Uuuggggghhhhh!
 

I thought I found the perfect escape proof ex-pen. Freakin Houdini has manage to do it again. I've had this soft-sided mesh ex-pen now for about 8 months. I finally thought that I have found something that Brandi could not escape. I bragged about this ex-pen and how escape proof it was. I even recommended it to other YT members :eek:.
I got home from work today and guess who was waiting for me? She was standing there with her little tail wagging a mile a minute, she was so proud of herself. And of course she left me a present.

Is there anything out there that my little Houdini can't escape? I've already tried a crate, she knows how to open it. Baby Gates....forget it, she will just climb over them. Don't want to stack them because then I would be to scare she would hurt herself. Once she knows how to escape, it takes her less than a minute to get out. I timed her. She's good :p.

I am seriously thinking about letting her free roam or at least confining her to one room. She doesn't have separation anxiety all she does is sleep most of the day. The only reason I keep her in the expen is because it has been a struggle to train her to go on her potty pads. She just won't do it. She will only use them if she is confined to her ex-pen and she won't go anywhere near her ex-pen on her own to use the potty pads because she is afraid she will be confined. For the most part, she pottys outside. We have a potty schedule that we follow everyday around the same time. It's those hours I am at work is where the problem is. I live alone so there is no one there to take her out to potty during the day and my little one won't hold it until I get home. I don't free feed her so there is no food in her ex-pen but there is water. I know that having water in her ex-pen will cause her to go potty during the day but I am one of those pet owners that believes water should be available to them at all times.

Any suggestions?
Thanks

I have a climber too. But found an expen that she cannot escape from. It only have vertical bars so there are no footholds to climb it is made by Carlson. It comes with 6 panels instead of the normal 8. But I bought 2 more panels. It is easy to make it as large as you want by adding panels. It also can be used to block off a room it is kind of expensive. But it is well worth it. I would post a link but I am on my iPhone right now. But I bought the extra panels at ryan's pet supply online and bought the main expen T petsmart

Have you tried to use baby gates that have no vertical bars? The horizontal only ones?

Did your little Houdini chew out of her expen?

I have one that can not be contained. She will climb a 6 foot pen. I put her in a create once and when I came back she had blood down her face where she had jumped so much and bumped her head on the top of the crate. This was no little crate it was one for a saint benard..lol. Only thing I can do with her is lock her in my bedroom..she is not happy but safe. My door is scratched all up but I will take it rather than her hurt herself. I don't have to do it much but there are times I need to separate them.

She sure did. It has a hole just big enough for her to squeeze out.....little stinker.

I have a climber and my x-pen has a metal lid that locks on top. It is a pain in the rear end but I feel safer when I go out with them in their. I have them all potty trained but because they are still young I want them where I can watch them so they don't get into anything they are not suppose. These little guys are like magnets to anything that falls to the floor they will try to eat it. For the daytime I purchased a tall vertical walk thru gate that is easy for me and my husband to use. All I have to do is lift up and it swings both directions $54. at toys r us. It's funny my tiny one walks right through the bars she just a little over 2 lbs. and my other two who are 5 lbs and 5.5 lbs just stare like that's not fair.

my sienna walks right through the bars to we have taken small throw rugs and weaved them through the bars this worked until she learned how to climb them about 5 secs later we also have a large extension gate that she just pokes through to what ive done for the little one is put a bulky jacket on her she cant squeeze threw eventually maybe she will learn

We have a metal exercise pen with a lid that locks on the top. Both of mine could escape before the lid, but afterward they both stayed put.

What keeps you from allowing her to free roam, or to just limit her access to one room with a door closed? Separation anxiety, age, potty-training?

I know that I am always nervous that Levi would escape from or hurt himself trying to escape from an x-pen or a crate. What works for us is allowing him to stay out in my bedroom with the door shut while I am gone. He may scratch at the door a little, but I haven't really noticed any damage and I like knowing that he can move around freely, take naps in different spots, play, etc.

I leave water bowls out all day too. I'd rather Levi have a little accident than to be without water while I am at school or work.

She doesn't have separation anxeity issues but she does have potty issues. She is 9 yrs old but she is a rescue I've only had for 2 years. She refuses to use the potty pads outside of the expen. The problem is she won't go anywhere near her expen on her own. I leave it open for her but she associates it with confinement.

It would be nice if I knew how to get rid of that negative association so when she is home alone, she knows to go to her expen to use her potty pad. I keep her own a really strict potty schedule, and the only time when she has accidents is obviously when I am not home. Because I live alone there is no one there to let her out to potty.

My Yorkies are pretty good with staying in their confined space so I'm not sure if this would work with a jumper but it might help with a climber. I have a play pen for them that's made out of mesh panels. I got it at PetCo. Hope it helps. Here's a link. Precision Pet Soft Side Exercise Pen for Pets at PETCO

petco and petsmart have metal playpen; this should be escape free.

Fynn hasn't figured out how to climb yet and I'm really, really hoping that he doesn't. He's good on his little feet on the floor. He doesn't need to climb anywhere. Right now, he's good with just a baby gate. I say this now and then go home to fine him waiting for me at the door. Ugh. Little stinkers!

i am SHOCKED that she knows how to open a crate. i would be FLOORED if Hazel knew how to do that. lol. good luck =]

I know I was floored the first time it happened. But what she does is pay attention to how you put her in the crate or expen. The crate has two doors with latchs on them. She would mess with the latch until it slid opened. So now when she goes in the crate, it takes her less than 30 seconds because she knows how to unlatch the door.

When I got the expen, I made sure to only put her in through the top because I knew she would figure out how to get out the zippered side doors if I put her in through those doors. I didn't count on her chewing her way out. I've spent months watching her through my webcam from work. She concentrated on getting out the zippered top but it was too high for her. I guess the lightbulb turned on and she figured she could probably chewed her way out.

Her normal routine was to spend part of the day sleeping and the rest of the day figuring out how to escape. It took her 8 months but she did it.

you should post videos of her doing this! i really wanna see it! lol

Unfortunately I've never seen her do it. She won't try and escape in front of me. All I know is when I get home she is waiting for me at the door. I have to figure out how I can set my webcam up to record.

My little guy was able to climb out of the ex-pen, as well. I finally solved the problem by buying a 3 ft high Precision exercise pen, shaped it in a 4 x 4 square and purchased the available top. I purchased a couple of extra clips to be sure it was sturdy and the top wouldn't fall in. Works great. I can finally put him in there while we are at work and not worry. :D

Join the club :) When I fist got Keoki I went through 3 ex pens ( I kept getting taller ones)- he climbed out all of them in the first week- then after 6 months he figured out how to get out of the crate I would hear him by the door when I would be locking it to leave and be shocked that he could get out so fast!!!! Obviously he is no longer crated now- but his nickname is houdini too!!!! We have verrrry smart furbabies :)

Rocky is an escape artist also. i have 3 crates all the same and i put him in the one that closes alittle tighter. but i know he'll figure it out...hehehe

Just curious if you just nicknamed her Houdini or if that's her name. If so it's fitting! :)

Her name is Brandi and Houdini is just one of the many nicknames I have for her. Let's see....there's honeybear, mamas, lil stinker, lil bugger, my love, and the list goes on. Seems like I am calling her a different nickname every week :p. I wouldn't be surprise if she has identity issues as well.