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Please help me to make their runs safer

marchi1990

Mama Doe
Last night we had a very unwelcome visit from a fox who so sadly killed our chickens and ducks :(

I'm panicking and have turned into full-on safety mode.

Now, a couple of my rabbits have these runs attached to their sheds:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/rabbit-folding-run-by-pets-at-home-31898

How would you make these safer? What locks would you put on the tops? I currently have weights on them but this isn't enough and need to get this sorted ASAP. Please help.
 
Sorry you lost some animals :cry:

I have two of these runs the measures I have taken are:
- second layer of mesh on all sides secured with strong staples, this goes all the way from floor to top so there is no unmeshed wood on the outside
- planks of wood nailed to the roof and then a layer of mesh over the top of that so a fox standing on top couldn't break the roof in
- also one of my two runs has a side door as well as an opening lid but this didn't look very secure so I've bolted it permanently shut.

If any of this doesn't make sense I can post pictures tomorrow. Good luck fox proofing I had a scare a while ago and it is very frightening.
 
Sorry you lost some animals :cry:

I have two of these runs the measures I have taken are:
- second layer of mesh on all sides secured with strong staples, this goes all the way from floor to top so there is no unmeshed wood on the outside
- planks of wood nailed to the roof and then a layer of mesh over the top of that so a fox standing on top couldn't break the roof in
- also one of my two runs has a side door as well as an opening lid but this didn't look very secure so I've bolted it permanently shut.

If any of this doesn't make sense I can post pictures tomorrow. Good luck fox proofing I had a scare a while ago and it is very frightening.

That all sounds very good - if you could post pics I would SO appreciate it so I can get an image of exactly what you've done :thumb:
 
Is their run on grass or paving slabs?

If on grass, you could dig up top layer of grass and sink mesh underneath. I wouldn't advise meshing the bottom of the run unless it is covered in grass as I don't think it is comfortable or good for rabbits' feet.
 
These are the sides of my runs, just a second layer of mesh stapled to the outside:
20131202_081207.jpg


And this is what I mean about the roof. I am still in the process of finishing this run so I've done the wooden planks as you can see, screwed in with metal brackets/plates. Then I will get a layer of mesh over the top and staple it all around. I've only done one plank on each quarter of the run lid but you could do more.
20131202_081224.jpg
 
These are the sides of my runs, just a second layer of mesh stapled to the outside:
20131202_081207.jpg


And this is what I mean about the roof. I am still in the process of finishing this run so I've done the wooden planks as you can see, screwed in with metal brackets/plates. Then I will get a layer of mesh over the top and staple it all around. I've only done one plank on each quarter of the run lid but you could do more.
20131202_081224.jpg

Great suggestions :thumb::thumb: thank you so much
 
The best size mesh to get is 1 x 1/2 inch at biggest, preferably 1/2 x 1/2 inch. This means that the fox can't get any claws/teeth through. A double layer is fantastic as it puts a gap between both layers too :D
 
Had NO idea they did it there!!

It's £2.50 a roll on their website at the mo, I think a roll is 60cm by about 2m. It is proper galvanised wire, 1cm-ish squares. As far as I can tell it is exactly the same as any other mesh. My local store don't stock it anymore but I've just ordered 5 rolls online to be delivered to the store.
 
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