[MAK]

After a year of moving breeding mums about between daddy rabbit and the "birthing suite" one of our mums to be escaped last week. She shares a large fenced area with some ducks and we have no idea how she keeps escaping.
Now this is odd - she roams all over the garden, around the house, along the lane and back into the garden through the barn. She sleeps in the chicken shed or within the log pile but NEVER goes under the strands of electric fence to see the bull and heffers or our pigs that border the garden.
We think she can sense the electric fence or is simply happy visiting all the other animals and playing chase with our little Westie dog.
It would be great if her next lot of kittens stay close and follow her around the garden ( before the veg gets going that is) and follow her into a hutch at night.

Anyone else got a free ranging rabbit?

[Fowgill Farm]

Hundreds of the little sods, counted 56 of them down our drive one night last summer.........Grrr....get orf my garden
Mandy

[Lesley Silvester]

 

[cleopatra]

we had our little dwarf out in the orchard with the chickens, nice and safe, fox proof fencing, about 20m x 60m but it wasnt enough for him and he kept digging tunnels out. back to his hutch he went.
the first rabbit we had that escaped was loose for a couple of months as we just couldnt get near him, in the morning you could see him with the wild rabbits - which is the only time iv seen rabbits on our farm as we have mainly hares. unfortunately the dog got him.
the second rabbit that escaped and decided to live in the shed and used to potter about alday, he looked happy so we left him but the dog killed him in the end.
living the high life has its risks....

[Lesley Silvester]

But at least he enjoyed it while he was living it.

[cleopatra]

we had our little dwarf out in the orchard with the chickens,

that should read dwarf rabbit ...ooops   

But at least he enjoyed it while he was living it.

i know, same with hens, the ones that love free ranging dont alwaysreturn.      shame

[SteveHants]

We think she can sense the electric fence or is simply happy visiting all the other animals and playing chase with our little Westie dog.
It would be great if her next lot of kittens stay close and follow her around the garden ( before the veg gets going that is) and follow her into a hutch at night.

I hate to think what would happen to a rabbit playing 'chase' with my terrier.

[MAK]

yep the Westie is very much a dog for the rug in front of the fire but she does seem to be able to help usher ducks and chicken back thru their respective gates - maybe by luck.

The free range rabbit is very much queen of the garden and hanger - even has her own stack of logs to sit on.

[cleopatra]

actually i did have an old pet rabbit who was free-range in the town houses' garden with free access to her hutch and she was fine for years til she died of old age. her successor was also free range during the day but nibbled the ivy and died of organ failure.

my first ever rabbit, when i was a young girl had a huge run in our huge garden with 3 ft chicken wire fence. he made himself a long deep burrow, at least 4 ft deep, but one day we woke up and he was decapitated. the neighbours said it was a fox as she could smell them     that was my first experience of death 

[MAK]

I caught her today !! Put her in with Roger for a "roger" so we should have our next lot of kittens in a month or so. Now the dilema. Do we let her continue to free range and hope she gives birth in her un and her kettens stay with her there - or will her kittens stay close when she explores?

[pheonix]

depends how long you want her to live.....