rats around rabbit hutch

liley9

Hi

i was woundering if anyone could give me some advice please.
we have a rabbit that has the run of the garden during the day and this morning when i went to let him out i spotted a rat on top of his hutch:eek:
do anyone know of a way of getting rid of the rats i also have two children that play in the garden aswell so i will have to be careful about what i'm going to use.

thanks everyone

Hintza

A cage trap:-

http://www.charliesdirect.co.uk/products/stv-rabbit-cage-trap

or a fen trap:-

http://www.ratbait.co.uk/fenn-trap-mk-6-769-p.asp

Fang_3

Bring the rabbit inside?

vodooelephant

liley9 wrote: »

Hi

i was woundering if anyone could give me some advice please.
we have a rabbit that has the run of the garden during the day and this morning when i went to let him out i spotted a rat on top of his hutch

thanks everyone

Will keep an eye on this as we had A mouse visit every day for months (my daughter called him zitsey) he now brings 2 friends . . .

bouncydog1

Suggest you give your local environmental health department a ring and they should send somebody around to deal with the issue. If they won't come out then you will have to trap the rat yourself and despatch it or use a trap that should kill it outright.

Has food fallen from the hutch to the ground as this could be attracting the rat? Likewise if there is a bin or rubbish heap nearby the rat would be attracted particularly if it is hungry.

You need to deal with this quickly as rats carry diseases and can also give a nasty bite if cornered.

I would ensure that you explain to your children to keep away from the rat if they see it and think about moving the rabbit inside in the short term.

Karate

Even if you do get rid of this 'rat' (it is likely their will be more than one), you will need to address the reasons that rats/mice will be attracted in the first place, or they will just keep coming back. A likely cause could be overfeeding and food being leftover, and falling out the hutch as others have said.

On a side note, please ensure your rabbit has been vaccinated against Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) as often rodents can be the spread of these diseases which often prove fatal to your rabbit.

liley9

thanks for the replies i wouldnt be able to bring the rabbit inside the house because we have a jack russell who i would be worried about with the rabbit.
i have rang the enviromental health they are coming tomorrow to leave some traps.

Fang_3

liley9 wrote: »

thanks for the replies i wouldnt be able to bring the rabbit inside the house because we have a jack russell who i would be worried about with the rabbit.
i have rang the enviromental health they are coming tomorrow to leave some traps.

You have a Jack Russell. A ratting dog. Problem solved.

Mankysteve

Fang wrote: »

You have a Jack Russell. A ratting dog. Problem solved.

That is what they were bread for. There was a tv show on about pest control people who use a Jack Russell.

Hintza

Mankysteve wrote: »

That is what they were bread for.

Toast?????? :rotfl:

amersall

Originally Posted by Mankysteve
That is what they were bread for.

Toast?????? :rotfl:

pmsl :cool: :rotfl::rotfl: