Rabbit questions

emweaver

Last summer our hutch was swarmed with flies and now its getting hot the flies are attracted to the hutch again.

We cleanm them regullarly but was wondering if there was anything i could do / use to repel the flies?

nomoney

I have a pet rabbit which lives in a fairly big 2 storey hutch in my yard, only thing is he is eating all my plants/flowers etc, now that the weather is nice i am starting to re-pot things etc and plants are starting to shoot up again....


.......is there anything i can put down or on the plants etc to stop the rabbit from eating them?

morg_monster

I assume you let him out of the hutch to have a run around the garden, and this is when he starts nibbling?

If so, can you buy or make a run for him to stretch his legs in, instead of having the whole run of the garden?

Only other thing I can think of is to have a roll of chicken wire or similar, with some stakes, that you unroll to border off the flowerbeds when he's out and about. of course this is only really practical if you have a traditional type garden with a lawn and flowerbeds just around the edge.

Also, its not just a question of the hassle and expense of your plants getting ruined, some may be hazardous to his health, so you really should try and figure out a solution. Did you just get the rabbit over the winter? A run is a really good investment and should last the lifetime of the rabbit.

nomoney

Sorry i should have said, its just a yard i have, not a garden, all my plants are in tubs etc, i did think about getting a run but it wud take up too much of the yard i think, he has a new big hutch with an upstairs so he has more room now but dont really want to leave him in there as he likes being out to run around too!

Chicken wire is a good idea if i cud somehow fix it to his hutch and fence a bit off to put my tubs behind?

greenmoneysaver_2

Hi

You are right to be worried. Fly strike (where flies lay eggs in any poo round a rabbits bum and the maggots hatch...) is a real problem and can occur in 12 hrs.

There is a product called Rear Guard. It is available in vets and doesn't need a prescription as far as I'm aware.

Its a liquid that comes in a dispenser similar to shoe shine and you rub on your rabbits bum about every 10 weeks. Rabbit owners swear by it. It won't stop the flies hanging out in the hutch but stops the risk of fly-strike!

emweaver

I bought a fly repeller from my local diy shop, £5 and it doesnt work. what a waste of money

MonkeySaving?

How big is the hutch and pen? I'd be more worried about a rabbit eating garden flowers, most are poisonous to buns...

MonkeySaving?

You need to make sure that the rabbits bums are clean and that the litter tray (if you have one) is cleaned out daily. If the rabbits bums aren't clean then you have another problem, one that needs to seeing to at a vets.
What do you feed them?

drifter34

another good insect repellent is citronella keeps flies away but not put on the animals but it is good stuff dont pay dear from health food shop poundland shops sell it also try a shop owner on the market that sells insence,candles etc they often sell 100% pure

MonkeySaving?

drifter34 wrote: »

another good insect repellent is citronella keeps flies away but not put on the animals but it is good stuff dont pay dear from health food shop poundland shops sell it also try a shop owner on the market that sells insence,candles etc they often sell 100% pure

Errr, you do know that Citronella is carcinogenic to rabbits?