Will he dig a hole right under the fence?

[EquiStar]

Hey! I'm hoping to start a (small) bunny rescueafter seeing the aweful results of the animal shelters in spring time.Unfortunately, my parents just bought a dog that hates my rabbit, sowe're going to be moving him to the outside run. I've never left himoutside overnight, and my question is, will he dig a hole under thefencing and escape?

And, a random question for anyone who knows- How many bunnies can I (comfortably) fit ina 1 acre pen?

Thanks for anyone who answers in advance, and please bear with me here.I'm new to the forum, so I hope this is all in order. Thanks!

-L

 

[Spring]

Hi! Welcome to the forum . You are doing great!

Do you have a picture of the area/pen?

Rabbits can and will dig and escape under a fence. Unless your run issecure so that the rabbit absolutely cannot dig out I would always besupervising him during out time. There is also the risk of birds andother predators that can easily attack and kill a rabbit. I would notrisk leaving him unattended overnight.

One acre is a pretty large area, but I would be worried about thesafety of the rabbits. Being outside in apen poses a dangerbecause it is not covered nor completely protected from otherpredators.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Do you not have room in a basement or maybe a spare bedroom to put your bunny in.

Their are quite a few people on here that house their rabbits outsidebut they have very safe and secure cages and pens for them. Itake one of ours outside for short periods of time in the summer but Iam always right by his side, we have hawks and cats around where I liveso I'd never leave him alone in the yard.

Hopefully you can figure something out for your bunny so he's nice and safe.

Susan:bunnydance:

 

[slavetoabunny]

Our first bunny that adopted us was anoutside bunny with free run of the yard. Three sides of ouryard had a cinderblock barrier, so that didn't cause aproblem. The one side with the egress to the front of thehouse was a different story.

My husband dug down two feet deep and planted bricks in the hole so nomatter how deep the bunnies dug, the would not escape!! Mygirls never got out of the yard.

 

[Haley]

Hi and welcome!

Everyone has given you some great advice. You have to be very verycareful about keeping your bunny outside. He needs to be protected fromthe elements, predators (both on land and in the air) etc. Also,bunnies will dig so it is recommended that you not leave themunsupervised in a run.

Also, if you want to rescue bunnies, I think thats great! But there area few things to consider. First, do you have separate quarantine cagesfor any bunnies you take in? You never know what kind ofillnesses/parasites etc a bunny can have so you want to keep it awayfrom yours and from other bunnies. They also need to be separated atall times to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Another thing to think aboutit cost: do you have the funds to pay for food, hay, vet bills etc formultiple bunnies? It can get very expensive and you will almost alwayslose money.

Just a few things to consider based on my experience with rescues. Im not sure where you are located, but maybe you could getin touch with a rabbit rescue near you and see i they need help. Mostrescues are so short staffed and can always use volunteers to help out(or even foster). That would probaby be a great place tostart.

Anyway, I hope you dont mind my advice, just a few things to consider..

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Hi EquiStar,

Given enough time, rabbits can dig verydeep, . A friends rabbit dug a hole bythe house, and they said they could sticka broom stick downit.

Rainbows!

 

[slavetoabunny]

Lots of great advice Haley!! I wouldlike to add to my previous post, that my husband and I knew exactly-zero- about bunnies when we were adopted by this Easterreject. If we would have known what we do now, Bunster wouldhave had a comfy home inside and be alive today. As it was,we did manage to give this little girl three great years....if we wouldhave been educated, we would probably still have her.

We all wish that more people would educate themselves about rabbitsbefore they adopt; but the bigger problem is that they don't know thatthey need to be educated. That was probably confusing, huh?:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

He most likely will dig under if he's allowedto. My bunnies used to dig a 4' tunnel in 30 minutes. I had to go outand fill them in every day and they would just start anothereventually. They have since stopped, for reasons unknown but I wouldstill NEVER leave them in a pen because there is no saying they wont doit again.

 

[EquiStar]

Thanks alot everyone, all the advise is great! Idon't have a picture, but can you imagine maybe a 1 acrehorsecorral withrabbit-appropriate fencing? It's something likethat. ^.^The llamas and horses that patrol the outside arethe most efficient 24/7 guards against 4 legged preditors, and 1/3 ofit is covered. Under the overhang is a 5x5x5 cage Momiji likes to sleepin. When I got Mo, he didin't have any claws, and his little paws wereall mangled, so digging has never been an issue with him, but I'mworried if we get more, I'll have holes not just in the pen, but allover the pasture and garden.

Just wanted to say thanks for all of your concern about myinexperience. If it werehorsesinstead ofrabbits,and there was someone like me coming into a threadlike this, I should think I would beat myself up. (Did that make anysense?)

You're all so nice while I'm being so dumb! :imstupid(I lovethe smileys!) My roomy is out of town for another week, but this ismore a shared project than me going out on my own into the unknown.She's been around rabbits years longer than I've had Mo, but restassured, SOMEone knows what they're doing, even if it isn't me.

Anyway, I just wasn't sure if I should lay out a rabbit-proof flooring,or if as slavetoabunny mentioned, simple cinderblocks would do thetrick. Any ideas?

Thanks again guys, I deeply appreciate the help, and I'm sure so willMo and the others. I promise you all I won't do anything irrationalwithout first consulting you. Danke!
-L

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Personally I would never leave a rabbitina run overnight because it is just too dangerous, apredator could easily get in if he wanted an easy meal and your buncould dig out. With my rabbits I let them out in their run during theday as long as somebody is in the house keeping an eye on them but Ilock them in their hutch at night or if we are out, that way they stillget plenty of exercise but stay safe at night.

 

[Bassetluv]

My suggestion would be - if possible - to havean outside run that is completely rabbit- and predator-proof. One acreis too large an area to be able to ensure the safety of rabbits (eventhough they'd certainly love the open space!). You could wind up facingissues such as the rabbits becoming semi-feral in such a large outsidearea, though that would be the least of the concerns. The biggest wouldbe threats from predators. Weasels can tunnel under things extremelyquickly, as can rabbits. Coyotes, foxes, wolves, badgers...depending onwhere you live, there can be a great list of enemies for rabbits. Anddespite having horses that can scare off predators, I wouldn't rely onthem to be able to completely protect your bunnies. Then there is theissue of hawks, eagles, etc. A predatory bird can swoop down withincredible speed and grab an unsuspecting rabbit even before they areaware of its presence. This is why I say a one-acre area is too largeto be adequately rabbit-proofed.

If you could erect some sort of large run with fencing that runsunderground and has a solid-covered roof, then your bunnies would bemuch safer. Even then, you would need to inspect the run every day forsigns of rabbits attempting to burrow out (as I discovered last summer,even a domestic rabbit can create a long, deep, intricate tunnel veryquickly, and often quite inconspicuously). They would also require anighttime place you could put them in (if they were to remain outdoorsall night) that would be secure and completely predator-free (don'tforget that snakes can get into the smallest of spaces)).

Don't be afraid to ask questions and feel silly though...I absolutelyadmire what you are planning on doing! We need more people in the worldwith such wonderful goals, I think...and whatever you do wind upcreating for your rescues, you must post pics here when it's done.

Oh, and :welcome1 to the forum! :wave:

 

[Bassetluv]

I posted without reading the others' responsesfirst, but just read through them and want to say that Haley gave somegreat recommendations...!

Everyone has given you some great advice. You have to be veryvery careful about keeping your bunny outside. He needs to be protectedfrom the elements, predators (both on land and in the air) etc. Also,bunnies will dig so it is recommended that you not leave themunsupervised in a run.

Also, if you want to rescue bunnies, I think thats great! But there area few things to consider. First, do you have separate quarantine cagesfor any bunnies you take in? You never know what kind ofillnesses/parasites etc a bunny can have so you want to keep it awayfrom yours and from other bunnies. They also need to be separated atall times to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Another thing to think aboutit cost: do you have the funds to pay for food, hay, vet bills etc formultiple bunnies? It can get very expensive and you will almost alwayslose money.

Just a few things to consider based on my experience with rescues. Im not sure where you are located, but maybe you could get in touchwith a rabbit rescue near you and see i they need help. Most rescuesare so short staffed and can always use volunteers to help out (or evenfoster). That would probaby be a great place to start.