Question about harnesses

[stopwarownarabbit]

Hello everyone,



I have just moved in to a new apartment that has not yet been bunnyproofed. I keep asking my boyfriend to do something about all the wiresbut he keeps putting it off. I’ve tried to think of ways to hide thewires by myself, but there are just way too many. We might have to putsome through the walls and God knows I’ll make a huge mess if I try todo it myself.


We have been here for three weeks. I allow my bunny to run aroundsupervised everyday for about half hour. I feel so guilty not lettinghim run around freely like he used to. My question is,arethere special harnesses for rabbits that work really well? I would loveto take him out in to the field located at the back of our building,but I’m terrified of the possibility that he might get loose and runout in to the streets. Thanks in advance.

 

[mambo101]

Most rabbits just flat out don't like harnesses.You may want to tell you house mate that a quick to to Radio Shack willhelp the wire problem. They sell these long rubber hoses that you canhide the wires in. Your bunny can have his freedom back and the wireswill be safe.

 

[stopwarownarabbit]

Thank you soooo much!

 

[AshtonCasey]

PetSmart has a great padded harness I have formy bunnies. The ones that are basically string are, as you can imagine,unconfortable. I take my bunnies outside on the ones I got fromPetSmart and have never had a problem. Rabbits won't be "walked". Youhave to let them do what they want or they will "bunny brick" on you. Ido want to warn you though, don't go near anything that will "split"you and bunny like a tree or shepard's hook (for hanging plants). Mybunny Foster went under my bench in the back yard then decided to gofor a sprint. It snagged her tight and she FREAKED out. She wasscreaming so badly of fear that I could hardly save her through mytears. Make sure to keep your bunny in an open area and he/she shouldenjoy the outside adventure.

 

[stopwarownarabbit]

Thank you, I'll check that out. Myboyfriend informed me that there are no longer any Radio Shacks inToronto. However, I'm still interested in finding the product mentionedin the second post. What is it called, and canI find itanywhere else?

 

[peapoo_bunny]

i have that harness..at least i think its that one...it works good i guess.. its got some sort of mesh material..

our other harness is just a normal cat or dog harness just a smallsize..i personally like using those better than the rabbit harness.



here's the rabbit harness from petsmart..but lots of other petstores have it to..this picture is from the petco website

 

[AshtonCasey]

I've seen the harness onotherwebsites, but I couldn't tell you which ones. PetSmarthas an online site. The picture the post had is the harness I'm talkingabout. But, I wanted to share a few warnings with you as well. If youuse fertilzers or pesticides on your lawn it's not a good idea to takebunny out there. I treat my front yard but not the back. Also, youshould be aware of the plants/weeds in your yard and check them againsta list of poisonous plants. The Rabbit Society has a great extensivelist to look at. Of course if you have any of these, keep bunny awayfrom that area. Again, as long as I let bunny decide his/her course totake, I've never had a prob with them on a harness. The harness in thepicture fits more like a jacket and is less threatening to bunny. Enjoyyour stroll!

 

[AshtonCasey]

Oh and if you have a home improvement store in your area, they have the wire covers. I got mine from Home Depot.

 

[TrixieRabbit]

My vet recommended NOT letting the bunny out ona harness. They can freak out easily, bolt, get tangled in the leashand also break their legs if they try to get out of the harness andthey get caught.
You also have to watch out for poisonous plants, as well as flies thatlay eggs on the rabbit's fur and then hatch inside the skin of thebunny using the bunny's flesh as food and a host until they change intoflies and fly out. (Called a BOT FlY)

If you want to be EXTRA safe, then you can try the harness and maybe make a pen so that is she DOES bolt, she cant go far.....

 

[petkeeper]

There are no longer radio shacks anywhere theyare now called "The Source". They bought out radio shackabout 1 1/2 years ago. You can also go to the hardware storeand get similar tubing and it would probably be cheaper. Thatis where I got mine from.

Right now I am doing some renovations...so my bunnies have playtime inthe bathroom...just make sure the toliet seat is down. Youcan put some toys in for him and just sit in there with him.That is what I do...my rabbits climb all over me it is hilarious...theythink they are parrots...they love to sit on my shoulder!

Good luck.

Shannon :bunnydance:

 

[stopwarownarabbit]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

I don't think I'll be using a harness, I'm way too paranoid. This is ahuge city field I'm talking about, and if he gets loose there are nosecond chanses.

I'll make a trip to Home Depot today and try to find some sort of rubber covering.

Thanks again :rainbow:

 

[stopwarownarabbit]

Thats what I thought. I kind of remember hearing something about them being taken over, but I thought it was only in Canada.

 

[petkeeper]

The source is the american company that bought out the canadian and american radio shacks.

I wouldn't take a chance with a harness either...just incase!!

 

[maherwoman]

We have the same problem...TONS ofwires. One thing you might consider doing is creating a sortof pen your bunny can run around in and you won't have to be on top ofhim the whole time. I made one out of NIC panels, and it'sthe perfect height, because neither of my buns really jump up veryhigh. And even if they started, I would just make it twopanels high instead of one.

Our "pen" goes around the whole room, and keeps the buns away from cords, and from going under the couch.

 

[naturestee]

stopwarownarabbit wrote:

I'll make a trip to Home Depot today and try to find somesort of rubber covering.

Check out their electronics section. They sell this plasticstuff called spiral wrap for electrical cords. That's what Iuse to cover my cords and it works great!

 

[AshtonCasey]

Just for anyone else deciding to use a harness.I definately would NOT use it in a public place. There's no way peopleare going to see a bunny hopping around and not run over there makingloud noises. Perfect reason for bunny to feel threatened and try tobolt. If you don't have a quiet private area, it's way too risky.

 

[Jenni]

I used clear, plastic hosing for my wires likethe kind you buy for aquariums. I took a box cutter and slitit lenghtwise through one layer and slippped it over thewire. In one place, there were many wires so I used a pieceof an old garden hose and did the same thing--works great!

It was easy to do. My hubby just showed me where the box cutter was and I went to it.

 

[sunnybunny]

Sunny has the harness in the above picture andit works great! She sits patiently while I put it on her. Andit stays on really well. I like the stretchy leash too.

 

[manda]

my pen also goes along the wall. and thats where the cords are, and it goes where she cant get under the bed.

 

[daisy052104]

Depending on how many wires need covered, ifthere are a lot of wires they also sell drain tubes that could work andare plastic as well.