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Burowing into bunny run?????

pepsi

Alpha Buck
We've recenlty moved, so as a temp measure my buns run is on the grass, with chicken wire underneath to stop them burrowin out etc, just until we get paving slabs.
Well Monday when i was cleaning them out i noticed that something had obviously tried burowing in, it couldnt be the buns because the hole starts on the outside of the run :shock:
Im really worried, the run runs along side a wooden fence, there is a gap along the bottom of the fence where one of the panels have broken, its only about 2" high and 7" long. there is only a 3" gap from the fence to the run (because the fence is croked it meets at the top but not at the bottom :?
I went to clean the buns last night and noticed that the hole was even bigger :shock: so what ever it is it must of came back Monday night, the hole the animal has dug is aprox 5"wide and 7" long. Any ideas what it could be :? I am panicking thinking it could be a fox but hubby said the gaps to narrow, a fox could not fit into 3" and manage to dig :? also i presume when animals dig they dig towards them so the loose dirt would go underneath the animal, but the loose dirt is paralell with the run and fence. Im confused and worried please help :?
 
Mmm...hubby said it was a rat, great!
I dont know what to do :?
I cant wait till will slab it but im not sure how long it'll be :(
 
Hi
We had rats burrowing into our run too when we first moved here. We adapted the runs, so now they are on paving slabs and galvanised mesh. The bottom of the run looks like this
DSCN0826.jpg

We put bark chippings over the top of the mesh for them to dig in. In two years, nothing has been able to dig in or out of the runs.
I now feed them differently too, so there is no food (apart from hay) around at night. Nothing to attract rats in.
 
do you live near a wooded area, you have to be careful as it could be a stoat and they will eat your rabbit


if not then i agree, a rat :wink:

are your rabbits in the run at night?
 
sorry for the delay in replying.
I have moved to a village, and running along side are garden, its loads of trees bushes etc, then a railway line :? But there's loads of fields etc around.
I dont have any food in there either, i feed the buns in there hutch which is up of the floor and i feed them in the morning and its gone by the after noon. so never any food left in there over night.
OMG :shock: do we get stokes down here some1 told me they only live in Scotland?
Hubby has told me if he gets in early from work tonight we can go and get some paving slabs, im really worried...i managed to block of the hutch so they couldnt go in their run last night.
thanks for the pic HS-im also worried cos rats carry so many dieses :(
 
I read in RWA that rats cannot carry diseases that are commutable to rabbits, BUT they may carry parasites which could pass myxomatosis, or carry they VHD virus on their feet. As long as you're up to date with the vaccs, you should be ok.
I've had no problems at all though. As long as they can't get into the run, they should get the message and look elsewhere for food.
 
Hi Helen thanks for your reply, Both buns are up to date with all jabs, although i have heard worrying things lately that buns can still get myxi even with having the jabs :shock: :?
I have now put paving slabs down, I wasnt sleeping at night, i kept worrying about them so couldnt wait any longer.
 
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