-
Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
Could a rabbit ever be safe free ranging permanently?
- Thread starter mattyp
- Start date
I don't constantly watch them. I check on them every 20 minutes or so. Our cats protact them and the buns chase off any other cat or bird that dares to come near the garden.
I know an old lady who had rabbits and guineas totally free range, living in the garden. I found one of her buns once and she showed me her garden and animals. They have hutches, hidyholes and alsorts. I'm not sure if she still has them.
Around 10 years ago my cousin had about a group of 10 rabbits free range in her garden, they had a playhouse to go into when they wanted to, she had this set up for about 10 years, and gave her rabbits a very happy life. Then she went out one morning and a fox had got all but two of them. 
My rabbits always used to be free range, it was only at night they used to go back to their hutches and even then they had an attached run. The thing that changed it for me was when I was at home one day, my bridge bunny James was in the garden, and I looked out from my bedroom window to check on him and didn't see him anywhere, but there was a cat sitting in the middle of the lawn. So ran down to the garden and looked everywhere (was a big garden and went round a corner) and still no sign of him, went to shoo the cat away and James was UNDER the cat, the cat was just sitting on top of him!! Thankfully he was ok, but I was thinking if I'd not checked he could have been suffocated (he was quite an old bun). So that's what changed my mind.
Now Abbi has free run of the garden when I'm home to supervise (not constantly checking because she's a big strong bun) but goes in the hutch when I go out/when I'm in bed. The other 3 go in the garden ONLY when I'm outside with them, and go in a run all other times. I don't think it's worth the risk having them completely free range unless the garden has been 100% predator-proofed.
My rabbits always used to be free range, it was only at night they used to go back to their hutches and even then they had an attached run. The thing that changed it for me was when I was at home one day, my bridge bunny James was in the garden, and I looked out from my bedroom window to check on him and didn't see him anywhere, but there was a cat sitting in the middle of the lawn. So ran down to the garden and looked everywhere (was a big garden and went round a corner) and still no sign of him, went to shoo the cat away and James was UNDER the cat, the cat was just sitting on top of him!! Thankfully he was ok, but I was thinking if I'd not checked he could have been suffocated (he was quite an old bun). So that's what changed my mind.
Now Abbi has free run of the garden when I'm home to supervise (not constantly checking because she's a big strong bun) but goes in the hutch when I go out/when I'm in bed. The other 3 go in the garden ONLY when I'm outside with them, and go in a run all other times. I don't think it's worth the risk having them completely free range unless the garden has been 100% predator-proofed.
At the end of the day it's up to you how you keep them i'm sure most people won't tell you off
Foxes can equally appear during the day as they can at night.At the end of the day it's up to you how you keep them i'm sure most people won't tell you off
Very true, 2 of my friends got chased accross a field during the day by a fox because they heard rustling in the bushes and they went to go see what it was and it was a baby fox. Guess the mother fox was very protective.
Alibunmum
Wise Old Thumper
My three have free range access to the garden every day. I always feel bad if we are going away for a whole day and they are shut in. They have on occasion been outside at night when I haven't shut a door properly and they let themselves out.
I am considering getting the rubber prickly stuff to put on top of all fences to keep out cats and foxes so I can keep them out all day every day. I watched yesterday as a plane flew over the garden. They were all still and alert then ran for cover. It is good to know they have an eye on the sky to. That said, we don't have a huge garden and I leave the whirly up so it covers a lot of the space not covered by kids toys so I think the birds wouldn't manage an attack.
I have a quality of life issue with keeping them contained. Of course I would be devastated if anything happened to any of them but I would be more upset to think they hadn't known what it was to run flat out, binky four feet in the air or play chase with each other.
I am considering getting the rubber prickly stuff to put on top of all fences to keep out cats and foxes so I can keep them out all day every day. I watched yesterday as a plane flew over the garden. They were all still and alert then ran for cover. It is good to know they have an eye on the sky to. That said, we don't have a huge garden and I leave the whirly up so it covers a lot of the space not covered by kids toys so I think the birds wouldn't manage an attack.
I have a quality of life issue with keeping them contained. Of course I would be devastated if anything happened to any of them but I would be more upset to think they hadn't known what it was to run flat out, binky four feet in the air or play chase with each other.
before i lost Pearl this thread would of made me recoil in horror but i found out the hard way we cant protect them from their fate and their happiness should be what we put first... in saying that i wouldnt have the guts to do it myself we got some pretty scary looking hawk things out here in the country :shock:
*lily*
Wise Old Thumper
I used to freerange Simba, Tinkerbell and Sooty, Sooty was freerange 24 hours and the other 2 used to go in a hutch and run at night. I was lucky and they weren't caught by predators.
I felt that the benefits outweighed the risks, they all had a brilliant life.
I never leave Louie out on his own though, especially with his blindness.
I felt that the benefits outweighed the risks, they all had a brilliant life.
I never leave Louie out on his own though, especially with his blindness.
Lilou and Benji are completely free range in my yard. Its got high walls and I've put netting over to protect from cats and birds etc, they go go in and out of their hutch as they please, and because the yard is concrete I dont have to worry about them digging out. I just grow then grass in pots. I think that any fox who could get in to the yard would also be able to get in to the hutch, and atleast when they are free ranging there are plenty of hidey places they can get in which a fox couldn't, rather than being sitting ducks in a hutch.
*lily*
Wise Old Thumper
My rabbit Daisy, who I had several years ago, also freeranged and DID get taken by a fox. BUT, I still never regretted allowing her the freeranging life.
But what about those rabbits kept in flimsy hutches and runs like those sold on places such as the range? Surely free range with a safe place to hide accessed via a catflap is much safer than rubbish housing or even too small housing where rabbits can literally be scared to death because there's only a bit of mesh separarting them and the fox?
:shock: Tenacious little sod! :shock:
:shock: Tenacious little sod! :shock:
:shock: Tenacious little sod! :shock:
