The importance of fox proofing

Please can I take a moment to remind all of you of the importance of fox proofing your rabbit's houses.

On Tuesday evening my beautiful angel Jessica was cruely taken from me by a fox on a mission to kill. I had only turned my back for 5 minutes whilst I went to get her some water. She was in her run at the time which is 10ft x 8ft and the fox completely trashed the run and took her from it. He then left her on the floor. I ran in to get my mum and he then paraded her past my lounge window. He continued then dropped her in the middle of the road. He did keep trying to come back for her but we managed to keep him away whilst we took Jessica - he was not going to kill her and take her to 'play with'.

On Wednesday I saw the fox again down my road, with a guinea pig in his mouth. Molly is now staying in my room until I completely fox proof the area, including his hutch now going in an aviary and electric wire to go round the outside.

I'm not inending to scare you all or anything, I just want to remind you that foxes will strike at any time given an opportunity. Unfortunately I was too late to save Jessica but if this has taught me anything it is never to be complacent and ignore the fact we have foxes prepared to kill in broad daylight.

I'm not ready to write in Rainbow Bridge just yet but I am ready to try and warn others of the lengths a fox will go.

xxx

im so sorry for your loss xxxxx

I am so sorry for your loss Big hugs to you xxx

I am so sorry for your loss, you must be absolutely devastated. Sleep well Jessica.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but if this is any help to anyone I am trying to find out the most suitable mesh to make my new run fox proof:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?p=3846291&posted=1#post3846291

I am so sorry

It is something we all should think about if our bunnies live outside.

I'm so sorry, how heartbreaking

Sleep tightly little one.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Sleep Tight Jessica x

So very sorry, that sounds like an awful thing for you to have to see and it must have taken a lot for you to post on here about it.

I wonder if you might put a poster up locally say in a shop window etc or do some letter box drops just up and down the street warning people that they must use fox proof weld mesh in order to keep their animals safe? Sometimes it helps the grieving process if you're helping to prevent the same thing from happening again

Binky free beautiful Jessica xxx

im so sorry, absolutely heartbreaking

I'm so sorry, what an awful way to lose a precious bunny

Thank you for the warning. I've only just started keeping bunnies outside and can see how easily you could assume they are safe when they are not.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I am so so sorry=[ That's horrific:shock:
I think it's really good of you to warn people, to stop the same thing happening to them. We have foxes in our area (we've actually seen them and taken a photo of them in next door's garden) and after reading this, I am going to make sure our bun cage is as secure as I can possibly make it.
Thank you, and again i'm so sorry

xxx

I suspect we seriously underestimate how many pets are killed by foxes.

"A study in Bristol showed that an astonishing 8 per cent of pets caged in gardens are killed by foxes each year."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7809938/Its-time-to-clear-foxes-from-our-streets.html

I guess that means that if a rabbit lives in a hutch in a Bristol garden for 6 years, it has a more or less 50% chance of being killed by a fox. And of course of being terrorised night after night by a fox that knows it's there but hasn't worked out how to get at it yet. It makes you wonder how many pets, particularly rabbits, found dead in their hutches in the morning have died of fear overnight.

http://www.woking.gov.uk/planning/envhealthservice/pest/otherprotectedspeciesandfoxes/urbanfox.pdf

I'm so very sorry for your loss I can't imagine how you feel. Well done and thank you for your brave post.

*big hugs*

Omg I'm in tears reading this, I'm so sorry about Jessica how horrendous for you to see that. I must admit we live in the countryside and although I haven't seen a fox yet I know they are out there, all our bunnies live indoors but when they are out in their runs we make sure one of us is out there at all times to keep an eye on them.
So very sorry for your sad loss.

Run free forever Jessica at the Bridge.

Rip poor little Guinea pig.

I'm so sorry I too had rabbits taken from what I thought was a secure enclosure so I know how shocked and heartbroken you are feeling. big hugs.

Thank you all for you kind messages and words, it really does mean a lot.

I saw the fox AGAIN last night, around 8pm in the middle of our road. It isn't the same vibrant red colour as most foxes, more dark bown and patchy so I know its the same one. It makes me feel physically sick that it literally stalks the streets every night when its not in dark. The run that she was taken from was by no means flimsy, it was 10ft x 8ft and weighted down with bricks and had really heavy duty mesh. Unfortunately the fox managed to knock the bricks off the lid and drag the lid off the run making it all collapse.

Today has been a better day for me, mainly because I have bought a beautiful rose tree in memory of my beautiful girl, and I have planted her ashes in the soil.



I decided to get her an orangey type of tree, because she was a beautiful golden orange colour.



The guilt I feel is something I cannot put into words. However I can do something in memory of Jessica by telling everyone to please please fox proof your outside housing. Foxes will stop at almost nothing once they know our friends live in the garden. The pain of watching your animal cruely taken away from you is something you have to live with forever, yet something that could of been prevented. The images I have unfortunately is something I will take with me for a long time.

xxx

She's a beautiful bunny

Thank you xx

Im so sorry xXx