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Small pets

Do you use a net over your rabbit run?

4 replies

RoooneyMara · 24/06/2013 09:43

If you do - please be very cautious.

We have a metal run (supposed to be a puppy run I think) which folds up, and attaches into the ground with tent pegs.

It's great, but their hutch is inside it so to prevent foxes getting on the hutch roof and then into the run, I covered it with a purpose made black net.

Yesterday I went out to put them in for the night, and found one of them crouched in a corner, and I realised he had the net around his neck.

It was quite tight, but he was able to struggle and try and run away when I tried to help him. I eventually got him on my lap and untwisted it and he was fine, thank God.

But it was really scary. I don't know how he pulled it down - there was a section he'd bitten off, too, I don't know how long he had been caught.

This is the second time something like this has happened to him - a couple of years back he got his neck caught in a holey sheet I'd put over one corner to keep the sun off, and they had eaten holes in it and he got trapped. Ds1 saved him that time.

I think he has a bit of a death wish but still it's my fault - please ensure your nets are tied up properly so they can't get trapped in them.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 24/06/2013 20:48

Shock it doesn't bear thinking about what would have happened to your rabbit if you hadn't found him in time.

We have a metal rabbit run for our guinea pigs (sides and roof meal bar and open base to graze).

I peg a cover on with clothes pegs and luckily they haven't attacked it (yet).
Though my chubby GP1 did get himself stuck in the handle of a Primark bag (I cut them off now before they play in them).
He was very angry and squawkey.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 24/06/2013 21:56

metal bars not meal bars bloody keyboard

though the boars would love a meal bar Wink

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FernieB · 25/06/2013 11:27

Glad you found the poor boy. We used to have a net for previous bun but I never thought it offered much protection, so the pigs have a solid wooden run with a 'roof' which the pigeons love to perch on! Current Bun thinks runs aren't for him and he goes out on his lead when he can be persuaded to leave his basket.

Hope your boy has recovered and learnt his lesson

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RoooneyMara · 25/06/2013 18:09

It is lovely to hear about your pets Smile they are a right funny old bunch aren't they!

The reason the top has to be netted is that the run is HUGE and flexible - each set of panels is about 3 metres long (when opened out) and there are two of them...so it makes quite a large and variably shaped area.

Also I like to be able to stand up in it once I'm in iyswim

though a gate you didn't have to crawl through would be nice Smile

I'd let them loose but our garden is about 100ft by about 30, and loads of holes in the hedges and so on - and we had a fox attack before.

Thanks for the replies and I'm glad people are reading this, anyway - I think they like to sit up and pull down anything that's dangling from the roof, and then they get into trouble, so I hope it might prevent someone else's bun getting hurt.

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