Has anyone else's rabbits been attacked?

[ovvad 10]

Last year when on holiday i phoned home and my son told me our cat had been killed, her guts had been ripped out ,anyway he buried her but whatever did it came back the next night and had another go at her , when i got home i buried her deep . I'm sure it was a Fox .

[DaisyBoo 10]

foxes can easily rip wire mesh off so you have to get extra strong mesh. also you need to sink wire mesh in to the ground about 2 foot deep so they cant dig under.

[iansheff 88]

I was thinking of getting a few chickens, if I do I think I will look what the law says about using an electric fence like farmers use.

[Joe-b-1 10]

My rabbit was attacked the other day, she had her throat ripped out. :mad:I live at Wadsley Bridge (yes I know it's near foxhill) so foxes about, but the gap in the run was very small, I didn't think a fox would be able to fit through.. also don't foxes carry their prey away..? So surely it would have taken her...? I know that when foxes get into chicken runs they make a right mess, but there was no fur, not even any blood.

Some people up the road had their cat attacked the other week, the vet said it could have been by a rat..

Also a cat kept coming to see her, surely a cat wouldn't have done it..?

I just wondered if anyone in this area (or any other area for that matter) has had anything happen to their rabbits regarding the same injuries as mine..?

 

As the gap was very small you may have been visited by a weasel or a stoat or perhaps someone has lost a ferret. None of these make much mess and go straight for the throat. There are weasels in the field adjoining my garden. They have their uses though I saw one kill a rat next to the bird feeders and then it just disappeared without eating any of it. Someone told me that they kill rats for fun - I don't know about this but we always used to get rats near the bird feeders but we havn't seen any since just after the weasels moved in. I think they are living in the old rat holes at the side of the field.

[irenewilde 10]

oh no I feel even worse now..! If it was a rat I was gonna make it pay, (well my dad was, he just doesn't know it yet) but I couldn't do that to a cat..!

 

I do think it's much more likely to have been a fox.

[rothschild 10]

I do think it's much more likely to have been a fox.

 

 

I agree. I saw a fox in our back yard. It was one evening when it was dark and the outside light was on. I just happened to look out of the kitchen window and the fox was sat there looking back at me.

Our rabbit was shut in it's cage and the attached run was fox-proof so that particular fox gained nowt.

We allways made sure that the rabbit was locked safely away at night time though and then we would push the "run" right up to the cage so that the fox would have really struggled to get at our rabbit.

Bunny died of old age and the crafty fox lost out.

[ferretman 10]

My cat,this summer has brought home four dead wild rabbits all with wounds to the neck.I think if a fox had attacked your rabbit it would taken it away or eaten part of it.Its more likely to be a rat,stoat or ferret as the other post said.

[DerbyTup 10]

this is an entertaining thread - it's fascinating hearing all these different opinions about whether it could have been this that or the other.

 

For example: we have some people on here who think that cats are NOT meat-eating predators. Really? That's fascinating. Let me tell you something...

 

Back in the late 50's Walt Disney invented its first cartoon character, a black cat named Felix. In the cartoons, Felix was often depicted as eating fish - the idea that cats are fish eaters quickly spread. So much so, that many of the big pet food companies in the following decades massaged this idea amongst the general public and included fish in their cat food. One brand, "Whiskas" even had slogans like "every cat deserves fish". But the reality is this. Your lovely little tabby cat is not a natural fish eater at all. No cats are natural fish eaters. All cats are meat-eaters. Cats are also predators - they are experts at stalking their prey - ever seen one sneaking up on a bird?

 

We should also overlook appearances as well. Like referring to them as "innocent". that's irrelevant because if you are going to refer to some animals as "innocent" then that must mean that others look "guilty" - and I'm afaid that doesn't make sense.

 

You've got a guy on here who has given you first-hand evidence that cats can attack and kill rabbits - but still some don't want to believe that this is the case. That's also fascinating. Believe me, cats can and do do this - but, I have to say that it isn't usual - not unless you've got a situation where the cat isn't being fed and it is having to live off its wits to survive.

 

I think you can be pretty certain it isn't a cat, for one reason. Cats will normally carry their prey away. Ever had a cat bring a dead bird into the house? You'll know what I mean then.

 

There's one animal that doesn't take it's prey away (are you listening Mr Ferretman?) and that's a fox. A fox will kill for the sake of it (seemingly). If a fox gets into a rabbit pen or a chicken coup/turkey shed, it will kill the lot in there - not for food - just for killing's sake. I remember seeing the effects of this once before on a smallholding that a friend had. A chicken shed with 40/50 chickens all laid on the floor with their throats ripped out - feathers everywhere. None missing - just all dead.

 

The only mystery in this case is why the fox didn't kill the other rabbit - assuming it was in there at the same time? And don't kid yourselves that foxes can't get through small gaps - if you've ever seen a big dog, like an Alsation, squirm under a 5 bar gate that's maybe less than a foot from the ground, you'll know that dog-like creatures can get through the tiniest of gaps. That is true of the fox for sure. Don't forget fox cubs are around as well.

 

The other thing to consider is that we are now being plagued by foxes. Since the fox hunting ban they are proliferating in numbers in the countryside - so much so that they are now coming into the more urban city areas to find food.

 

I'm afraid that all the evidence points to a fox here. There is a remote possibility it could be something else - like a small dog (but dogs normally drag their prey away and bury it or eat it). I'd say it's extremely unlikely to be a rat - rats are ominvores - i.e. they eat just about anything - but, as with most creatures - the clue is in the teeth. Rats are gnawing animals - they aren't blessed with sharp incisors for ripping flesh. They will eat fruit, grain, snails, small rodents, small birds etc - but for them to attack a creature roughly its own size that is fully alive - extremely unlikely.

 

The idea of it being a weasel, stoat or ferret is plausible. But these creatures are much less common, especially in an urban environment.

 

The other possibility is an Owl - of which there are quite a few in Wadsley Bridge I believe. But it is also unlilkely as most of them are down the pub drinking with their mates.

[Annoni_mouse 10]

Well, the bite to the neck is symptomatic of a cat attack, but I've never known a cat attacking a domestic rabbit. Cats catching wild rabbits is a bit of a red herring because wild rabbits are invariably smaller than their domestic cousins.

 

Foxes are very wiley animals and could quite easily have got into a surprisingly small gap. Stoat/Weasel/Ferret is also a good suggestion. I have seen a stoat-like animal foraging in the small woodland on Wooley Wood Road. Rats, although they can look after themselves in a scrap, arent naturally predatorial.

 

I would lean towards the fox being the culprit - the reason it didnt take the rabbit away could be because it was spooked by something - a noise or such.

 

The important thing to remember is that whichever animal did this, it was acting out of instinct, and talk of making an animal 'pay' for following its nature is not very helpful (although I understand that you are upset at the minute).

[OOmpa 10]

I was thinking of getting a few chickens, if I do I think I will look what the law says about using an electric fence like farmers use.

 

Yes electric fences to stop cows wandering, it wouldn't work for small animals like foxes etc

[barmyb 10]

Well, the bite to the neck is symptomatic of a cat attack, but I've never known a cat attacking a domestic rabbit. Cats catching wild rabbits is a bit of a red herring because wild rabbits are invariably smaller than their domestic cousins.

 

Foxes are very wiley animals and could quite easily have got into a surprisingly small gap. Stoat/Weasel/Ferret is also a good suggestion. I have seen a stoat-like animal foraging in the small woodland on Wooley Wood Road. Rats, although they can look after themselves in a scrap, arent naturally predatorial.

 

I would lean towards the fox being the culprit - the reason it didnt take the rabbit away could be because it was spooked by something - a noise or such.

 

The important thing to remember is that whichever animal did this, it was acting out of instinct, and talk of making an animal 'pay' for following its nature is not very helpful (although I understand that you are upset at the minute).

 

Yes that statement about making it pay was just a heat of the moment thing. I have calmed down a little, am still angry rather than upset, as I would have prefered my 8 year old bunny to live out her life in peace and quiet rather than the horrific end I keep imagining she had. Oh well. It's done now. The joys and heartache of keeping pets, eh.

[iansheff 88]

Yes electric fences to stop cows wandering, it wouldn't work for small animals like foxes etc

 

Of course it would you would set it to the height you want, a couple of inches above the ground would stop them digging and then 3 or 4 more at 6 inch intervals.