Suggestions for Bunnies that jump out of their 3+ foot playpen?

[Bunny_Mommy]

Hello,

After moving recently, I decided to buy a large playpen (about 5 feet long and 5 feet wide, but adjustable and a bit over 3 feet high) over a large cage due to feeling that an open-air home would be best, and also easier to clean (and less expensive). Actually, it is called a plastic dog gate that I keep a tarp underneath.

Anyway, two of my 3 bunnies in the pen, Gary (my avatar) and his daughter Baby (looks like a Black Gary) jump out multiple times a day. Both are around 5 lbs, Baby is a bit heavier due to her Mom being Rex, and she jumps out A LOT more than Gary. She then whines, jumps on the couch and runs away. I think her hormones are coming in. It is very frustrating because I just moved and want a spotless house, plus I am technically not supposed to have more than two rabbits, yet I have five (two in my old cages that I combined to be 6 feet in length) and I can get in big trouble if someone sees them out and chewing things.

Yesterday, I tried to find a large net at Walmart, but they apparently do not sell them, so I needed to put my bed sheet over it with clothespins. I would prefer something lighter, breathable and more humane for the bunnies, especially since it is 110 degrees now. Any ideas, please, and where to find them? Thank you.

 

[Hermelin]

Gardening net which you use to protect plants/berries from birds it’s easy to use as a roof and also cheap.

You will only need to fasten the net and they won’t be able to jump out.

 

[JBun]

Is your bunny jumping up on anything like a box or cage, to get over? Is your rabbit actually jumping straight up and over or is she jumping on the panel then climbing the rest of the way over?

 

[Bunny_Mommy]

Is your bunny jumping up on anything like a box or cage, to get over? Is your rabbit actually jumping straight up and over or is she jumping on the panel then climbing the rest of the way over?

I have not personally seen her do it, but I will when I get home. All that I know is, it makes a lot of noise when she gets out. However, there are unpacked moving boxes about 3 - 5 inches from the pen. My guess is she is climbing a bit, rather than jumping straight up. She is too big for that and her Mom can barely jump two feet LOL.

Here is a similar playpen, but mine is a bit taller and longer:

https://www.chewy.com/mypet-plastic...erKtbuZoyPJICLxdJGm4lPZG4Io9ZLDcaAsjOEALw_wcB

 

[Butterscotch]

Could you purchase NIC grids and cable tie them to your play pen to make it taller?

 

[JBun]

If she is climbing, you can zip tie cardboard, posterboard, or something smooth, to the upper portion of the pens panels. This prevents them from being able to climb up and over the top. Though this wouldn't work if she is jumping over the top of the pen. For actually jumping over the top, you would need to either remove any raised objects she might be using to get herself close to the top and jumping over, and/or cover the top with something like a sheet clipped to the pens panels. Or get a 4-5 ft tall pen.

 

[Bunny_Mommy]

If she is climbing, you can zip tie cardboard, posterboard, or something smooth, to the upper portion of the pens panels. This prevents them from being able to climb up and over the top. Though this wouldn't work if she is jumping over the top of the pen. For actually jumping over the top, you would need to either remove any raised objects she might be using to get herself close to the top and jumping over, and/or cover the top with something like a sheet clipped to the pens panels. Or get a 4-5 ft tall pen.

Just saw her do it, and she actually jumps straight up and perches on top before jumping onto the ground, wow.

I guess I need to keep it covered, bleh... Thanks for the help.

 

[Aggeliki]

I use this for my bunny, I am not sure what this is called but I got it from a supermarket I think it is for the garden for plants you can tell someone the measurements you want too. Leo (my bunny) without it was jumping from the x-pen ALL the time I got him this and I never seen him jump over this. Also, you could use a transparent table setting and just secure it with paper clips

 

[John Wick]

Generally having a solid visual ceiling will prevent rabbits from jumping into it because they perceive it being solid. Could you find a white, thin bedding sheet perhaps? So not a particularly thick one, but one that's more breathable?

 

[Bunny_Mommy]

I use this for my bunny, I am not sure what this is called but I got it from a supermarket I think it is for the garden for plants you can tell someone the measurements you want too. Leo (my bunny) without it was jumping from the x-pen ALL the time I got him this and I never seen him jump over this. Also, you could use a transparent table setting and just secure it with paper clips

Ah, cool! That is something like what I am looking for, but it will need to be at least the size of a small bed sheet ^_^ I will definitely look for one after work-- thank you, my friend <3

 

[Bunny_Mommy]

Alright... got some screen from Home Depot on Sunday, secured it to the cage and guess what? Baby The Bunny somehow cut out a palm-sized hole in the middle and got out... These bunnies

Been to 5+ stores and was unable to find anything like a net or plastic.

 

[Nijn]

I have a jumper too, annoying isn't it haha. Mine jumps until like 70% of the way there and then climbs the rest.

I first had fleece blankets over the top of the pen fastened with clamps, but she learned that if she jumped/climbed and pushed hard enough she could just move it out of the way. She's very strong. Now I have bought a cheap pen (those small 60cm high ones for like 20 euros), took it's panels and turned them into ceiling panels with tie wraps, then secured them to the top of the pen with tie wraps. There is no way in hell she will break the tie wraps so she can't get out anymore.

My ceiling conists of 3 pieces. Every piece consists of 2 cheapo pens tiewrapped together to fit the dimensions of my bunny-home-pen. There is a piece on the left and right side of the pen secured with tie wraps on 1 side only, so you can swing them open like a lid. The middle 2 piece I just lay loose on top. This way I can just remove the middle piece and swing open the corner pieces if I want to enter the pen to clean, grab or sit with them. Technically she could still jump and then bump the loose middle piece off but she only jumps from corners, so she doesn't do that. If she ever decided to do that and manages to lift the quite heavy center piece, I will just fasten it to one of the other 2 pieces to keep the lid functionality.