Nervous Rabbits

I got my two rabbits, Hector and Kitty from a resuce centre when they were approx. six months old (they are now about one).
My husband and I have worked hard to handle them and make sure that they spend as much time as possible in the garden.
However just as we were starting to make progress with them they began to be frightened of being picked up and handled and Hector now shakes like a leaf when we go near him.
I think I have found out why but I am not sure what to do about it. You see we live on a new development and there are a number of unsold porperties. Well one day while my husband was enjoying some afternoon tv with Hector and Kitty (he's a postman), he looked through the french windows to see a number of children climbing over the wall (from an empty property) into our garden!!!! I now believe that this has happened a number of times (frightening Hector & Kitty) and I am really concerned that now the summer holidays are upon us that the children will be coming into our garden at every opportunity.

What can I do? I have complained to the developers office and the site manager has been round to various homes speaking to parents but this has made no difference at all.

Ouch, that is a really difficult one. If you antagonise the little brats, lord knows what they may resort to. If they are not little brats (naughty me assuming they were) I wonder if there's a way you could give them supervised access, esplaining why. This would only work if they are reasonable :shock: :roll: good luck, I really feel for you.

I know someone on here had a similar problem they put the hutches in a shed and put a padlock on the door so they couldn't get at the rabbits. Obviously they may start banging the shed and trying to get in so try playing classical music in the shed so the bunnies are unaware.

I know that sounds bizzare but when my dad was working on my house he listened to classic fm and the rabbits were totally chilled and didn't notice the racket going on above them. I also use classic fm on car journeys to keep them calm (unfortunately wish it did the same for me I don't like it that much).

If the rabbits have an run you could always put it beside the shed with a cat flap or something so if they see the kids coming they can bolt back into the safety of the shed.

Or put up a 6ft fence and fit those plastic strip spikes to the top - the legal alternative to barbed wire (it is to keep cats out your garden because of the rabbits of course ). You can buy it from Bettaware and places like B&Q.

Try putting a notice on their hutch explaining these are rescue rabbits and deserve to be treated well that they are making the rabbits unhappy and hopefully if they are good kids it will ***** their conscience.

You will need to fit a padlock to the hutch if there isn't one already as a member here had her rabbits stolen and another had her rabbit killed by some evil person. The kids may not be after the rabbits because they want to play nicely!

Caz

They are noisy children who shout a lot! I have been led to believe that they come from a different part of town who just play around the houses that have not yet sold! We did think about letting them see the rabbits but that presents its own problems.

I feel for your situation and you are all alot more accomodating than I would be of kids that climb over my fence..........

Little trespassers........I would get hubby to sit outside with a baseball bat as they climb over and just gently tap it whilst dribbling and talking to himself saying "must kill" "must kill" that usually works although doesn't do much for hubbys credability.

A much cheaper way is to stick beware of the dog signs on the other side of the fence.....only very brave kids will then try and jump it!

krisked said:

I feel for your situation and you are all alot more accomodating than I would be of kids that climb over my fence..........

Little trespassers........I would get hubby to sit outside with a baseball bat as they climb over and just gently tap it whilst dribbling and talking to himself saying "must kill" "must kill" that usually works although doesn't do much for hubbys credability.

A much cheaper way is to stick beware of the dog signs on the other side of the fence.....only very brave kids will then try and jump it!

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Then get hubby to sit in the garden barking :lol: !

Actually having a tape recorder on a timer playing dog barking noises may help the "illusion".

Caz

Caz said:

krisked said:

I feel for your situation and you are all alot more accomodating than I would be of kids that climb over my fence..........

Little trespassers........I would get hubby to sit outside with a baseball bat as they climb over and just gently tap it whilst dribbling and talking to himself saying "must kill" "must kill" that usually works although doesn't do much for hubbys credability.

A much cheaper way is to stick beware of the dog signs on the other side of the fence.....only very brave kids will then try and jump it!

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Then get hubby to sit in the garden barking :lol: !

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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

http://www.deteracat.co.uk/products/catspikes.html

don't know if these are the spikes that Caz mentions. You could always use the burglar deterrent paint (made by International) from the likes of B & Q. Hopefully they'd get a clip round the ear every time they went home with paint on them that does not wash off.

Good locks are a must.....

My dad has offered to bring Max and Oscar (the family german shepherds) over to my house to patrol the garden (while hector and kitty are inside of course!), but I don't even that would deter the children!

I just keep hoping that the house will be sold soon, and that the purchasers do not have children- that would be my worst nightmare!!!

stacy said:

My dad has offered to bring Max and Oscar (the family german shepherds) over to my house to patrol the garden (while hector and kitty are inside of course!), but I don't even that would deter the children!

I just keep hoping that the house will be sold soon, and that the purchasers do not have children- that would be my worst nightmare!!!

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I'd definitely take your Dad up on his offer if you can pinpoint a time when the kids usually come around

Er, excuse me, but aren't these little bleeders trespassing, and isn't that against the law? I say hook up a webcam, record them climbing over your fence and harassing your bunnies, then get the police involved. Hope they get an ASBO the little horrors.

Sorry, I've dealt with these kind of kids before and they deserve everything they get. They'll push and push, and unless you get some hard evidence to the relevant authorities, they'll just keep on trying. Next time it could be your bunnies' lives, or your house/belongings at stake.

Good luck with it all.

AMETHYST

Hi Stacy

sorry to hear your having trouble, poor Kitty and Hector

If I were in your position I think I would bring the buns indoors out of site for a while :wink: once these children realise there is nothing in the garden that would interest them, their attentions will then go else where :wink: If you get anyone enquiring as to where your buns have gone, I would be inclined to say you were just looking after a friends while they were on holiday :wink:

how high is your wall :?: how many gardens are these children jumping to reach yours :?: Are your walls brick walls :?: just enquiring so more suggestions could be made to make your garden less accessable :wink:

I would inform the police though, even if it is to get a crime number should anything happen in the future, this way it can be dealt with straight away should anything happen :wink:

I have just received a call from my husband saying that the house that the children were using to gain access to our garden has a sold sign outside!!! I just hope the sale doesn't fall through!!

I am still going to get something to put on the dividing wall this weekend, just in case any children do move in or has a dog etc....

I would also like to know if anyone has any suggestions on how I can re-gain the trust of my 'children' as I call them!!!!

I hate kids. Sorry, should I say I hate bad parents who can't control their kids. I'd say that each time it happens, ring the police and get a log number, then try to take some pictures of these lttle hooligans.. They should not be on your property. As a teacher I had the little ***** terrorising me for over a year (fortunately not the rabbits as my garden was pretty inaccessible), then had to move because it got so bad. I have a cctv camera if you want to borrow it....?

We had a problem with kids entering our garden a few years ago, long before we had any pets thank goodness, they were using it as a cut through to get to their mates across the road, little blighters :evil: We only found out as a kid climbed over our back fence which backs on to a rear access road with garages, when we were working in the garden one day, the kid was about 14 or 15 and my hubby dashed down the garden to confront him (very brave for my usually mild mannered husband :lol: ) the kid had the cheek to say he only wanted to get to his mates and asked to be let access :shock: :shock: Bl**dy cheek, hubby said no and told him to go back the way he came and walk road like normal people, the kid got stroppy and couldnt see why we wouldnt let him pass :shock: Hubby then told him that if he didnt turn back and if he ever or his friends ever entered our private property again we would have the police on them for trespassing!!

To our knowledge we have never seen anyone passing through since but then we have left the bottom of the garden to grow slightly wild with bramble, stinging nettles thorns etc to grow and therefore making it difficult and painful for anyone wishing to chance it.

Good luck with routing them out and big cuddles for your poor harrassed buns xxxx

hi

I wouldn't hesitate to put padlocks on the hutches at the very least - the people who lived here before me had their rabbit stolen, butchered and returned for them to find in the morning - by children!

I keep my boys in a locked shed unless I'm out there with them - the kids around here are 'nice' kids too, comparatively speaking - be very careful about police, asbos and getting dogs involved - you are breaking the law if your dog attacks someone on your property I believe :?
And once these kids hate you for a reason, they can and probably will get back at you - Until the new occupiers move in next door (could be a couple of months at least) lock up your bunnies!

I like the spiky fence idea too!

Re: hi

elve said:

And once these kids hate you for a reason, they can and probably will get back at you - !

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you're quite right and the reason I was targeted so much was that I knew i was in the right and wanted "justice", so kept on reporting it and trying to stop it. I'm not so naive any more, but how have we come to this situation where they are allowed to "get back" at you. What happened to common decency?

Hope it's all sorted out when you get neighbours.

as a parent I think the paint idea is a great one! I know my kids would be grounded till they were old enough to move out if I caught them annoying people and animals like this, and if they got covered in that stuff I would be even more angry with them

hope you find a solution soon

Bring them indoors and have them as house rabbits and put them outside only when you are supervising, and/or allow them outdoor access so that they can come in and out of the house when they please (securely).

:?:

Can you make a complaint to the police??

I would definitley get the dogs round, however the noise from their barking may scare your poor little buns even more. I would suggest making them house bunnies for a while and taking them outside (so they dont lose all confidence) whilst you are with them.

I really do hope that you can get some justice done for this.

I hate kids!!!!!! :evil: