Want vs Fear

[Leaf]

I have a huge fenced in yard.

I want to let Cass and Aiden free run eventually. Supervised, for a bit - but I have no idea how to guage whether or not they're ready. How can I tell? If they go crazy and wild how would I ever catch them?

Anyone have experiences of this nature?

 

[mouse_chalk]

Our garden has a massive pen in it, that's pretty much the size of the whole lawn, and I have to say, that catching them for in time is not an easy task! Lol. I have to un-hook the pen and sort of wrap it round them, and fold it in to make it smaller, so I can reach in and pick them up. Not popular with them, Barney thumps every time I even start to unhook the pen lol!:X

I'd say it'd be fine, but only worry would be if you had a shed or something that they could hide behind/under, in which case you might want to block them off....

Or make a massive pen the size of your lawn, like mine! I'll find a pic for you...

 

[mouse_chalk]

Can't find the pic but this video shows it!

[flash=320,256]http://uk.youtube.com/v/G590RkFwVao[/flash]

 

[Pet_Bunny]

You could start by using only part of the yard. Just block off any area you don't want them in and keep them away from that. At first they will want to explore, but instincts will tell them to find a place to hide. They will need a shelter or a hole to lay under.

Once they know the area and feel safe, you will see them run and binky in the wide open space. As for catching them... Good Luck!

 

[slavetoabunny]

What a great play area you have for your bunnies Jen. I can tell they love it from those huge binkies! I just loooove your accent too!!!!!

 

[mouse_chalk]

slavetoabunny wrote:

What a great play area you have for your bunnies Jen. I can tell they love it from those huge binkies! I just loooove your accent too!!!!!

Thank you!

I sound like I'm about 12 though lol.... :embarrassed:

I love their pen too. I think that the runs you can buy are great but I just love to give them tons of space that they can really run about in. It feels like it's more natural for them. Barney is so sedantry normally, but as soon as I put him in the pen he goes crazy!

 

[pinksalamander]

Don't you ever get scared of them jumping out though? I know its high but I'd be petrified!

I keep thinking I should do that but our garden doesn't have a place to sit, hence why I sit in my bedroom and look down on the run (with a lid) in the garden. That way they are supervised but I can easily pop off for 10 minutes and they will be fine.

Fran :hearts :brownbunny

 

[mouse_chalk]

They have never jumped out, but if they did I always supervise them so I'd be able to catch them pretty quick! Mouse has got out through the door once or twice but I just pull one end of the pen towards the fence, and run round and chase her back in through the other side, so she just 'accidentally' runs back in, and I quickly close it back up again! It's rare though.

Whenever I put them out there I get my laptop, lunch if needed and a drink etc, and go to the toilet first so there's very small chance I need to leave them unsupervised, and if I do it's only ever for a minute or so!

The binkies are soooo worth sitting out there all that time. Sometimes they're only out for a couple of hours, but I've had them out there all day before!

 

[Phinnsmommy]

Jen your bunnies pen is so awesome!
They look like their having so much fun.
I wish I could have something like that, but I live in the prairie and we often see hawks, and i'm scared one is going to swoop down and get one of them :shock:.

 

[Leaf]

mouse_chalk wrote:

Can't find the pic but this video shows it!

That is too cool!!

 

[mouse_chalk]

Thanks guys!! :biggrin2:
:thankyou:

Sylvie, could you not do something similar and put netting over the top or something? Then they'd be quite safe with you supervising? Although seeing hawks does sound scary!! I've seen a cat, but not in our garden during the daytime, and not a scary cat at all lol, and that's the worst of it. Apart from our garden hedgehog that comes out at night

 

[Phinnsmommy]

Yeah, I could try putting some netting on it, that's a good idea .

I wanted to get something like this:
http://www.anglopets.co.uk/images/cleo-coverdale-rabbit-run-large.jpg

but I just wish I could have something huge like yours .

Your bunnies are so lucky.

 

[mouse_chalk]

That sort of thing would be good I'd imagine! I also saw somewhere the other day selling individual aviary panels, that might work as well, cos you could make it pretty big by screwing them together- maybe put hinges on so it could fold up to put away, and they tend to be pretty wide as well, so a bunny would have plenty of room to do high binkies!

I love my pen- since my buns are so used to a large space I think they'd be really restricted in anything much smaller. Plus, there's 4 of them lol, so they need quite a bit of space!

 

[Phinnsmommy]

Yeah .

Oh another question, how did you bond all four of them?!

I want another bunny sssooo bad lol! :biggrin2:

I probobly wouldn't be allowed though, incase the new one didn't bond with Phinn and Cleo :?.

 

[mouse_chalk]

Phinnsmommy wrote:

Yeah .

Oh another question, how did you bond all four of them?!

I want another bunny sssooo bad lol! :biggrin2:

I probobly wouldn't be allowed though, incase the new one didn't bond with Phinn and Cleo :?.

In a very unconventional way lol- they used to have separate playtimes, but one day they all broke through the barriers and from then on- they were allowed to have supervised playtimes in *GASP* each others cages and on the same turf!!! :shock: They had occasional scuffles, mostly Snowy just chasing Mouse and Chalk a little but that ended quite soon. Barney just loved being with all the women. After several months of this, I moved them all in together, probably the girls weren't fully bonded to Snowy, but they were to Barney. But they've just got closer and closer since, and now quite often you'll see all 4 of them cuddled up together, or Snowy sat with her ears draped over Mouse and Chalk! Dinnertimes are the best- all 4 bunnies crowded round 4 bowls munching away happily

I say go for it!

 

[Phinnsmommy]

Aww, that's so cute.

I want another one so bad. My parents are like "NO WAY!"

I'll convince them though .

 

[swanlake]

LOL!! my bunnies got bonded in that same unconventional way!!

fred jumped into shadow's pen one night, and fiona escaped her pen, jumped over the baby gate, ran up the stairs, all to hang out with echo!!

 

[Spring]

I'm getting the urge to take at least Georgie outside.. he's such a funny boy, I think he'd love being outdoors. He loved it from the shelter! I want to see how many grids I have leftover once I redo the cages, to se if I can make a 3 NIC high pen.. not sure of the length, but I have close to 100 grids, so I think I'll ahve quite a few left over :shock:

I just worry about them catching stuff (parasites, fleas, etc.).. has anyone 'run' into this problem?

 

[mouse_chalk]

Spring, the size of my pen is 49 (random I know) grids long.... if that gives you an idea of how big yours could be! So 98 grids in total, being 2 grids high. I made it in stages though. To start with they had one tiny pen, then 2, then I extended one. Then both of them. Then I had the genius idea to join 2 pens together to create a super-pen lol, which is what we have now! Being 2 pens it comes apart to be moved when we cut the grass etc...


Also, I'm in the UK so probably it's different for us, but I've never had any problems with fleas or insects etc. I guess the only real risk would be flystrike, and since I carry each bunny out, I check their bottoms for any poopy-ness (rare), and check them again on the way back inside! Otherwise I've had no problems like that at all....


Edit: I take it back, the one problem we had was red ants nests. Which I just poured boiling water on and moved the pen out of the way of it for a few days, then bent it back once the hole had cleared itself up

 

[pinksalamander]

I love your pen Jen. I ordered some grids with the hope of making a MEGA PEN but they never came. Infact, I still haven't got my money back and its been almost 3 months they have been on order. Its a bit bad but I guess I've been bad too by keeping forgetting they actually owe me money! I must go in and complain!

I'm definitely thinking of making a pen out of grids, but I'll have to wait until I make my next trip to Dartford to get them! Or, at least when its warmer, so I can sit out with them! Maybe next summer!

Fran :hearts :brownbunny