Who here has playpens?

[Tillygizmo]

I had to replace the squares od velcro once...I just bought a piece at joanns and sewed it onto the same spot. Not biggie

 

[Pooky125]

I've been lusting after one of the Ware playpens for a while as well. This is the cheapest place I've found them yet. Though, it should be noted, that there's only a 2 inch difference between the medium and the large, but a 10 dollar difference. Either way, still not bad price wise.

 

[Sandi]

I've been lusting after one of the Ware playpens for a while as well. This is the cheapest place I've found them yet. Though, it should be noted, that there's only a 2 inch difference between the medium and the large, but a 10 dollar difference. Either way, still not bad price wise.

I've seen the medium and large side by side and IMO, there is a big difference. The height is the biggest difference, when fully set up it's just under 3 feet which gives them plenty of room to wall surf if they wish.

 

[FrisqueKat]

Thank you Sandi btw Love the pictures =) I can't wait to get one.

 

[momenteller]

I had to replace the squares od velcro once...I just bought a piece at joanns and sewed it onto the same spot. Not biggie

That's a good idea, as well as Sandi's suggestion of placing fleece on the bottom of the pen. I guess my point was not that its unworkable, just not as well-constructed as I would expect for the price paid. I was hoping to find something sturdier, but it sounds as if this is everyone's favorite.

 

[6Dusters]

I have the large ferret playpen. It is metal and folds down. It is a pain to line up the hook parts to close the circle. So I use pipe cleaners ( one on top and one on the bottom ) to close it. I place an old folded sheet under it. I like the sheet because I can fold it up and simply take it outside to shake the dust off. And the sheet can be thrown in the washer. Sometimes a chin will pull on the bars and pull it inward out of its shape. I just pull it back out. Toys and tunnels keep them busy most of the time.

Note: I only have one chin that knows how to get out.

Looks like this one in the link.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=17551

 

[Sandi]

That's a good idea, as well as Sandi's suggestion of placing fleece on the bottom of the pen. I guess my point was not that its unworkable, just not as well-constructed as I would expect for the price paid. I was hoping to find something sturdier, but it sounds as if this is everyone's favorite.

I think you might have gotten a bad one Kate as mine is still in pretty good condition and it got a lot of use as far as setup and takedown is concerned the first 2 years when all my boys were on the main floor of the house. I did see 2 knock-off versions of the deluxe ware model that I have and I had a hard time opening and closing the zippers and it didn't seem to me like they were really well made.

 

[Amba1027]

I have one of those metal fold up ones. Today Gizmo figured out how to jump up and grab onto the top. I got him before he decided to jump down. I guess now I should invest in one of the Wares. They look bigger than mine anyway and I'd like him to have more room to play.

 

[teambayern]

I think I may have a Steve McQueen chinchilla, because every night in our pen is like the Great Escape. I should start out by saying we have two: Chip and Scout; Scout is the escape artist.

We have a thick metal pen that goes all the way up to my waist (~3.5-4 ft) , such that I can barely get over it if in on my tippy toes (I'm almost 5'11''), and unfurls to encapsulate a large area (slightly larger than the Ware pen).

ESCAPE METHOD #1: Scout started out by squeezing through the impossibly tiny spaces between the bars. Response: Saftey pinned an opaque bed sheet to the pen so he couldn't slip out.

ESCAPE METHOD #2: Scout (with help from our expert chewer, Chip), chewed holes through various areas of the pen, even under close supervision. It took him a while to make progress, but he soon created several weak points through which he found sweet freedom. Response: Re-doubled my safety pinning efforts, closing all loop holes and making it harder for him to get any leverage on the sheet.

ESCAPE METHOD #3:: Same as #2, except he pulls the sheet like a pitbull until it loosens the saftey pin. Response: same as above.

ESCAPE METHOD #4: We extend the pen around his cage to allow for easy access in and out of the pen (it's foldable so we can form it right up to the cage). He started out moving the pen where it joined the cage by pushing it slowly outward. I put heavy things on either side to keep him from doing this. He then started climbing his cage like a ladder then leaping to the top of the pen, steadying himself, and jumping down. I responded by putting objects, like his hay bag, over the area where the cage meets the pen, sort of as a ceiling to this area. But he plows right through them, or more amusingly, climbs them as well. Response: Catch him halfway up his climb and gently offer him a ride back to the ground, which he usually accepts.

ESCAPE METHOD #5: When he has been bested in all other areas, he has one other trick up his sleeve. He makes a two hop approach and vaults himself to the top of the pen, before steadying himself and hopping down. It is amazing, and scary that he is able to jump this high. Sometimes it takes him a few goes, but he almost always finds his way to the top the minute my back is turned.


So with all that said, I'm hoping maybe the Ware pen is the answer. Have your chins found a way to breach its defenses?

 

[rainey]

I think I may have a Steve McQueen chinchilla, because every night in our pen is like the Great Escape. I should start out by saying we have two: Chip and Scout; Scout is the escape artist.

We have a thick metal pen that goes all the way up to my waist (~3.5-4 ft) , such that I can barely get over it if in on my tippy toes (I'm almost 5'11''), and unfurls to encapsulate a large area (slightly larger than the Ware pen).

ESCAPE METHOD #1: Scout started out by squeezing through the impossibly tiny spaces between the bars. Response: Saftey pinned an opaque bed sheet to the pen so he couldn't slip out.

ESCAPE METHOD #2: Scout (with help from our expert chewer, Chip), chewed holes through various areas of the pen, even under close supervision. It took him a while to make progress, but he soon created several weak points through which he found sweet freedom. Response: Re-doubled my safety pinning efforts, closing all loop holes and making it harder for him to get any leverage on the sheet.

ESCAPE METHOD #3:: Same as #2, except he pulls the sheet like a pitbull until it loosens the saftey pin. Response: same as above.

ESCAPE METHOD #4: We extend the pen around his cage to allow for easy access in and out of the pen (it's foldable so we can form it right up to the cage). He started out moving the pen where it joined the cage by pushing it slowly outward. I put heavy things on either side to keep him from doing this. He then started climbing his cage like a ladder then leaping to the top of the pen, steadying himself, and jumping down. I responded by putting objects, like his hay bag, over the area where the cage meets the pen, sort of as a ceiling to this area. But he plows right through them, or more amusingly, climbs them as well. Response: Catch him halfway up his climb and gently offer him a ride back to the ground, which he usually accepts.

ESCAPE METHOD #5: When he has been bested in all other areas, he has one other trick up his sleeve. He makes a two hop approach and vaults himself to the top of the pen, before steadying himself and hopping down. It is amazing, and scary that he is able to jump this high. Sometimes it takes him a few goes, but he almost always finds his way to the top the minute my back is turned.


So with all that said, I'm hoping maybe the Ware pen is the answer. Have your chins found a way to breach its defenses?

Wow!! Scout sounds just like my Sadie. A complete nuisance!! She will jump to and from the most impossible heights, with complete disregard to how unsafe it might be. The reason I haven't bought a playpen yet is because I'm trying to imagine one in which Sadie would NOT be able to find her way out. It just seems impossible... So I too would like to know if any chins have escaped from the Ware pen!

 

[Sandi]

See, here's the thing... I don't leave my chins unsupervised when they are outside of their cage. I put my chins in the playpen or bathroom so that I or my daughters could interact with them. Sometimes I put them in the playpen while I clean their cage but the playpen is in the same room so I can keep an eye on them if they were to try to do something they aren't supposed to be doing. I also don't leave them in there for hours at a time. I'm sure they would get bored and try something, which in my case has never happened.

 

[DevnChip]

Well, I can't answer the escape question but I can add to the song of praises. I recently recommended the pop-up playpen in another thread and I've had two chins in it so far, with different reactions but similar results. It's a great place for them to play. I have the large one with a closed bottom that doesn't come off and the zippered top.

I use a fleece to cover the floor while the chin is in it. The material of the pen is wipeable so I don't worry about messes. I just want it to be quick to clear since this is our visiting pen. I take it with on visits to the in-laws. I haven't had an escape yet. The first chin, Chipper, loved to wall surf the pen and explore his toys and peek out the mesh panels. My second chin, Miesha, got to test the pen and loved the space to dart back an forth in where he wasn't scolded for nibbling things. He mouthed the fabric several times but didn't leave a mark. What he did do was scratch at the mesh panels and test-chew them. I suspect that Miesha will succeed in chewing the mesh screening and escape if I don't keep a close eye. I don't plan on ever leaving him in there without me in or near it, so I will catch him if a hole appears. I don't want him eating the material more than I don't want him escaping.

So if you do know your chin has a taste for mesh screening, then you know it will make a hole in this pen and needs to be super supervised. It's a great pen. Just know your chin.

 

[teambayern]

Sandi, just to be clear, I don't leave my Chins unsupervised either. I'm in the pen with them at all times, which is how I've observed all of these behaviors. Scout is just that wily and persistent.

I might have to give the Ware Den a chance, given the continuation of the glowing reviews.

 

[LeoMonster]

I also have the ware pop up playpen, but the one that DevnChip has with the non-removable bottom. Since I haven't built up my chin toy collection yet as of right now I let Leo run around in it basically empty, except for a small shoebox sized cardboard box that I place upside down. He has a fun time crawling underneath it and jumping on top of it.

I got the large one for around $54 on ebay with free shipping. I really have no complaints about it except mine is a pain in the butt to fold down, as it never folds right. But size wise it's the perfect size and allows me to sit in it when I'm not doing homework to be used as a jungle gym.

 

[rainey]

DevnChip, one of my chins once chewed through the wire mesh siding of the cat carrying case in about 5 seconds flat, so I guess I'm just hoping it's not as easy as that was. (Obviously I use a metal carrier now). I guess I'll eventually get the Ware pen and see how it goes. I haven't found the one with non-removable bottom anywhere online though, do you think it makes it sturdier? Wouldn't it be more of a pain to take apart and clean?

I wouldn't leave my chins in it unsupervised either but when Sadie is out playing in the chin room, I swear if I blink she is about to do something dangerous or destructive....she's just that crazy. But I guess since there's room for me to be inside of it, that would help a lot; the chin room is a little too big for my liking for her to get into trouble. I love hearing all the opinions on this topic, so thank you all!