its funny, we live in a dense inner suburb where 20 years ago the wildest thing around were squirrels now we regularly have deer, and there have been occasional bears in the area.  In some ways I’m more concerned about dogs.  though pet owners around here are pretty respondsible about keeping them leashed or fenced, accidents will happen.  One nieghbor has a pitbull/lab mix who is absolutely huge and could get into almost anything.  So I wonder if aiming for predator proof just will give me a false sence of security, and I’d be better off building/buying something less fortress like and just interupting Porkys playtime if we needed to go in for any reason.

Should I make it easy for me and my son to get in and out of, or should it just be Porky’s private space?

Should I use his travel cage as a retreat withing the playpen.

how high do the sides need to be?

Etc….

[Beka27]

Would this be a permanent structure or movable? If permanent, you can dig down a bit for added security. But the grass won’t get rotated around. A top is a must.

[Eepster]

Movable would be ideal. If it was to be a permanent structure, it would have to be much smaller. We have a very small yard. Also, a movable structure could be placed over what was growing at the time. Violets first, then moved to a patch of dandelions, then off to where the clovers are.

[Monkeybun]

A movable structure won’t be predator proof, really. And with foxes, who dig, you would want a good pen to be embedded in the ground.

Honestly, with foxes and hawks and such, I wouldn’t take the bun outside at all. It isn’t worth the risk if you can’t have a good, permanent structure that is dig-proof.

[jerseygirl]

So I wonder if aiming for predator proof just will give me a false sence of security, and I’d be better off building/buying something less fortress like and just interrupting Porkys playtime if we needed to go in for any reason.

That is a really good point. It can be easy to become complacent if thinking they’re safe as can be. I suggest still going with more “fortress-like” though. I’m sure in those times when you need to take care of something in a hurry, like a crying child whose scraped his knee, you wouldn’t be wanting to be carrying them under one arm and having to scoop up a rabbit in the other!

Since you know there are predators in the area, a solid structure would be best. I thought of something like member bunnnnnnie got for her large rabbit Zeus. She said it it assembled without tools and can be folded and packed up.
 

 https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tab…fault.aspx

So something like this, even if you’re handy and can make something similar with wood frames and hardware cloth?
The solid frames would prevent any largish animal bowling it over. Or any human. I’ve fallen and part dismantled my ex-pens before!

One of the forum leaders (Petzy) has an outdoor structure with a wire roof and she suggests putting brances on top to obscure the vision of predatorial birds. I think something like a carrier or hiding box is a must. It’s important for their own sense of security to have a place to bolt to, even if it’s just noise that frightens them. Even if predator-proof, rabbits scare easily and can cause themselves injury in a panic. So having a safe retreat will hopefully lessen that.

Another consideration is knowing whether you get animals pass through your yard as their droppings may contain parasites. Also, find out some of the rabbit diseases carried by biting insects are not an issue in your area. All scary stuff but there are times of the day that are less of a problem then others. At least, that’s the case where I live regarding mosquitoes.

Before you do invest in any way on a structure, I suggest taking Porky outdoors for a short time and see how he reacts. Some rabbits love it and some are petrified. If he reacts badly, better to know that before you spend money and time of an outdoor pen.
My 2 rabbits enjoy time outdoors and are used to it. They seem to like I’m out and about with them but generally they find a cool, shady spot to nap after running about for 5 or 10 minutes.

[LoveChaCha]

I agree with Jersey’s point on taking Porky outdoors for a short time before investing in an outdoor pen. I did that with my bunny and she hated it, freaked out, and was frozen. So I held her and took her back into the house.

[KatnipCrzy]

To give our bunnies outside time- I have used a dog crate without the plastic tray.  The spaces on the bottom are pretty large- so I make sure the cage is flat as that is the only possible escape route.  But if I was really worried about escape- I would use the cage upside down and have the bunnies contact the grass thru what is intended to be the top of the cage- and then cover the large spaces with coroplast or plexiglass zip-tied into place to create a “roof”.

It is not huge- but convenient- the cages are foldable, affordable and have many other uses than just a rabbit run.

[Bren]

I often take my bun camping and there have been concerns about mosquitos, etc…. so this year I am going to do what I always do which is set up the xpen for them under a canopy (like the camping ones you can get for over a picnic table….preventing the birds, etc. from seeing them and keeping them out of sun) and I have purchased some netting that i am going to place over top the xpen to prevent bugs from getting at them. hoping this well do the trick! They LOVE camping and being outside with us….every place we go is different to them and they love the exploration, etc and fresh air.

[mplsbunlove]

Bren – i like your bun camping idea. My 9 yr old keeps on bringing up her idea about a camping trip with Edison, but I didnt think it seemed like a safe idea. That would make it work though. I will have to be on the lookout for a cheap canopy on craigslist.

I’m figuring for the backyard I am going to make a cage out of wire cube squares on the sides and put a solid top on it (hopefully something lightweight that will shade the buns). That way the wire cage will be able to fold and will be easy to move.

[mocha200]

I would worry about taking a bun camping because if a dog got loose they could ether kill or scare your bun to death. Last year in our camp ground a pitbull got loose and attacked another dog and wouldn’t let go. It was scary.

[Eepster]

Funny that someone bumped this thread, b/c I was just going to update it. When I talked with my Dh about the concern over predatores, he felt that the only really good protection was a human being with the bunny; we decided to forget about trying to make the playpen predatore proof, and instead make it big enough for an adult human to be comfortable inside the pen.

We made a big circle out of NIC grids. We carry Porky into the enclosure inside his small cage, and put it down and open the door. Ve can go back inside his small cage if he’s scared. There is room enough for Porky to have a good hop, and me a comfortable chair (though the current one isn’t that great, I need a better one.) We also put a nice box for Porky to go into for shade.

I’ll post pictures soon.

[baxterbun]

I use an xpen with a top. If I need to run inside it isn’t for long and I put Baxter in his carrier inside the pen.

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By Eepster on 04/11/2011 10:26 AM
Funny that someone bumped this thread, b/c I was just going to update it. When I talked with my Dh about the concern over predatores, he felt that the only really good protection was a human being with the bunny; we decided to forget about trying to make the playpen predatore proof, and instead make it big enough for an adult human to be comfortable inside the pen.

And the perfect excuse for us humans to take a break and get outside and relax.    There’s no better stress reliever than chillin’ with the bunnies.  

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