Foxes and Rabbits

Hi I have a rabbit that lives outdoors and we put her away every night before it gets dark.
I have always been concerned about urban foxes in the local area. Luckily we have not had any problem. However we have just moved house and it has got me worrying again.

I have come up with an idea which might help all you people on this site. basically I am trying to get a map together of fox sightings in urban areas. I will also like to know if a fox has attacked any animal.

If you have seen a fox please let me know the postcode of the area and i can add it to my map. Please see urbanfoxmap.blogspot.co.uk

Let me know what you think of the idea?

The trouble is you never really know. Even if you never see foxes for 10+ years, a fox could come one day. Usually people only realize they have foxes in the area when it's too late. Someone on here sadly lost her 2 rabbits about a week ago due to a fox You just never know.

I wouldn't leave my rabbit out ever without supervision ever.
I lost my first rabbit to a fox due to letting him free range day and night.

Go here http://data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS0000080188. Click species selector at the bottom right, choose 'single species', choose mammals, then terrestrial mammals, then choose vulpes vulpes. Zooming in on your location will give you records in the area. Because the fox isn't endangered or a major pest, records are sparse and/or old in some areas. This is also a good map http://data.nbn.org.uk/gridMap/gridMap.jsp?allDs=1&srchSpKey=NHMSYS0000080188, though all it shows for my county is that every square is red. Which is probably true - foxes are everywhere.

This is a much more accurate and useful database than a blog of sightings.

Most of the time when pet rabbits are taken by foxes it's due to the owners stupidity. Letting their rabbits free-range without watching them and buying unsafe enclosures. If your hutch and run are solid (mesh no bigger than 1 x 1 inch square, solid construction, wooden run (not puppy panels or metal runs), no protection from the fox digging in) then you should be fine. If your rabbit has a shed rather than a hutch they are even more safe. Don't let your rabbit be an easy meal and foxes shouldn't pester it.

Thank you for all your replies. We have had rabbits for 20 years and have given them have always been free roaming.
I know I is a risk but I couldn't cage up my rabbit after it being able to roam the garden for so long. I know it is a bit of a risk but at the moment in my eyes it is a risk worth taking. Many people have chickens free roaming during the day.

The difference with what I want to do and the other sites is
I want to plot urban viewings I. E. In people's gardens etc. I will also plot different colours depending what the fox was doing.(ie yellow for passing through once and red for a fatal encounter) So it is geared towards pet owners and not wildlife enthusiasts.

I personally don't see what good a map of fox sightings would be. Free ranging buns are at risk from more than foxes. What about cats, stray dogs, even birds depending on where you live.

Personally I just don't see what is wrong with keeping your bunny safe from foxes. If you want her to free range, why not have her indoors? I have 5 bunnies indoors, all litter trained, and so active that 2 of them are having to have enforced rest periods to make them eat more. I don't agree with taking any risks to be honest with a pets safety and well-being. A lady on here lost her 2 most amazing, beautiful bunnies to a fox a week or so ago, when she had just popped out for a short time, even more horrific was one of them had had her head taken off. I feel so sad for her, she is absolutely devastated, but to be fair that was just one of many, many incidents that I have heard of over the years, and everyone I know had never had any fox sightings beforehand, but then isn't that what makes foxes so cunning. I have lost count of the number of incidents I have heard of where bunnies have been lost to foxes, but it is enough to make me so paranoid about it, that I can honestly say, none of my 5 bunnies EVER go outside, because I live in the country as well. I know a lot of people would say that that is wrong, but my bunnies are all 'special needs', disabled bunnies anyway, and would really stand no chance whatsoever if a fox came into the garden, but even if I had a perfectly normal bunny, it would still never go outside.