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Foxes

J

Jo.T

Young Bun
At last I have a rabbit again. He is a lovely laid back rex will try and post a pic soon.

I have been trying to search this forum about foxes. I am so worried they had next doors ducks and chickens and I saw one cross the road on the way home. How best can you make a hutch secure?

I have been adviced you need bolts not the little catches, but is there anything else you can do?
 
yep make sure its a good quality hutch, dont just use the catches and just bolts dont do it either you have to make sure you can padlock the up (but if you are like me and lose keys dont use padlocks but use carbenas instead. replace chicken wire with galvenised mesh and cover them over at night using tarpullen but make sure there is still an air flow available dont want to sufate them now do we! :D
 
Hi

i got around this by building an enclosure for my buns. it's based on a pergola idea with fencing and galvanised wire tacked on to about 1m high. i have a full length gate and the whole structure is enclosed with galvanised wire. the hutch is kept in this and as there are 2 levels for the buns to play in the hutch is underneath the upper level giving protection from the weather. the buns are kept in the hutch overnight and let out each day after they've had their breakfast1 they absolutely love it particularly the upper level as they can look out over the garden. i have not had any problems with foxes but had a couple of inquisitive squirrels who ran away when they saw the bunnies!
hope this helps!
 
I'm afraid I can't build a big enclosure unfortunatly becuase we are renting Gil yours sounds wonderful. I have got my boyfriend onthe case of carabenas his got the drill out right now. He was worried aboiut the little bun last night too!
 
gil said:
Hi

i got around this by building an enclosure for my buns. it's based on a pergola idea with fencing and galvanised wire tacked on to about 1m high. i have a full length gate and the whole structure is enclosed with galvanised wire. the hutch is kept in this and as there are 2 levels for the buns to play in the hutch is underneath the upper level giving protection from the weather. the buns are kept in the hutch overnight and let out each day after they've had their breakfast1 they absolutely love it particularly the upper level as they can look out over the garden. i have not had any problems with foxes but had a couple of inquisitive squirrels who ran away when they saw the bunnies!
hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Hi Gill,

Is there anything to cover the sides of the enclosure above the 1 metre you mention?

Its just that foxes can climb & jump very easily. :(

We've seen foxes scramble over our 6ft fence with 2/3ft trellis on top!!
 
Foxes worry me greatly too.

I have: added bolts to hutch catches; got runs with lids; wired in the floor inside and then extra outside to prevent digging entrants inc the bad rat (another story); cover the hutches at night and have bought a noise fox repellant as advised by another forumer from ebay.

I also tie but plan to bolt the run tops down and put their hutch bottoms (wire with wooden edges) as a t shape ontop of the run tops with a big stone on it. I am satisfied my little rabbit has a suitable bolt hole but I worry about my big one as he seems to think he can take anything on!
 
Thankyou its really useful to know what steps people have taken. The carabeanas did not work as there are three parts to the door to make secure. I now have a peice of copper piping going through three things that normally hold plumbing to the wall. One end you can't get out becuase it has been squashed. The other end has a hole with a split pin type shackel pin in. I might replace this with a snape shackel as its a little fiddly to get in.

lucycat I was interested about your noise deterent. My dylan is only a 3 month old rex at the moment but is very friendly so have the same concerns as your big rabbit. Is silky a rex too?

I thought about puting the metal patio chairs in front of the hutch to make it extra secure.

I saw another fox at the week end I hate them.
 
Fox's constantly worry me too, esp as its getting dark so early!

I have a hutch and run combo, the mesh is really strong i wlso put a load of bricks on and have bolts, etc.

I have never seen a fox in my garden even though there are fox's in our area, we have a small garden with no bushes and i think fox's tend to go for big gardens with bushes to hide in etc..

I also cover alfie up at night and bit his run up against the front of his hutch, he is literally barricaded in!!!
 
hi, having pc problems so it's taken me a while to get back on line. yes the enclosure is wired all over with the galvanised wire going the full 2m height and over the top. half of the top i covered with garden screening, bamboo stuff that i got from b+q and that keeps the worst of the rain off them. i put a double layer of polythene under that first. i have a few days off this week so hopefully i'll get time to post a pic to let you see what Moet and Chandon's palace looks like!
 
Yes it would be really good to know.

I saw another one of those nasty foxes last night on the way to see Harry Potter.
 
I'm in surrey. I seem to be seeing more now I have goit a rabbit again but last year I spotted ten in one night coiming back from the coast. Alot I do see in the town. My nieghbor thinks they come from london and get released but I'm not sure about that. She trys putting this really stinky stuff around the garden but pet shops are not allowed to sell it anymore apparently. I put her one lonely chicken to bed last night its really nervous after the fox got the others in broad daylight in the summer.

It was a real reason I was worried about getting a rabbit here. I was so cross with my mum getting rid of dylan to a rescue centre becuase he would not bond with her rabbit I just had to go and rescue him.
 
Hi Jo

where abouts in Surrey as i am from Surrey too?? (Surbiton)

With security your bunny will be just fine! and well done for rescuing him x
 
Hi alfie,

Sorry from Haslemere. I hope my bunny will be fine I just can't believe how many and how wiley this foxes are.
 
I have got the noise deterrant. It has a lens and therefore an area it can detect movement in like a big arc. So I have had to position so my rabbits dont set it off and the cat doesnt leave home. I will try it out near them and see their reactions. I am fairly convinced Dylan is pretty deaf though (its the silly ears, infections and his obsession with dried fruit - I scrunch the bag he takes ages to figure it out) but Silky my rex has very cute rotating ears so I will know.
Either way the point is that movement by a cat/dog/FOX will set it off so you just position is so the buns dont eg on their hutch/run. Cant say whether it works just makes me feel better!
 
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