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Bit random this I know, but just wanted some opinions. Last night went out to take our two rabbits out of their run and put them in their hutch for the night. Went in to the garden to find one rabbit dead in the middle of the lawn and their hutch nearly destroyed. Eventually found the second rabbit hiding under the kids play area. The dead rabbit was complete, so something hadn't tried to eat it, but had killed it. The hutch has one side smashed out of it and the metal bars on the front bent out of shape. We have a wall that is approx 1m high right around the garden. The same day a neighbour had posted on Facebook that their dog had escaped, and had been found an hour or so later. I don't think a cat or fox would have done the damage to the hutch and presume both would have tried to eat the rabbit. So have have assumed that it could have been down to neighbours dog. Think it's a bulldog, pretty big dog.
Not sure what to do next. Kids are pretty shook up and I'm fairly gutted. Haven't confronted neighbour as I can't prove it was his dog. Not sure whether to report incident to RSPCA? Now have other rabbit inside but would like to have it outside again. Any words of advise?
send the crying kids round to the neighbours to lay on the guilt, phone the rspca/cops.
Thats horrible 🙁 Could a big dog theoretically break the hutch? I hear metal bars and I just can't imagine even a large dog being able to break them. I have to say as well if it was a bulldog, I don't think there would be much rabbit left?
If the rabbit was in tact then probably a fox, they do this for sport.
Would imagine a big dog wouldn't leave much.
Wasn't sure if Police would be interested, worth ringing them? Think I'll call RSPCA though. Was a pretty nasty scene to be greeted with.
Hutch has taken a good hammering. Will try and get a picture web I get in from work.
I'd say police might be interested if you do think it is the dog, as it might have been your kids playing in the garden instead of rabbits. Awaiting the dogs-can't-possibly-do-anything-wrong posts...
I've seen foxes do similar, they don'y normally leave anything living though
baby robin?
The foxes around our way have recently been killing cats.
It's getting pretty bad TBH.
I wasn't too sure if we would have foxes in the area, but there is a small wooded area behind the opposite houses. I guess the damage to the hutch also made me think it was something bigger with more power. I have pretty limited knowledge though! Might speak to RSPCA and see if they can advise. Would foxes come out during the day? This happened between 9am and 8pm. Dog was 'missing' between 1pm and 2pm.
Step-Dad used to have geese on his land. Fox got into a fairly protected enclosure and took the heads off about five of them. Scarily precise and not a scrap eaten. They do it for fun. Could well have been a fox.
I wasn't too sure if we would have foxes in the area
You almost certainly have
Would foxes come out during the day? This happened between 9am and 8pm
Any time really but just before dawn or dusk is favourite
There are lots of variables involved, but foxes don't [i]usually[/i] go for cats...there are easier meals to be had.The foxes around our way have recently been killing cats.
Fox attacks rabbit hutch and kills first rabbit, before it can get at the second one hero dog from next door bounds over a high fence and chases it away. You should be giving it a medal but instead you want to blame it.
It's a dogs life!
Yup a fox could and probably would do that, yes they will come out during the day but usually keep away from people. They come out at dusk which fits well within that timescale.
You could call the Police but they probably won't be interested in 1 dead rabbit in one persons garden and I really wouldn't waste their time with it. Not even sure what you hope to achieve calling the RSPCA either.
.there are easier meals to be had.
Pizza
The foxes around our way have recently been killing cats.There are lots of variables involved, but foxes don't usually go for cats...there are easier meals to be had.
They don't want a meal, they don't eat the cats they just kill them.
As I said before they do this for sport.
employ some badgers as security guards?
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They don't want a meal, they don't eat the cats they just kill them.As I said before they do this for sport.
Bullshit
Foxs killing cats? Long live the foxes! 😛
Bullshit
Why? That's what foxes do. If you have a coup of chickens they will kill them all but eat only one. For sport and the sheer hell of it, foxes are nasty like that.
Wild animals that rely on their health in order to survive don't go looking 'for sport' with other animals that are well able to do them some serious damage.
my dog eats rabbits whole, just chews them up and swallows the whole bag of bones
TBH a fox vs a cat is not much of a contest especially with the big old sweaty foxes.
Badgers could be involved already.
You're confusing real life with some delusional fantasy world, crammed with big sweaty foxes. Still...whatever floats your boat.TBH a fox vs a cat is not much of a contest especially with the big old sweaty foxes.
You could always Google something like 'do foxes kill cats' to better inform yourself.
Thanks for the comments. Appreciate it is a bit random. Like the suggestion of badger security or that baby Robins could be to blame.
Will just have to put this one down to experience and see if I can get a better hutch for remaining rabbit.
Thanks again.
You're confusing real life with some delusional fantasy world
No you are right. My neighbours definitely didn't have their cats killed by foxes, they just imagined it. I'd better tell them they're delusional as well.
Foxs killing cats? Long live the foxes!
+1.
Why? That's what foxes do. If you have a coup of chickens they will kill them all but eat only one. For sport and the sheer hell of it, foxes are nasty like that.
Sorry dude, you are wrong. Foxes don't kill for sport. If a fox gets into a chicken coup there will be panic, fox goes into frenzy and kills anything that moves. Will take what it can eat and will usually come back for another when hungry. Fox killing cats for sport? No, they don't do sport. More than likely a territorial thing going on. Fox will see cat as a rival predator and therefore competitor for food. Re the OP, I'd be surprised if the fox didn't take the rabbit as food unless it was disturbed.
We had a similar event when I was a lad - neighbours dog got free, broke into our guinea pig hutch. I came home to bloody guineau pig corpses over the garden.
Neighbours to be fair were apologetic and bought a replacement.
The dog must have felt guilty (or was somewhat stupid - it was a Lab) and ran off beachy head a few weeks later.
Argument over a carrot escalated into fistycuffs.. fight to the death over who gets the stalk. Hutch got smashed up in the brawl. Obvious really.
More than likely a territorial thing going on. Fox will see cat as a rival predator
Good point. They have started shiteing on top of our dogs shite recently.
MMmmmmmmmmm......
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This place is going to the [s]dogs[/s] foxes
Wild animals that rely on their health in order to survive don't go looking 'for sport' with other animals that are well able to do them some serious damage.
I suspect that this covers it pretty well. No experience of urban foxes but out here in the sticks where they're small (fewer scavenging opportunities) and outdoor cats tend to be young and agile, they steer well clear of each other. I've seen encounters between the two from a distance twice, once involving my cat and the other with a farm rat-murderer from down the road. Both times the fox just legged it.
Foxes kill more than they need right now, because they can return and eat the carcasses later, they're not choosy about freshness. They're opportunist killers so don't leave things alive to kill later.
OP- how strong were these bars? Foxes are surprisingly powerful when it comes to dismantling hutches etc but there's a limit.
Break into his house with a Velacoraptor
Fox and cats dont usualy scrap, The Fox will usualy back off, if local cats are being killed then its more likely to be a stray Lurcher or Greyhound.
Good lord....don't say that, it'll only upset them if they've recently lost their cats.Tat Wink - Member
My neighbours definitely didn't have their cats killed by foxes, they just imagined it. I'd better tell them they're delusional as well.
As a cat owner*, what I don't understand is that when your neighbours witnessed their cats (plural) being attacked by foxes (plural), why didn't they intervene to scare the foxes off? It wouldn't have been over quickly and must have caused quite a kerfuffle...plenty of time to rush out, shouting, hands waving, to save the poor little mites.
*alright, cat butler / skivvy...
I wasn't too sure if we would have foxes in the area, but there is a small wooded area behind the opposite houses.
You definitely have foxes in the area, these days they live in the towns where it's far easier to find food.
There have already been a few attacks on babies, it won't be long before one is killed by an urban fox
Fox and cats dont usualy scrap, The Fox will usualy back off, if local cats are being killed then its more likely to be a stray Lurcher or Greyhound.
this.
My experience of cats and foxes is that both will run, there is nothing gained by fighting, having seen the damage a cat can do to a Alsatian a fox has too much to loose.
"Why? That's what foxes do. If you have a coup of chickens they will kill them all but eat only one. For sport and the sheer hell of it, foxes are nasty like that."
And cats aren't? Evil little shits!
There's some sick people out there, have you ruled out humans?
Couple of lads killed a load of hens at our local allotments for "fun".
There's some seriously misguided fox thinking here, as usual.
Fox won't damage bars, they may peel back fencing or thin grating but unlikely to leave one alive unless scared off first. Damage to a hutch sounds more like people too me.
On the few occasions I have had foxes get in the chicken run they kill them all, take one and bury the rest to return to later. A fox can't carry more than 1 chicken at a time. Foxes will normally have tried to dig their way in before tearing a hutch apart.
Foxes are scrawny looking things, even the badass, urban variety. I can't see then easily bending metal bars. My money is on a werewolf. They are well known to love a bit of bunny, FACT.
Well, all this fox talk seems to have caught up with me as one of our rabbits was killed around 12.30'ish.
The wife saw a fox by the hutch ran out there, scared it off but unfortunately too late. It had bitten the head off of one of our rabbits. Kids aren't gonna be happy.....