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I need tips on Rabbit Proofing my garden.

Neville

Young Bun
Hi everyone,

I have a 15 week old French Lop and was going to order him a run, but decided that as he is such a big fella the more space he has to run around in the better as far as I am concerned so have decided he can have the garden.

Bearing in mind I have never owned a rabbit before what are the main things I need to look out for as escape routes. He isn't going to be out unsupervised to start with.

Holes in fences being my starting point.

Oh and neither me or my boyfriend are gardeners so there aren't plants that I need to worry about and not bothered about ruining the garden as my hounds have done that lol.

Any advice or photo hints would be great!!

Sharron xx
 
This is my article on rabbit proofing. Hope its helpful. Some of it may not be appropriate because it is free range and not an enclosure, but it should give you the idea.

How to Bunny Proof.

Bunny Proofing is really important. It means making everything in the area the rabbits go in safe for the rabbits, and it also means protecting anything within reach of the rabbits, that the rabbits shouldn’t reach.

Inside the house


If a rabbit lives or comes inside the house there is a lot that needs to be checked to make sure it is safe if a rabbit is around. Each house is different so this is only a guide of what needs to be checked and sorted. You will need to go round and check each area the rabbit goes in and look at not just what is mentioned here, but anything the rabbit can reach.

~All wires need to be moved out of reach of the rabbits. If that is not possible then they need to be blocked off, or covered. Split wire loom can work quite well for covering them in a safe way.

~All standing water (such a toilet) needs to be covered if the rabbits have access to that area.

~If rabbits ingest materials, such as carpet, it can cause a blockage that often requires surgery. This means that any loose ends of carpet need to be covered/fixed. Also, when the rabbits are running around, make sure they are supervised so that they do not eat any carpet or any material from anywhere else.

~When opening windows make sure the rabbits can not jump up to them (either directly or via something else).

~Make sure all plants in the area that the rabbits can get into are not poisonous to them.

~Make sure any food belonging to any other animals (such as cats or dogs) is not reachable by the rabbits.

~All areas that the rabbits might be able to access but shouldn’t (such as under a bed, or settee, or in certain rooms/areas, gaps in banisters on the landing or upstairs) need to be blocked off. Remember that rabbits can jump high when they want to, so a small barrier will not be effective.

~Make sure that anything that a rabbit might eat (medications, cleaning products, toiletries, etc) are out of reach of the rabbits.

~Rabbits are chewers, so anything that is treated wood or that should not be chewed (either from your point of view, or from that of the rabbit) needs to be blocked off or moved out of reach.

Every time the rabbits are allowed to run around inside, the area needs to be checked for any little bits, such as chocolate or chocolate wrappers (because chocolate is highly poisonous for rabbits), or anything that has been moved and could potentially be harmful to a rabbit.

Outside (such as in the garden)

Letting rabbits run outside can be as hazardous as inside, so wherever the rabbits are allowed to go needs to be rabbit-proofed and checked to ensure safety.

~The area the rabbits go in needs to be free of plants that are poisonous to rabbits.

~No type of chemical should be used on any area where the rabbit will go (such as fertiliser or weed killers). If the area has had anything chemical on it then the rabbit should not have access to it for a long time.

~No dogs or cats or any other predator should be able to get into the area that the rabbits run in.

~The rabbits should not be able to get out of the area that they are in. Rabbits are jumpers so any run needs a lid/roof and if the rabbit is free roaming in the garden then the fences need to be high and secure.

~Rabbits are diggers so the run needs to either be on concrete, moved very regularly to prevent holes being dug and the rabbits escaping, or have some form of wire mesh several inches under the floor, with grass/soil on top so that if they do dig they can’t dig out.

~The run needs to have no sharp edges or anything that the rabbits can catch themselves on.

~The mesh on the run needs to be securely attached so that no predator can get in and the rabbit can not tear its way out. The mesh also needs to be small enough so that nothing can get in the run with the rabbit (such as mice, or a cats paw).

~If there are foxes around it is also worthwhile putting fox deterrents around the garden because very few accommodations will keep out a fox if the fox wants in.

Another part of bunny proofing any area is to make sure that there are safe toys and stimuli around for the rabbits because that will help to capture their attention.



Whenever your rabbits go in an area it is important to check the area each time and to look at all possibilities for things that might harm the rabbits. It would be tragic if something happened to any rabbit due to slack bunny proofing, so the more vigilant you are, the less likely that is to happen to your rabbits.
 
Thank you so so much. That is very helpful.

How high would you recommend the fences be??

Oh and any tips on rounding him up lol??

Thanks again for your advice xx
 
Our fence is 7ft high and is concrete post with the concrete gravel boards at the bottom.

We don't have any plants as they ate them and I am always worried that whatever we get may be poisonous so don't bother.:oops:

We do have pots in the summer with herbs in so that they can help themselves. In winter I just don't bother planting them just buying them and feeding them.:lol:

For flowers for us we just have baskets that hang on the fence and a couple of hanging baskets. Just need to make sure they don't eat the plants as I am planting the baskets because they are so nosey:lol:

Make sure there is nothing sharp, dangerous that could fall on them.

If they start to dig, make sure you fill it in or if you want to leave it then it is going in towards your garden and now out of the garden under your fence. Ours have a burrow that must go down at least 8ft but goes towards the middle of the garden. We tried to fill it in but they just dig it out again:roll:
 
Sky-O's advice is brilliant!

I'd like to add that buns will get down gaps, even if they look far too small, so check for any gaps under gates etc that they might be able to wriggle under or into and get stuck.

Mine used to dig around the edges of the garden and so my Dad used to fill them up with large stones that they couldn't dig out. I'm sure he once cemented one up as well! :oops:

Free range buns are brilliant to watch. Enjoy!;)
 
Getting excited now - got a few days off work coming up so weather permitting thats my plan!!

I dont think there are too many holes in the fence or under the fence but will go along the whole lot with a fine tooth comb!

The only thing I am worried about is the fences, and if thats going to put a dampner on things.

I have 6ft one side, 4ft at the end with hedges on the top, and 5ft with a foot of trellis on the other side.

Do you think it might be a problem??

Would hate to put him in a run now I have pretty much decided he can have the garden.

S xxx
 
My rabbits can jump about 4ft. You probably need about a foot of hedge over that 4ft fence (or you could stick some trellis up to be on the safe side.
 
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