A playpen for George

As most of you who I have already bored with my excitement about getting my first housebunny know, I will be picking George up on Sunday.

When Justin moved indoors it was because he was ill and I had no time to plan it. I therefore moved one of my outdoor runs inside and used that. It worked fine but is a very old run, wooden and certainly not aesthetically pleasing.

As George's playpen is going to be a permanent feature in my home I have been looking at getting something that looks a bit nicer - and that isn't so dirty - Justin's run was very muddy and impossible to clean properly as it is all in the wires.

I have looked on-line and today in PAH. Everything seems so small!!! I was considering a dog crate but even the biggest one doesn't seem that large and they are very expensive. I looked at the indoor plastic homes in PAH but they just didn't seem big enough. George won't be in it all the time - he will be free range downstairs but there are times he will have to be confined and I want him to have his own 'space' too.

I only have a small terraced house with tiny rooms so can't get anything too enormous. I found this on-line and wondered what you all thought? www.vagavalley.co.uk/bunnysupplies/playpen.htm

It looks very versatile - I would be able to adjust the size of the pen according to where in the house I put it. If I was poorly for example I would probably move George upstairs so we could keep each other company. I also like the fact it can be divided into two for bunny bonding. Depending on my finances I may well rescue another couple of outdoor buns in the spring and will need to do some bonding. I used to have six outdoor buns - all bonded - but it was a gradual process and took some time.

Money is an issue. I get my fur family all they need but I do shop around a lot to get the best deals. I don't have loads of spare cash. This run does look like it would last a fair while so may be a good investment.

As I have never had a house bunny before I thought I would ask all you bunny experts opinions before ordering it.

I have come across this pen before - I like it as it folds up flat and can also form different shapes.

The metal pen that Gabe and Noo have overnight is a bit of a pain as it is not very flexible.

A possible disadvantage to the pen in the link is that it looks as though it is plastic coated metal. I have some outdoor runs in this material and both BJ and Gabriel take great delight in peeling off the plastic Bunny teefs are brilliant at this. As the runs are outdoors they have soon rusted.

I have never had a house bunny, so I don't really know what they would need. I am sure someone will come along who can advise you better.

The pens look pretty good and I like the way that you can change their shape to fit your house. My sister has a hexagonal one for her piggies when they are outside.

Well I won't be putting the run outdoors in the rain so rust won't be a problem but I don't want George to eat stuff he shouldn't. As the run is specifically for bunnies I would hope it wouldn't be made out of anything that could damage little bunny tummies!

I liked the flexibility too.

The runs in the link look good, but I suppose it's possible bunnies could strip off the plastic coating as Sixer has said. On the other hand they might never touch it, but I suppose it's a possibility. I've never had this type of run, so can't really give an opinion.

I'll post a couple of pics of the set-up we had for Rosie - it consisted of a dog cage, with a run attached at one side (which had side panels which folded down - you can see bits of string tying them to the top of the run) and a pen attached at the front. We had to peg mesh over the pen, or Rosie would have jumped out.

This is how it was in our old house


And this is a more recent one. A panel of the pen could be folded back to let her out, as you can see.


Not suggesting that you do this necessarily! Just wanted to give you some ideas. I wonder if eBay might have pens / dog crates at a good price? Or maybe your local free-ads or freecycle?

I personally love my NIC cubes!! They are wire squares that you can build anyway you want!

You can see my set up here (actually it's even bigger now ) :

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/the-property-ladder-f4/unveiling-of-the-play-bunny-mansion-pic-heavy-t7041.htm

Here is another NIC condo I found online:
http://rabbitcondo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/condo1.JPG

Since you just want a playpen you could build it just as a perimeter!

ElleyMay wrote:I personally love my NIC cubes!! They are wire squares that you can build anyway you want!

You can see my set up here (actually it's even bigger now ) :

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/the-property-ladder-f4/unveiling-of-the-play-bunny-mansion-pic-heavy-t7041.htm

Here is another NIC condo I found online:
http://rabbitcondo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/condo1.JPG

Since you just want a playpen you could build it just as a perimeter!

The NIC cubes are a great option too. I just love looking at your set-up ElleyMay - it's incredible!