Collar and Leash?

[pinksalamander]

I've seen these rabbit "harnesses" before, and i remember struggling to get my old bunny into one when i was younger. I then remember the rabbit escaping, running under the fence and the neighbours having to come round with my little bunny in cat basket because he had been hiding in their backgarden.

I've seen lots of people using just normal collars with leashes on. My garden is no way rabbit proof because of all the bushes and little holes around the fences etc, not to mention the woodlandy area behind it covered in brambles! I was wondering if these collar and leash ideas really work? Could i just buy a normal kitten collar and get a piece of rope/some kind of leash to take my bunny for "walks" in the garden? his run isn't very big at the present moment and i feel sorry for him! (I'm in the middle of building him a big permenant run in an old flowerbed)

 

[Haley]

I personally do not like any of the harness/leash ideas as rabbits can usually either get out of them easily or injure themselves on them. I know some people use them, but I dont like them (and neither do my buns)

A good idea might be to buy some chicken wire or other fence-like material and just set up a little run for him to play in while you sit in there and supervise. This is what I do. Its like a playpen area. Just make sure youre sitting with him the whole time...and not leaving him alone.

Hope this helps

Haley

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

I've used harnesses before on my rabbits but I wouldn't use a collar on a rabbit incase they struggled and strangled themselves.:?

On Haley's note about making a run, this place does really good puppy pens, I have one for my girls.

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/donate/rabbitrun.asp

 

[JimD]

Bunnys_rule63 wrote:

I've used harnesses before on my rabbits but I wouldn't use a collar on a rabbit incase they struggled and strangled themselves.:?

Ditto! NO COLLARS!

The harness we USE to use was one of those mesh ones. The only bun that would wear it was Brindle.
I think they enjoy a secure run more,as opposed to a harness, though.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Collars are definitely a big no. If your rabbit tries to run and you don't realise it, they can easily have their neck broken when they reach the end of the leash and get jerked backwards.

If you want your rabbit to go outside you have 2 options, either rabbit proof the whole yard or make a rabbit proof run. But do not use chicken wire! You can use it to bend over and block holes and gaps in the fence but if you are building a run, a rabbit can easily climb chicken wire. My doe would climb 3.5 feet of chicken wire! It also needs to be tall enough to prevent them from jumping out -- I don't think my boys would escape out of anything over 2' but my doe will jump 3.5 feet from a stand still (used to jump 4'). You also need to make sure they cannot dig out.

 

[Bassetluv]

(Bunnies can also chew through chicken wire very quickly...)

I'd never put a collar on a rabbit either. If I had put a collar on Anna the first time I tried her with a leash, I probably wouldn't have her today. I put a harness on her just to see how she would do, and she went into a major panic, flailing and thrashing everywhere before I could calm her down and remove it. (I've since decided that she simply isn't a rabbit who will accept any kind of restraint.) If she'd had a collar on instead of a harness, there's a very good chance she would have brokenher neckin her struggle to get away...or her back, as their backbones are quite fragile as well. So I stick to a good, mesh harness - if the rabbit is willing to accept it - or go to an alternate...either a run or - in my setup's case - a rabbit-proofed yard.

 

[Haley]

Thanks for correcting me on the chicken wire comment, guys.

I should specifiy (dangerous not to!) I didnt mean to actually make a run out of it. I use a thicker wire grid (not sure what its called) that comes in a big roll. Its about 3 feet high (which is high enough for my buns) and has stakes at the bottom that can be used to secure it firmly into the ground..then I use the chicken wire to wrap around it, just so the larger grate has a smaller one behind it.

Sorry for the confusion

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I figured you meant to use chicken wire to block off holes and what not, Haley.

I did the same thing with one run, we had large 4" squares that we used chicken wire to cover. The only problem? Zoey could still climb it like that. Now I use 2" stucco wire. It comes in a 4' high roll which is what I need!

I've never had an issue with rabbits chewing through chicken wire although they have tried. But We took a roll and folded it over so it was a double layer of chicken wire. It works great to block off small holes and gaps because it's very pliable and easy to stick just about anywhere. Although, for that reason we also used tent pegs to make sure the wire was secure to the ground so the rabbits couldn't move it.

 

[Jess_sully]

My mini lop, Theodore, had a special "rabbit/cat harness" which is different than most I've seen on the market.They make smaller ones in the same style for ferrets also, who are notorious for escaping harnesses.I recently purchased a new one at our local fair (of all the random places). The design is simple to put on... literally takes less than thirty seconds. I've never met a rabbit that had a problem with this particular style of harness, ever. Also, if you get a retractable leash, you won't have to take a step every single time they do And, the rabbit won't be able to chew through the leash, because it won't drag on the ground. One of my friends has this harness for her rabbit, and she has a very lightweight chain tie-out meant for small breed dogs that is 10' long and allows the bunny some freedom outside. She is never too far away when he's on it in case of predators, but he's never gotten out of it, and shehas lethim outside every day for the past three years! I'll take a picture in a moment.

This is a standard figure-eight harness available pretty much anywhere, in lots of different sizes. It is extremely difficult to put on a rabbit, because you have to individually lift up legs and pull it over their head and midsection, etc. Also, the strap in the center of their legs is annoying and they often chew at it. Easily escapable. Not very adjustable.

This is the special figure-h harness for ferrets, rabbits, or cats. It is shaped to fit rabbits' longer bodies better. Comes in only one or two sizes, but this is because the entire thing can be shortened or lengthened to fit a growing bunny or different breeds. Simple to put on. The way it fits, it's practically impossible to escape, and the bunny cannot easily reach any part to chew. Most rabbits don't feel it on them, either.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?cm_ven=nextag&cm_cat=mercent&cm_pla=datafeed&cm_ite=52773&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023695&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302047894&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441777598&bmUID=1156364850965

 

[JimD]

Jess_sully wrote:

Also, if you get a retractable leash, you won't have to take a step every single time they do.

We bought one of those retractable leashes for our puppy and I was thinking it would be good for the buns, too. However there is no way to "reel" them back when you need to. I found this out the hard way when the puppy had walked ahead of me and I gave her some extra lead....and then she darted into the street. She had enough lead to get about 5 feet from the curb. The only way I could get her out of the way of the oncoming cars was to run up onto my neighbor's lawn and then pull the lead in hand-over-hand.
Granted, I live in a more metropolitan type of area. At my sister's farm in Michigan, it could be safely used. A 10 foot lead wouldn't even come close the the road ...or a 30 foot lead for that matter.Gosh, I miss living in the country!!

 

[Jess_sully]

Really? Our retractable leashes have a button that you push that will "reel" them in, as you described it. It's a handy feature, and it just takes a few pushes to pull them in close to you, lol.My friend's10' chain tie-out is just positioned in an area in the middle of her yard, in a strategic location where the bunny has a big tree for shade, a little plastic dog igloo for even MORE shade (if he so desires) and then of course the 20' diameter circle to walk about in. It doesn't come close to the road

The image of you running into your neighbor's yard and dragging your puppy along far behind you just cracks me up!

 

[missyscove]

I've certainly never seen a retractable that would "reel them in," just with the button to stop it going out. I have one for my golden retriever, I don't let her get that far from me that she could dart out into the street, she's pretty reliable though. Usually the only time she gets that far from me is at the park when I'm intentionally letting her run farther away.

 

[Jess_sully]

Okay, let me rephrase that I volunteer at our local animal shelter, and all they have is retractable leashes, so I've had to get pretty good at reeling in some wild barking dogs. All you have to do is press the button that would stop the leash from going out more, and give it a slight tug. That makes the leash go back and get shorter. Do that a few times, and voila! It was simple... even for huge dogs. Works well for ferrets and bunnies, too

 

[missyscove]

hmmm, I'll have to try that out. I volunteer at our shelter too, but we just have "ropes" for leashes. (cheap kind that do that loop kinda thing to make a collar and a leash, if you get what I mean, since most of the dogs don't have collars, just tabbands on the little dogs and only collars on the bigger ones if they came in with one.) Anyway, like I said, I'll have to try out that "reeling" technique.

 

[Jess_sully]

It works quite well. Even on this huge brute of a shepherd/husky mix dog we had there for almost a year. We have a drawer full of collars and leashes donated to us from businesses and people in the community, so all of the dogs have collars at least during their walks, if not also when they're kenneled. I love volunteering there There are also two cat rooms- one with ten large two-level cages for unspayed/neutered and unsociable cats, and one huge windowed room that has anywhere from 10-40 cats in it at any given time. It has huge climbing towers, the whole wall is lined with litterboxes, and lots of beds. Love it.

 

[missyscove]

Yes, they're actually building a new shelterdown the street, so we'll be moving soon, hmm, maybe they'll put therabbits where people can see them for once, without having to cross the"authorized personell only" sign, lol. They're also planningto have a cat room where the cats can run free, right now they're incages lining the walls.

 

[Jess_sully]

At least your shelter has rabbits. Noneof the shelters within a four mile radius of my town have rabbits.There are a couple rabbit rescues downstate, but they're almost fivehours away, so anyone who wants to adopt a rabbit around here is out ofluck! The closest pet store is an hour and a half away, too... so ouronly choices for pet supplies are online and/or TSC. I like TSC a lot,though. Having a loose cat room is a really good idea, it works well inours. When you walk into the office, the first thing people see is thehuge window looking into the loose cat room, so that always catchespeople's attention.

 

[JimD]

Jess_sully wrote:

The image of you running into your neighbor'syard and dragging your puppy along far behind you just cracks me up!

I get the feeling that my puppy found it quite amusing as well.
She was all excited thinking that we were playing a new game orsomething.....got all tangled around the tree...and the birdbath...andthe fence...and the bushes..."Had enough, Daddy?"
We love her to bits....but I think I'm more of a bunnie-guy.

 

[Jess_sully]

JimD wrote:

....but I think I'm more of a bunnie-guy.

haha. Sometimes I think I'm more suited to bunnies, too.Puppies are just SOOO much work. Majorly adorable and obedient though,eventually... if you don't let them get the upper hand

 

[pinksalamander]

Hmm, the thing is i already have a run 2actually, one rather small temporary one and one half built larger one.The main idea i thought of getting a lead is so i can have my rabbitindoors. My house isn't really bun proff either and he has run down theback of the TV and im worried he'll chew wires. I looked in a petshopand found some rabbit/cat/small dog harness's but im worried theywouldn't work because he'd be impossible to get into. I put a kittencollar on him that we were gonna use for our cat but never did. I mighttry a bunny harness but i just don't remember them being very good.