Safety warning about an enclosure - please read

[maziebunny]

Hi - I am new on here and I just wanted to warn people in the bunny world of the possibility of a problem with a certain type of enclosure. Please take a moment to read this, look at the style of enclosure, read the 1 star reviews and look at the awful photo that shows a rabbit trapped between the bars. Photo is shown as 1 customer image, the link for it is under the main photo, it is an upsetting photo, but shows the problem clearly.

A few months back a lady had been warning people (on a page on facebook) about an enclosure as her little rabbit had died as their head got caught between the bars of an enclosure, the same enclosure that I have. At the time I checked mine and from comments made by other people it seemed that small or young rabbits were not ideally suited to this type of enclosure. I looked the enclosure up on a few websites and on some it did state don't use if your rabbit is small or under 6 months.

My rabbit Isis is just back from hospital she has suffered a broken jaw, and on the enclosure there are two bars which have been pushed apart, after speaking with the vet, although her injury could have been caused by a fall, or bad landing after a binky, it is however also consistent with her having had her head stuck between the bars.

She is closer to 2 years old, so not a tiny rabbit, nor is she small as she was around 3.5kgs. I never thought for a minute that she would or could have fitted her head through the bars.

If you do have one of these styles of enclosures, it is worth taking precautionary measures. A friend has lined the bars with chicken wire, to prevent any accidents happening. I don't know if that is the best solution, but certainly worth looking into, after her rabbit also got it's head stuck between the bars. Another friend of mine, who had the same happen, found her rabbit had broken it's claw on her back foot, trying to free herself. Another friend, sadly found her rabbit had died.

I have emailed the seller, and Amazon, to ask if they will look into the safety of this run. If you look at the reviews for the link below, there are several reviews at the 1 star rating of injuries or death of a rabbit.

I have posted this on a couple of other places, and sadly the comments I am getting are showing more injuries and deaths. I am not posting this to upset anyone, just to warn of a possible problem.


***Please note that the customer image, on the below link, is of a rabbit trapped in the cage, and it has died, it is really upsetting, but clearly shows how a rabbit can get trapped***


http://www.amazon.co.uk/CHICKEN-PLA...losure/dp/B0064OEJGM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[Whitelighter]

I'm surprised Amazon haven't removed the photo.

Thanks for the warning, the poor bunny looked like he/she was fighting hard to get out

 

[maziebunny]

I am glad in a way that they haven't yet, as it allows people to see the danger. I just want to get word out to people, about the risks, it might just save one wee bunny's life

 

[bizziel]

Thank you so much for posting this. I have bought a very similar enclosure from the same seller (just looks a bit smaller), thank god I haven't used it yet! This is so dreadful that I've emailed the link to the RSPCA, not sure if they can do anything but hopefully they can encourage Amazon to take it off sale.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk now Free

 

[silverrabbit]

:shock: I have 2 of these that I've been using while my wooden ones have been taken apart to make room for garden maintenance. Will be taking them down, if that happened I would be terrified. That image is awful, poor rabbit

 

[maziebunny]

Silverrabbit, sorry to upset you, I just don't want any other bunnys to be hurt. A couple of people I know have got sturdy wire mesh and lined the enclosures now.

The more people that know there is a possible risk, the better, is the way I feel about it. So feel free to share my story on other forums/facebook or anywhere you may think.

 

[Schez]

oh no...

My outside bunnies have this as their permenantly attached run... (3 set ups in total) All three pairs worked out how to nudge the side gates up and these have been secured with ties... I bought them for their size/height/side gate (as I was hoping to get the attached hides eventually) and price... I've got to get something else... I've put my bunnies in danger by trying to do the right thing.

 

[Hoppla]

Thank you very much for the warning!

Any dodgy dealer can sell on Amazon cheap **** fom China without any quality or safety testing.
Amazon does not do quality or safety testing nor do they review customer feedback.
Ebay is also well dodgy.

That's why I never buy from Ebay or Amazon.

 

[maziebunny]

Schez, my friend has lined hers with wire mesh (the small square mesh that you can get at diy places). A few people suggested that as an option to block off the bars.

 

[Schez]

Schez, my friend has lined hers with wire mesh (the small square mesh that you can get at diy places). A few people suggested that as an option to block off the bars.

This is a good idea... I'll look into it... It might even help with keeping the whole structure sturdier. Thanks for posting about these. Was just a bit shocked.

 

[yaretzi]

This is a great warning, and I wish more people would take notice. Those types of run are very dangerous, and I've tried quite a few times to explain how rabbits can get their head stuck to rabbit owners - but most shoot me down. Sadly, it's an all too common occurrence.

I wish more people would have more sturdy, and more safe wooden runs (with 1 x 0.5 inch bar spacing). Meshing over these type of runs do prevent bunnies from getting their heads stuck through, but unfortunately they are easy to lift up - for predators, and for strong rabbits I understand that they're cheaper, and therefore it's easier to provide a larger space, but surely safety should trump that?

 

[Babsie]

Apart from the fact that I don't think that these are tall enough to allow a rabbit to periscope, I'm not a fan of metal runs for outdoor use as I don't consider them sturdy enough. This, however, is very frightening.

 

[Hoppla]

This is a great warning, and I wish more people would take notice. Those types of run are very dangerous, and I've tried quite a few times to explain how rabbits can get their head stuck to rabbit owners - but most shoot me down. Sadly, it's an all too common occurrence.

I wish more people would have more sturdy, and more safe wooden runs (with 1 x 0.5 inch bar spacing). Meshing over these type of runs do prevent bunnies from getting their heads stuck through, but unfortunately they are easy to lift up - for predators, and for strong rabbits I understand that they're cheaper, and therefore it's easier to provide a larger space, but surely safety should trump that?

Couldn't agree more :thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

[maziebunny]

At the moment my wee bunny is on a long road to recovery, I was horrified when the vet said her jaw was broken. But I think the most awful but telling point that can be made, is the photo on Amazon, of that poor wee rabbit that died. I am grateful the owner posted the photo, and I just hope it will be enough to show people exactly how easily it can happen.

If any of you want to share my post elsewhere feel free x

 

[rachylou]

Am I being dense, where is the picture? I can only see the advertised pictures.

 

[maziebunny]

If you look at the product main pic, on the top left hand side, directly underneath there is a like to "1 customer image". It does show how a rabbit was trapped, so very upsetting.

 

[Whitelighter]

Am I being dense, where is the picture? I can only see the advertised pictures.

If you are viewing on a phone or small tablet you have to scroll to the bottom and click 'view full amazon.co.uk site' before you can see customer photos

 

[jemjabella]

I nearly bought this for our guinea pigs - so glad I changed my mind! :shock:

 

[Ailstar]

This is awful poor bunny. I thought about getting a metal run but was worried about how predator proof the doors were, I didn't even think for a second that the bunny could get stuck. So so glad I got a wooden one now!

 

[Jokluz]

I have had this run for over 2 years now and heard about the warnings when I got it but couldnt afford a wooden one of a similar size so I attached mesh to mine using cable ties