# Jumping out of pen!



## EileenH (Oct 30, 2007)

I have Gulliver set up in a puppy exercise pen in my dining room. It's pretty tall, but he has still managed recently to jump over the side. 
Besides the fact that I don't want him to get hurt, what can I do to stop this? I don't want to put him in a crate, the pen was working so nicely!
Does anybody have any ideas for a top I can put on it?

Mostly he does it when I'm around and he sees me, which is nice in one way. Also, if we don't let him out for a day (ie: I was at a conference last weekend, and my hubby is not as diligent as I am about letting him exercise. So after 2 days, Gulliver just leapt out himself. After that, he knows he can do it.) I keep telling my husband, a tired bunny is a good bunny, he needs to run around. 

Thanks for any advice!


----------



## slavetoabunny (Oct 30, 2007)

How about a topper for the pen like one of these:

http://www.petcratesdirect.com/dog-exercise-pens-tops.html


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Oct 30, 2007)

Is he jumping OVER or is he jumping onto something outside of his pen?


----------



## EileenH (Oct 30, 2007)

No he's jumping clear over, onto the floor.I'm going to put something on the floor so he doesn't get hurt, but I think that slavetoabunny linked could work.


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Oct 30, 2007)

That's interesting cause I was always told they wouldn't jump "over" things that were pretty high. I guess that's not high enough huh?

I am going to get a dog run with the top for Tony when I put him outside. He can't get out and nothing can get in (we have hawks) and he can play some that way.

Good luck with keeping the little guy in his pen. They are so rotten sometimes!


----------



## ec (Oct 30, 2007)

LOL at the idea that they can't jump out of a pen!  Nibbles has gotten out of her ex-pen by jumping to the next-to-the-top bar and then climbing the rest of the way. I'm not sure I'd believe this if I hadn't seen it, but I have...

She has also climbed up the side of her NIC house and ended up on top. I've had to drape old towels in strategic places to deter her from scrambling out.

There are companies that make pens with higher sides (40 inches and over), which might be a good option for those who have jumpers.


----------



## EileenH (Oct 30, 2007)

There is nothing even for him to jump *onto*! He's just jumping over and crashing onto my hardwood floor, and then running around.
The other day, I walked by the pen & he leaped up into the air, crashed into my stomach - I caught him in mid-air. That is when I realized I have to do something.

I'll have to take a picture of the set up & post it here so you can see it.


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Oct 30, 2007)

Bo does that leaping onto me sometimes. I worry he's going to hurt himself!!!


----------



## EileenH (Oct 30, 2007)

_*"She has also climbed up the side of her NIC house and ended up on to**p"

*_Yikes! That is a determined bunny!_*
*_


----------



## tonyshuman (Oct 30, 2007)

Tony used to be in one of those x-pens. then he figured out how to get it open, and then started climbing up the side when i found a better way to secure it. some bunnies there's just no containing!
that top looks good though.


----------



## MyBabyBunnies (Oct 30, 2007)

*Bo B Bunny wrote: *


> That's interesting cause I was always told they wouldn't jump "over" things that were pretty high. I guess that's not high enough huh?


BBB, Zoey used to clear a 3'6" fence from a stand still. Thenshe gained a couple ouncesand she learned to climb instead.:foreheadsmack:

The best thing I'd say is make a roof. It doesn't have to be fancy, maybe just shape a big piece of cardboard into a lid. It just has to cover the whole thing and not slide off if they hit it when they try jumping the first time.


----------



## ec (Oct 30, 2007)

*Yikes! That is a determined bunny!

*She was still in her "teen" phase when she did this, though even now she'll try it occasionally. She escaped from her ex-pen a few times, too, just by jumping and scrambling. The odd thing: putting a piece of heavy fabric over the end of her pen made her stop - and I'm talking about draping it over the side, not putting it parallel to the floor.

She would try to jump out and when her front feet hit the fabric, it worked a bit like a trampoline. She'd gently rebound off the material, and not try it again for a while), probably because she couldn't get hold of the next-to-the-top bar with her feet.

Bunnies enjoy keeping us on our toes, I think.


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Oct 31, 2007)

Someone I know had a bunny who would scale brick walls.

Of course Clover thinks she's going to do that with our hearth - but she doesn't realize there's wall above it LOL!

I never understood why people said they would hop up onto things but not over like that..... Tony's already trying. *sigh*


----------



## ec (Oct 31, 2007)

There's a YouTube video of a bunny climbing a brick wall - will post the link here, if I can find it.

Nibbles climbs NIC grids easily. I'm kind of surprised that she hasn't tried climbing the LR fireplace.


----------



## Bo B Bunny (Oct 31, 2007)

Today I had Clover out (Bo too but he stayed in his cage cause Clover beat him up AGAIN.....) 

She was playing and the next thing I knew, she had hopped up ontop of the desk she is normally on in her cage and tried to escape through the window........... :headsmack


----------



## rabb1tmad (Nov 1, 2007)

Leo isa bit of an escape artist too. He cleared a 2ft playpen the other day and just like Gulliver he landed on hard wood floor. Leo climbs up the panels like a cat and then jumps from the top so he obviously isn't as good a jumper as your Gulliver. 

To solve the problem until I get it permanently sorted I have draped blankets over the top of the run and pegged them to the play pen panels. Simple, easy and cheap to do until you get a permanent solution. My permanent solution is to build an indoor run with a lid


----------



## WendyJo (Apr 29, 2021)

EileenH said:


> I have Gulliver set up in a puppy exercise pen in my dining room. It's pretty tall, but he has still managed recently to jump over the side.
> Besides the fact that I don't want him to get hurt, what can I do to stop this? I don't want to put him in a crate, the pen was working so nicely!
> Does anybody have any ideas for a top I can put on it?
> 
> ...


My


----------



## WendyJo (Apr 29, 2021)

WendyJo said:


> My


My bunny Rocky just did this tonight, we free roam him during the day but he goes to his pen about 10 pm each night and when I get up to use the rest room in the early morning hours he sees me & usually just begs for a treat but tonight was the first night he Tried to jump over the Side of his x-pen. He just turned a year old so I think he is just figuring out how high he can actually jump. I’m scared now that he will try to do this every time. We have a cover for the x-pen so we may have to start using it at night to detour him from jumping out.


----------

