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Help!!!!! Fox!!

yvette

Wise Old Thumper
Im a bit flustered.....a fox was up the copse over the road from my house yesterday!! Will she come back?? Does she know I have buns??? I cant free range them now.:(
What about the ferrets?? Will foxy be deterred by their smell??
 
You should never leave bunnies unsupervised when they are free ranging. Foxes can be about at any time of day. I don't think the ferrets will scare off a determined fox, either.
 
Oh dear, that would really worry me. :( I never let Spenser free-range as our garden isn't really suitable and I'm not good at catching him, but his run isn't as secure as I would like it to be.
 
Yes, if you saw one fox then there are probably more about and yes they'll come back. There noises are pretty sensitive so they may know you have rabbits, if not then I wouldn't rely on them never finding out, likewise ferrets maybe act as a deterant but they aren't a guarantee. A secure, fox proof run is the only on sure thing.
 
You should never leave bunnies unsupervised when they are free ranging. Foxes can be about at any time of day. I don't think the ferrets will scare off a determined fox, either.

I dont leave them.....but I dont want to be in the situation where there is a fox in my garden.
 
It is very difficult to keep a fox out of a garden, as they can climb very high fences. Our foxes visit regularly, but haven't tried to break into the hutches, and now I have sheds, which are even stronger than the hutches were. The bunnies don't seem to be too bothered by the foxes, they thump a few times and then go back to normal as soon as the fox has moved on. Ferrets are natural enemies of rabbits, too, and they live in your garden already. Just make sure the bunnies are in a secure hutch/run/shed.
 
It is very difficult to keep a fox out of a garden, as they can climb very high fences. Our foxes visit regularly, but haven't tried to break into the hutches, and now I have sheds, which are even stronger than the hutches were. The bunnies don't seem to be too bothered by the foxes, they thump a few times and then go back to normal as soon as the fox has moved on. Ferrets are natural enemies of rabbits, too, and they live in your garden already. Just make sure the bunnies are in a secure hutch/run/shed.

Yes, the ferrets are secure.Theyre padlocked.Kept them for over 20 yrs and never used them for hunting, nor have I kids who can undoe the cages when my back is turned and if a rescue is happy with the the way I keep my animals then I am too.
 
It's horrible isn't it. I think it really unnerves you more when you physically see a fox strolling by. Are your hutches and runs secure? If not now is the time to do those little jobs I guess. Mine are in the shed but when I saw a fox I bought new stronger locks as I knew the existing ones were a bit flimsy but it was just a job I'd not got round to yet. Got me out there pretty quick with my screwdriver I can tell you! :lol:
 
As long as you are supervising and standing in the garden Yvette i'm sure they'll be ok free ranging. You live in the countryside don't you? Country foxes don't come into gardens when there are people standing in them.... city/town foxes yes, country ones no. Just be more vigilant from now on that's all. Try not to worry.

You could always try and raise the height of your fences a bit with some wire or get some of those prikka cat strips along the tops of fences/walls - we have them to keep cats out.

If you are really worried then get/build a secure fox proof run and supervise the buns in that instead.
 
just to let you know of my experience recently, I had McBunny out on the patio and about 8ft away from me, a fox came over the back fence and went for him, I screamed a blood curdling scream and ran at him, he ran off, the dog chased him (rottie) and bunny was fine.

And yes we do have a dog and bunny running in the garden together!!!

So even though you are in the garden with bunny it may not be ok, just a word of warning.

Must admit the fox was a fine specimen :)
 
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