Marshall FC-224 Small Animal Play Pen, Small

I've got 5 crazy ferrets ranging from 1lb - 3.8lb and they always seem to find a way out of everything and into things they're not supposed to be in!! With this playpen (and matching playpen floor mat) I've only had 1 that has managed to get over the top of it - he is my longest ferret though and I maintain he got a really lucky jump or stood on one of the other ferrets because he hasn't been able to do it since. The playpen stands about 3ft tall (I'm only 5ft and it comes up a little past my hip). It is plenty big enough for my 5 to run around and dook, but I'll eventually get the 3 pannel extension to give them just a bit more space. When I'm done with the pen and they are ready to go back to bed, it folds up (almost completely) flat and is small enough for me to slide between the wall and my entertainment center so it is always handy next to their cage in the living room. also, the mat folds up and I just leave it on top of their FN cage. I think the best part about this playpen is it is made well and sturdy so they aren't able to knock it over. It clasps together along one side with 3 hooks (top, middle, bottom). The bottom hook was a bit hard for me to get into the hole at first, but it just makes me feel more confident that they aren't going to be able to hit it and knock it out of place.The only downfall for me was the price since it doesn't actually include the playpen floor mat. But, considering that my ferrets are like Houdini and can get out of *almost* anything, it was worth it in the long run and has proven to be a great help with cleaning out the cage and even when I recently moved, I was able to let them have some "free time" while we were moving boxes!! Not to mention it makes bath time so much easier so my couch doesn't get soaked with little wet body prints!! All things considered, I would buy this again in a heartbeat and am happy that I finally decided to shell out the money for it!

I bought this as an add-on to the 11 panel Marshall playpen I bought in 2019 (no longer sold) for my chinchilla. I wanted it to cover the entire room but prevent him from being able to chew on any wooden cabinets/furniture.They fit together perfectly and the newer one is nice and lightweight in case I needed to take it with me in the car.The door closes nice and tight but I twist tied it together just for backup safety.

So sorry- had to return this pen unopened because we underestimated the space needed. Not really a reflection on the product.

This is my review for the Small Animal Play Pen. We bought two of these actually to put together to make a large play yard for our rabbit. What I did not expect when we bought these is how heavy and sturdy they would be. I am not say in any way saying that they are heavy in a negative way. What I am saying is just the opposite, they are a very nice quality. They work great for containing our rabbit (although if the only part latched is the bottom hook, he can easily unhook that and get out. When all three are latched, he is stuck inside. When our rabbit stands up against the pen, it doesn't really move. I am not sure what it would be like for an animal that weighs a lot more than he does. One of my favorite things about this play yard is that it folds up accordion style. For us this is a huge necessity so that we can move part of it out of the way when we are not using it. When folded up it is a little heavy but not so heavy that I can't carry it. We could not be more pleased with this play yard. We use it all day everyday with our rabbit. When we travel and board our rabbit, we take the pens with us and use them there as well. The picture I included gives you an idea of what the pen looks like. This is two pens connected but one is folded up part of the way.

I love that this playpen can be easily folded away for storage, and it can be extended with the three panel extension, or you can even buy another 8 panel playpen or even the 11 panel playpen to add to this one. In fact, you can make the playpen as large as you like! I have two 11 panel playpens attached together for the main ferret playpen, and then a smaller, 8 panel playpen, for them to play outside in.The good thing about this playpen is that it can be folded away, expanded with additional panels, and it is also very sturdy. It is heavy enough to stop pets from being able to get underneath it (at least, my ferrets haven't been able to get out that way!)The bad is that it can be a bit fiddly to open and close - especially if you have ferrets trying to get out whilst you're trying to close them in. Getting inside this playpen in a hurry(and securing it behind you) isn't easy. One of my ferrets got herself stuck and I had to hurry in to the playpen to help her - the other 3 came running as soon as I opened the playpen, and it was near impossible to get in, secure the pen behind me without taking a long time.Another bad is that unless you stick with the eight or eleven panel pen, the playpen mat won't fit. This can very easily be resolved, and shouldn't discourage buyers - although it does add a bit more cost to things. I purchased a very large tent floor tarp for the playpen floor, and it works wonderfully. On top of that, I put down an old RV mat, although blankets or towels would also work.The final negative thing I have to say about this playpen is in regards to its height. Certainly, my ferrets cannot climb out of this playpen, nor can they jump out of it. Unless they have help. Here, unfortunately, is the main problem with the playpen. I had a cardboard box in the middle of the playpen which was about 3 inches high, and two of my ferrets were quickly able to figure out that if they stood on it, they could jump to the side and grab the top of the bars. Then they just pulled themselves over and out of the playpen.This is obviously quite a major problem, however, I have researched the alternatives and none offer the expandability of this one(and those that do are no higher or more secure than this one is). Although I wish this pen was completely escape proof, it's more important to me that my ferrets have a large play area, so I am willing to deal with having to keep the door closed when they are out in their playpen, and also being careful about what I put in the playpen so that they can't use it to escape.