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Keeping rabbits safe from foxes

shelleylea29

shelleylea29

Young Bun
Hi

I'm am getting my new baby rabbits at weekend and was wondering what's the best way to keep them safe outdoors, they will be living in a double hutch with a fully enclosed run made from chicken wire. I've been reading horror stories on the internet about foxes being able to bite through chicken wire and even undo bolts???? Any tips will be much appreciated.
 
foxes can definitely bite through chicken wire and so can rabbits. what you want is weld mesh, i think 16g or 19g is best and small holes (1/2 inch x 1/2 inch). i always have my run on paving slabs so nothing can dig in as i think its the only way to 100% keep it safe but if the run is on grass you can also bury mesh under the grass so nothing can dig in, or out. it's also a good idea to reinforce the bolts on the hutch as the ones that come on them as standard are usually quite flimsy
 
Ah right thank you, my run is on concrete and is bolted to the ground so at least that helps, think I'll invest in some wire mesh and new bolts, thanks very much
 
All the suggestions above are great, but I wanted to add that if you can add big strong bolts with a padlock hasp you can attach steel carabiner clips to the bit where you'd put a padlock. It's not much extra faff for humans to open it, but makes it much harder for a fox or predator to gain access. You can get them really cheap on eBay!
 
Hi, it sounds as if your bunnies are going to have a very caring, loving and attentive new owner. Well done for planning ahead. Best to be safe than sorry.
 
Aw thank you! I've never had rabbits before although I've had lots of other rodents over the years, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters etc I love spoiling my furballs lol
 
yaretzi said:
All the suggestions above are great, but I wanted to add that if you can add big strong bolts with a padlock hasp you can attach steel carabiner clips to the bit where you'd put a padlock. It's not much extra faff for humans to open it, but makes it much harder for a fox or predator to gain access. You can get them really cheap on eBay!
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I've done this, loads less hassle than a padlock and just as good :)
 
There is also an excellent alarm available that really does work called 'Foxwatch'. If you were to have a look online, a couple of places have got a special offer on and it costing about £40 at present, instead of the usual £55.

I have heard some say they have gone out in the morning and found a dead bun, but run and hutch etc still intact, and can only assume the bun was literally scared to death by a fox just the other side of the run.

I believe this alarm creates an ultrasonic beam of up to 30 metres away, and when the fox breaks the beam it is set to emit a very high pitched noise that foxes hate, and will back away from straight away, and quickly realise that it is them causing the hateful noise.

What makes this alarm stand out from others is that mice, birds, people etc don't trigger the alarm, only foxes.
 
I don't know other than they definately work. I live in a village in the country and friends have outdoor rabbits, that have previously been lost to foxes. Since putting up Foxwatch over 2 years ago, have never even seen a fox near the rabbits. I don't understand how foxes only break the beam, but I guess the noise is something to do with frequency range and how only foxes hear it.
 
i understand that the frequency range would be heard by foxes and not us, but their hearing range is within the range of other animals such as cats and mice so i don't see how it wouldn't affect them too! it sounds great though, we had something similar for moles when i was little and it didn't work at all :lol:
 
shelleylea29 said:
Aw thank you! I've never had rabbits before although I've had lots of other rodents over the years, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters etc I love spoiling my furballs lol
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I hope you don't mind but rabbits are not rodents, they are Lagamorphs and are more closely related to hares and horses than rodents.

If foxes are a regular visitor in your garden you will need at least 3 layers of protection and even then the sight of a fox could be a very frightening experience for your rabbits. Can you not have your bunnies indoors?
 
I know it was just a figure of speech, I was waiting for someone to correct me! Lol bunnies can't come in doors unfortunately. I've not actually seen foxes in my area, although that's not to say there isn't any, I'm just making the necessary precautions...
 
shelleylea29 said:
I know it was just a figure of speech, I was waiting for someone to correct me! Lol bunnies can't come in doors unfortunately. I've not actually seen foxes in my area, although that's not to say there isn't any, I'm just making the necessary precautions...
Click to expand...

Very wise. I havent seen foxes here but will be getting at least double weld mesh on the aviary.
 
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