Safe Playtime Problem

[Chinwawa]

I am attaching a picture of the fences I bought to use to create a play area for my chin Lenora. This worked for awhile. I would make a big circle (bigger than in the pic), throw down a pillow and sit on the floor with her so she would come to me and play and have out of cage time.

This worked for awhile. Then I got over confident and left her in the pen to play on days when I could not sit with her. I posted in another thread about how she got out and I had to get her from under the bed. I replied that I had learned my lesson and would not leave her alone ever again.

The other day I planned to let her play in her pen area while I worked on reconfiguring her cage in the same room. That way I could watch her the whole time.

I put her in the pen area and began to work. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her boost herself up to the horizontal wire on the fence and climb right up and over the top. I caught her and put her back. She did the SAME THING in two seconds.

I completed the cage expansion with Lenora in her carrier. But now I am at a loss about how to give her a safe play area. I had purchased one of those play pens with the roof but it seems too small for her compared to the size of the pen area I made with TWO fences.

I have attached a pic of the type of fence I have. Does anyone have any suggestions for us.

 

[Jenn]

when you can't be in there with your chin, what about covering the playpen with large sheets of cardboard for a roof.

I'm lucky, I have the same pen, two 8 panels attached together, but a lazy chin who has never tried to get out.

 

[tunes]

A blanket or a sheet is easier than cardboard. I used to just throw a blanket over the top during run time and they never challenged it.

ETA: They do make canvas bottoms that double as covers for that playpen, even with the expansion pack.

 

[Jenn]

A blanket or a sheet is easier than cardboard. I used to just throw a blanket over the top during run time and they never challenged it.

ETA: They do make canvas bottoms that double as covers for that playpen, even with the expansion pack.

I'm worried that if her chin is actually climbing over the pen, rather than jumping out, that she could still climb out with a sheet over the top...but worth trying to find out

 

[Marie5656]

Wow, I never thought of putting something over the top. I have a playpen from back when I had my guinea pig. Maybe I will start using it for Trixie when I am cleaning her cage. She gets really stressed in her carrier.

 

[Chinwawa]

What about some pieces of plywood. I would make sure that she did NOT chew on it. I think she might just nudge up under a blanket or sheet or push on cardboard. However, real thick cardboard might be heavy enough. Ive got a real frisky girl I can tell you.

I was trying so hard to not have to put her in her carrier while I worked on her cage. She hates it and it took me about an hour to take everything apart and put all the new stuff in.

 

[jenjenn2005]

I use a fitted twin sheet as my chin is notorious for trying to jump out and escape. To make the fitted sheet a little more snug on the top i secure it in about 8 places with clothes pins

 

[Chinwawa]

O gosh, clothes pins. I live in an apartment and have not hung out clothes for many many years. I would have never thought of clothes pins, ever.

Problem solved.

 

[Chinmama]

Once they figure out how to do something, they don't stop! Good luck keeping her contained.

 

[frisky860]

I have the same pen and my chin never tried to jump out of it. Untill about a few weeks ago when I put him in the pen, left the room to get the other chin to have them play together, came back and he was gone! He jumped right now! Normally i put the cover on it but he never really jumped so i had been leaving it off lately. We'll it turns out he only needed to jump out once for him to realize he could do it. So now I put the top back on everytime. So ya, just get a top or do the sheet thing. It'll solve all the problems

 

[Chinwawa]

Yup, I am going to clothes pin the heck out of that sheet. Tight as a drum.

LOL, I see how persistent a chin can be. Smart little guys!

 

[sheri7]

I have the same playpen and one of my girls can get out if I have something on the floor to help her out (like the hidey house in your picture). If she used the hidey house to help her just take that out of there. For some reason my girls won't try and clear it from the floor...although they probably could if they tried.

Also the one girl who did get out seems to have forgotten about it, because for a while she continued to try and get out, but now she doesn't.

If she can clear it then I would think some large sheets of cardboard layed across it should keep her in there.

Good luck !

 

[sheri7]

Also, I will leave my girls in the room by themselves for short periods of time but I would never leave them out if I wasn't home.....even with the cover on...they can be very persistent.

 

[firestar]

after my escape artist found his way under the kitchen cabinet floorboard, i bought the Precision Pet Soft Side Play Pen from amazon. hubby & i can be in it together during playtime & it fits well in our living room (not much space in our current apartment). our kiddos love surfing the walls & it's definitely strong enough to contain the younger two surfing at full speed. g'luck keeping your little rascals in place!

 

[Lily&Lucy]

I have that pen as well or at least one very similar. My chinnies have yet to try to jump over it but I see them thinking about it all the time. Also I usually leave it so there is the opening so they can go in and out of their cage as they please during playtime. One time I was sitting on my bed and I look over to my right and I see a fuzzy white thing out of the corner of my eye (their pen is on the left side). Lily had pulled the pen far enough away from the door to her cage so she could jump in her cage and bypass the pen, escaping. Ever since then I constantly have to move it to keep in place because she is always tugging at the bottom so she can make another escape!