Stoats?

A friend of mine had a bantam and some chicks killed by a stoat, which has got me worrying about the rabbits.

I don't know if there are any around here, but we back onto allotments and a disused railway embankment...so presumably there could be?

I'm sure some of my outdoor enclosures wouldn't be stoat or weasel proof. I'm sure the tiny little critters could probably squeeze through or under mesh.

Has anybody had problems with stoats or weasels? And if so, what can be done about them?

Amy

abbymarysmokey said:

A friend of mine had a bantam and some chicks killed by a stoat, which has got me worrying about the rabbits.

I don't know if there are any around here, but we back onto allotments and a disused railway embankment...so presumably there could be?

I'm sure some of my outdoor enclosures wouldn't be stoat or weasel proof. I'm sure the tiny little critters could probably squeeze through or under mesh.

Has anybody had problems with stoats or weasels? And if so, what can be done about them?

Amy

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A weasel killed one of my guinea pigs at night (identified by droppings). We weren't sure what had happened at first as his hutch was padlocked/covered and we didn't even notice the tiny gap through which it had squeezed. It was a really gruesome discovery and even years on it still upsets me to think what my guinea went through. I just thank God that my rabbit wasn't killed too. I felt really guilty but at the time honestly believed his hutch was secure. Didn't think that even a mouse would be able to get in. Now I won't let my rabbit in the garden unless I am at home and able to keep checking on him.

Aww, that's really sad

Was the bunny in the same hutch as your piggie?

Amy

I've found these sites... not rabbits but the principles must the same.

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/securehabitat.html

http://www.blpbooks.co.uk/articles/protect_flock/protect_flock_1.php


Hope they help a bit. Good luck.

Mink, weasels and stoats
The best approach to dealing with mink, weasels or stoats is to fence them out, but the problem is that they are able to get in through small apertures, such as the gaps in ordinary netting. A smooth fence such as galvanised sheeting is effective, for they are unable to get a grip on it, but it is fairly unsightly as a barrier. Trapping is also used where mink is a problem.

A proprietary repellent such as that mentioned earlier is sometimes effective. Soaking rags in diesel oil and hanging them on the boundary has also been known to work.

Bloomin' heck...don't think my bunnies would appreciate the smell of diesel soaked rags :shock:

Do you think they can get through 1 inch x 0.5 inch mesh?

abbymarysmokey said:

Aww, that's really sad

Was the bunny in the same hutch as your piggie?

Amy

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No, they were in different hutches as my current rabbit Herbert was 'over friendly' and the guinea Albert was too stressed to live with him. I know the RSPCA now recommends that rabbits/guineas don't live together, however, he got on really well with my other rabbit Harvey until he died of cancer. Albert was nearly 7 years old when the weasel killed him, so I was really upset that he went in the manner he did. I still can't believe the creature managed to get in through such a tiny gap in the wire and I would have felt better if Albert had been killed and eaten rather than just mauled and left. I know the weasel tried to get to Herbert too as there was blood all over his hutch cover but thankfully it couldn't get in. It was Summer, so they were outdoors overnight but I now keep Herbert indoors all through the year. Talking of secure hutches I heard a story about a family whose two rabbits were killed when the neighbours dog managed to get the hutch door open. I'd recommend that all outdoor rabbits have padlocks fitted to their hutches.

I admit I worry about putting mine out but then I worry about them all the time when I am not about....

Call me paranoid or call me mad but they are my lil wascally wabbits.

Graeme27Uk said:

I admit I worry about putting mine out but then I worry about them all the time when I am not about....

Call me paranoid or call me mad but they are my lil wascally wabbits.

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I worry about everything too. I worry about Herbert being outside and then I worry about the house catching fire/being burgled when he's indoors and I have to got out. I think I'm in the 'mad' category!

well the standard rabbit wire and also chicken wire ferret bite through mine did it 3 times and went walkies to 2 towns away:shock: across a duel carriage way as well:shock::shock::shock:
you can try having a few live traps around bait them with a bit of chicken to see if there are any about you place just check them 3 times a day to make sure if you do catch one it doesnt stress then you could release far away in a nice wood but you would know then that you have them about and would be able to take precausions to keep them out of your buns!