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Fox proofing

Hi all. Sorry if this has already been discussed but I’m just wanting your thoughts? My rabbit hutch isn’t very fox proof and a fox would probably be able to get in pretty easily I’d imagine. Now I’m wondering if raising the hutch off the ground would stop them from getting in through the mesh? If I raised it almost a metre off the ground and made the stand into a storage unit would this help?
 
We've had foxes eating fat balls hung off a hanging basket peg 2m off the ground :S I've also seem them jump 2m onto a shed roof. I would recommend making sure anything you plan to house outdoor animals in is fox proof, so well-meshed with proper weldmesh (not chicken wire: my rabbits can unravel that in minutes if they want :roll:), decent quality and sturdy timber and fully enclosed (top AND bottom). We had a good setup in my parents' house with a hutch attached to a run and we had foxes regularly: there is an argument to say that feeding foxes will encourage them AWAY from rabbits because there's easier food available, however individual rabbits may be so scared as to shock themselves to death and if there's an interruption to the food supply at a critical time, thye know the rabbits are there.

Fox proof stuff is pretty easy IMO, but if you can pull it, move it etc. with one hand, then assume a fox can do the same :thumb:
 
Foxes can easily jump up 2m. I've seen them clear my fence.

I agree with keletkezes. Good quality mesh (weldmesh) on sturdy timber, on all sides, roof & floor is good protection, along with proper catches that can't be undone by paws or teeth. You also need to give the rabbit(s) plenty of space, so they can get away from paws (eg cats) and have somewhere safe and enclosed to hide in.

You could double mesh a sturdy wooden framework - smaller mesh on the inside to keep bunnies in and cat claws out, and bigger but stronger mesh on the outside to keep out predators. The floor needs to deter digging in or out, so doesn't need a fine mesh. The roof can be solid (eg corrugated panels) over mesh to keep bunny dry and out of direct sun.
If you wouldn't let a child or dog near the structure because you think they could get in, then it definitely isn't fox proof.
 
I would definitely raise the hutch up off the ground to deter predators from peering right into it. If the hutch has a cover, this also will help protect the Bunny but I saw a cat not long ago sat on top of a hutch pawing at the wire! Foxes don't tend to come in as it's too risky having wire all round the top of the fence but cats are not as scared of humans and my neighbours cats can get in at times.
 
Yeah I was under the impression foxes were quite good at Parkour haha what I did last night was made doors out of 18mm external ply for the hutch with hasp locks on the side. I’ve put small windows in the bottom tier so he can peer out but on the upstairs part I’ve drilled 19mm holes in the part where the door is for air flow. Would this keep foxes out?
 
A determined Fox can chew through anything. Can you make the garden fox-proof or buy Bunny a small shed as sheds are stronger than hutches.
 
A determined Fox can chew through anything. Can you make the garden fox-proof or buy Bunny a small shed as sheds are stronger than hutches.

What I’ve done is put the back of the hutch up against a shed that next door has and they’ve also got concrete slabs so nothing can dig under and all across the front of the hutch I’ve build 2 door covers that cover the top and bottom fully that are 18mm thick and those and held in place by structural graded bolts along with his run that also is built around the front of his hutch. He has small windows/air holes. This stuff is what we use to hold back 20 tonnes of concrete and I’d like to think it would take a fox a lot to tear this boarding apart without me hearing it crack and split.

I’m currently in the process of moving house and when it gets a lot colder he will live in a shed and only let out into a run on an evening but until then I can’t put him inside
 
Good luck with your move :thumb:

IME a fox is rarely THAT determined, they're pretty lazy most of the time: like most predators, they won't expend unnecessary energy to eat. That usually means difficult to reach pets are off the menu. But you've got to make sure you've done as much as you can and it sonds like you have :) 18mm is pretty sturdy: I've found the 9mm stuff is probably sufficient but the 6mm stuff definitely isn't.

With bolts, be aware that foxes (and some other animals, notably corvids) can learn how to move these: you may want to put something like a carabiner clip behind them (where a lock would go) or anything else that definitely requires strong thumbs! We have one through the latch in our playhouse and it's really easy for us to remove and replace.
 
Good luck with your move :thumb:

IME a fox is rarely THAT determined, they're pretty lazy most of the time: like most predators, they won't expend unnecessary energy to eat. That usually means difficult to reach pets are off the menu. But you've got to make sure you've done as much as you can and it sonds like you have :) 18mm is pretty sturdy: I've found the 9mm stuff is probably sufficient but the 6mm stuff definitely isn't.

With bolts, be aware that foxes (and some other animals, notably corvids) can learn how to move these: you may want to put something like a carabiner clip behind them (where a lock would go) or anything else that definitely requires strong thumbs! We have one through the latch in our playhouse and it's really easy for us to remove and replace.

Yeah the bolts are quite hard to get out as I’ve made them only just fit through the hole as so you have to spin them to get them out so hopefully that will keep them at bayyeah 12mm is another board we use on site for boarding up houses to deter people from getting in so I’m sure a fox wouldn’t get through unless they spent hours chewing it haha
 
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