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Warning: plastic tunnels - Doughnut got stuck.

cpayne

Warren Veteran
Just to let everyone know Doughnut had a bad experience with her tunnel yesterday. She loves it and often sleeps in it but when I was outside reading and she was in her enclosure with it, I heard lots of scampering. I waited a few more seconds thinking she would come out but it continued so I rushed over and she was on her back. Because she had run through it, it has slipped over. She couldn't get up as there is no grip and every time she tried to right herself the tunnel moved and tipped her on her back again. Her eyes were really big and she looked very frightened. I held the tunnel and was about to get her out but she managed to turn herself since the tunnel didn't turn again.

It was so frightening for both of us. She has been through it once since but I don't feel I want to leave her alone with it now. My friends rabbit died in a tunnel. It was only a few months old and the same thing happened and it died of fright. I only found this out when I told her about my experience.

I just wanted to warn you all.
 
I move her outside enclosure around, on the grass and then she goes on the patio at the moment after 30 minutes, since the grass is too rich. She also has the tunnel inside too when she's out of her hutch and play pen so there is no way to secure it.

I know a lot of people on here have these tunnels. She was just panicking and to see her face she just looked so frightened. It's never happened before. Just goes to show you have to be so careful with everything with rabbits around!
 
Poor Doughnut, she was probably quite distressed, bless her.

I've got one of the large plastic drainage pipes in the rabbit run and, to stop it rolling about, I wedge it up against one side of the run and then put a wooden batten (not fixed to anything, just resting on the floor) along the other side so that it can't go anywhere. I'd imagine a wooden batten either side would also do the job and then it's still easy to move about too.
 
Poor Doughnut, glad she's ok though.

Would one of the 'cardboard' (vegetable fibre) tunnels be any better perhaps?

I know they might go soggy but at least Doughnut could rip it apart if needs be or you could even nail it down into the ground if outside to stop it rolling about.
 
Poor Doughnut. :(

I bought mine a cheap children's tunnel last year and they prefered it because they could get in in their pairs. I'm sure the three of them this year will enjoy lazing in it together. I've lost it (seriously how do you loose a huge tunnel!?) so I bought a new one from Ikea which is currently in the spare room and they scamper through that and enjoy it. I just keep an eye that they aren't chewing it because that would expose the wire but they havent bothered.
 
We have a few bunnies with wobbly legs that can potentially fall and get stuck in tunnels so we put bricks either side of the them to stop them moving, which solves the problem :D
 
Thanks everyone I will wedge it in next time. Seems everyone has it sorted apart from me:?

Just didn't want the same happening to anyone else's little bun.
 
It never hurts to warn people and I'm glad you posted it. :D:D I didn't used to use the battens at first and only did it really to stop the tunnel moving about when it was really windy - I never thought of the potential for somebunny to get stuck inside if it rolled while they were in it. :oops:
 
It never hurts to warn people and I'm glad you posted it. :D:D I didn't used to use the battens at first and only did it really to stop the tunnel moving about when it was really windy - I never thought of the potential for somebunny to get stuck inside if it rolled while they were in it. :oops:

Me neither, I have a couple but they only get used outside.
 
Aww I'd have never thought of it either don't worry!

The only reason it's not a risk for me is because Ludo won't go in his :roll:
 
Blimey!! Poor Doughnut! Glad she is ok,must have been very scary for her, and for you too!
We have used these tunnles a lot but I think I am going to get a fibre board one next time.
 
Was it one of those green corrugated tunnels?

I used these perspex sheets as tunnels are they are particularly long and wide. I can absolutely recommend them. They also make good roofs for rabbit runs and dividers for pens which the rabbits can't jump over.



 
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