safe rabbits

by **meancoyote** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:56 am

i was in town and saw dog kennels, one is 10' x 10'. my thought is to put my rabbit cages inside the dog kennel to keep them safe from things other than me that want to eat them. i think i can fit 10 cages inside it. think it will work?

by **Czechnology** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:10 pm

So you're going to put smaller cages inside the big one? I just want to make sure I understand.

I guess coyotes would have a harder time getting through a dog kennel than they would a wire rabbit hutch. Not a bad idea, though I wonder how easy it will be to access the individual cages? Have you considered wooden hutches? I've never tried to keep rabbits in the desert, but I imagine shade and water would be the two biggest concerns after predation. Would the kennel provide adequate shelter from the sun without creating an oven?

Pictures would help, I'm not sure what the kennel is made of/looks like/etc. Sounds like it could work though.

by **crypto** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:50 pm

I would think that if you staked down the rabbit cages to keep the dogs/coyotes from rolling them, you'd be fine without having to spend the money on a kennel. Can we see a picture of the rabbit cages you have/intend to get?

by **Berendtsen** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:37 pm

I think that's a good idea. It might even be better if you had the dog kennel on a concrete pad to prevent a dog or coyote from digging under the kennel.

I had two rabbits get pulled from their cages (stray dogs knocked them over and busted open the cages). One cage was homemade with two by fours and chicken wire, the other was commercial. It took the dogs longer to get through the home-made one than the commercial one.

We definitely know that the dogs visited a bunch of times before they finally got through to the cages (we chased them out of our backyard a couple time). Eliminating access to the cages is a good first step.

by **phoenixmastm** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:41 pm

A 12ga to the face tends to make even the worst predators find something else to eat.

Really though, I like Cymro's idea, just stake em down better, or get them against a wall that the coyotes cant scrabble up.

by **2now** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:30 pm

Best idea I ever heard for predator control was to place an electric fence around your cages about 12” from the ground.

The before you go to bed smear some peanut butter on the fence.

Licking an electric fence should do a great job of ‘teaching’ anything that there is nothing good to eat hereabouts.

Works in the city too.

by **andygates** » Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:31 pm

My Dad always put his hutches up on legs. There's all sorts that will mess with ground-level bunnies (weasels! floods!).

by **maddmatt** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 6:35 pm

My Dad always put his hutches up on legs. There's all sorts that will mess with ground-level bunnies (weasels! floods!).

i agree we live by a river and did the same and it has saved the rabbits from the water, coyotes, and minks several times.

by **herbalpagan** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 7:07 pm

I've always seen rabbit cages up on legs. I like the idea of putting them inside the kennel. I was thinking of the same thing for my fowl. They have them with mesh roofs as well. The only thing is, that small things like weasels can still get in with the kennel. Another minus is the cost. a fair sized kennel without the roof will cost you about $400

by **meancoyote** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:30 am

i got 2 10'x10' kennels, one is gonna be for rabbits and 1 for chickens. should hold 10 2' x 3' cages with a 4' walkway in the middle.

by **ais4122** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:11 pm

Okay, so here is a dumb question. What are all the rabbits or? Do you eat them or just milk them? :lol:

by **Czechnology** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 12:28 pm

ais4122 wrote:Okay, so here is a dumb question. What are all the rabbits or? Do you eat them or just milk them?

Rabbit milk. Mmmm. Not as difficult to procure as mouse milk, or the coveted Vole milk, but a rarity nonetheless.

by **CavemanSam** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:43 pm

czechnology wrote:
ais4122 wrote:Okay, so here is a dumb question. What are all the rabbits or? Do you eat them or just milk them?

Rabbit milk. Mmmm. Not as difficult to procure as mouse milk, or the coveted Vole milk, but a rarity nonetheless.

Rat milk, anyone?

Sorry, that was off topic. Stay on target... Stay on target...

umm... watch out for tularemia?
Its apparently endemic in places out west. And Martha's vineyard.

by **meancoyote** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:02 pm

as a rabbit hunter ive known of tularemia for a long time, out of hundreds of rabbits ive killed, i have never seen the liver spots they say to look for. but i still allways check. i think deer have it too?

by **meancoyote** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 5:32 pm

im slowly getting this built. metal has gotten expensive.

by **Apollo-11** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:40 pm

Very spiffy! You are using hardware cloth for the floor of the pen; what is the framing material? Aluminum?

Around here, the only varmints I'd worry about would really be raccoons. This looks relatively raccoon-resistant. Please continue to post pics as you finish up! Great material!

by **meancoyote** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:50 pm

yes it is aluminum.

by **bingo 7** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 8:07 pm

Nice cage. I raise rabbits, too. They are so easy to raise year round in my area. Any BOL should have some. I have experimented with feeding them loads of weeds and grasses and have some great success. Dandelions seem to be their favorite and seems like they are healthier than when they are just eating pellets. My average litter is around 10. Great meat on the cheap. Good luck with your rabbits.

by **Shadowsbane** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:20 am

The kennel seems like a good idea, as does the electric fence. The raised cages are not always as safe as people think for rabbits. My wife had some as pets once until some enterprising stray dogs learned that if they nipped at the rabbits feet through the cage then they could no longer stand. Once that was done it was no trouble to rip the rabbits apart a little at a time.

by **Apollo-11** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:39 am

meancoyote wrote:yes it is aluminum.

Well that's why this project is expensive! I think I'd have used 2x4s. LOL

Seriously, very good job.

by **Fenris** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:06 am

Well that's why this project is expensive! I think I'd have used 2x4s. LOL

2x4s or more tubing, for sure....

By the way, does anyone know if rabbit turds are good for fertalizer?
Also, can they digest sunflower stalks and flowers, as well as seed?

-fenris-

by **meancoyote** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:01 pm

Fenris wrote:
By the way, does anyone know if rabbit turds are good for fertalizer?
Also, can they digest sunflower stalks and flowers, as well as seed?

-fenris-

Yes and yes and yes.

by **Fenris** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:25 pm

Meesa thinks I has a plan....

Do rabbits like fresh tomatoes as well? If so... Some tomato plants are gonna go up right beside my rabbit hutch...

-fenris-

by **meancoyote** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:28 pm

Fenris wrote:Meesa thinks I has a plan....

Do rabbits like fresh tomatoes as well? If so... Some tomato plants are gonna go up right beside my rabbit hutch...

-fenris-

Fresh tomatoes are not so good for them, dry them first. they will eat them, but they will give them the squirts.

safe rabbits

safe rabbits

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