I saw 2 raccoons in my back yard this morning.

They looked young but old enough to be without mother. When they saw me they climb up a tree and went to the next yard.
I've been letting 2 bucks out of cage all night and then a doe all day. They are adults but smaller than the raccoons. Should I stop letting them out now that there are raccoons. I also have seen opossums.

Pretty much everywhere will have a constant supply of coons and possums. Everything needs a safe place at night even if you haven't seen predators in awhile. All it takes is that one night of a new one stopping by and tragedy. Coons can also injure aniamls thru surprisingly small wire. I had one dismantle a quail through 1/2x1" wire. A few feathers and blood was all that was left. Others have lost toes on their rabbits through the bottom mesh.

Coons can and will reach through wire and pull apart the animals inside.

Lock them up.

You don't want to see what a raccoon will do to a rabbit.

You may have to choose between getting rid of the predators
and letting your rabbits roam "free range".

They don't have hurt or kill your rabbits to cause trouble. A nervous doe can have a miscarriage or kill a young litter. I won't say what happens to raccoons and possoms if I see them trolling around my place, but it doesn't usually end well for them!!

I suppose, the harsh answer is "how much do you like your rabbits?"

It's impossible to kill every possum, coon, fox, yote, mink, bobcat, hawk, or snake in the woods, so I try to build for safety instead, so that predators just can't get to my buns. :shrug:

Why would you leave your buck out and unattended at night? I won't even leave a our 65lb boxer outside, at night no less, by her self. Even if you manage to get rid of these two coons there'll be more. I'm surprised a hawk hasn't taken one yet.

I don't mean to be blunt. Whether you live in town or in the country there is going to be predators. In the city people's dogs are being cared off by owls and hawks. I've seen, first hand, a hawk hit a 15lb tom cat and take it to her nest for her young. :x :lol: :lol:

Safety first is my motto. Even with my buns being in fort knox didn't prevent an owl from trying to get to them. The owl didn't succeed.

Best of luck.

I believe they are happier running around instead of being caged all the time no matter how big the cage. As soon as I open the cage they're out the door. It's a lot harder to get them back in the cage.

I did meet someone in Wisconsin with a 24/7 loose buck but he had a huge rabbit building with tons of little gaps between cages for the rabbit to hide. He kept lights and a radio on to deter mountain lions and they killed pests regularly. A cage isn't really going to stop a mountain lion. :lol: There are situations I could see it being done with a fair amount of safety and responsibility. In most peoples' setups probably not. Most have trouble keeping their caged rabbits safe all the time.

Sometimes we need to think of their best interest verses making them happy. When my daughter was 3 she wanted cake for breakfast and asked every morning for months. But for her own good she got oatmeal. :x :lol:

My point is that maybe a rabbit tractor would be best. I tend to over do things but haven't lost any of my critters to predators. knocking on wood And we have our fair share out here in the sticks.

A possible solution would be a rabbit tractor inside of a rabbit tractor. That way the coons can just reach in and grab you rabbits. I have fostered many racoons and they are smart and love puzzles. They will catch your rabbits and tear them apart just for the fun of it. Your buns might get luck and never get caught, but I personally would not chance it.

Racoons aside there are still many animals that would love a bunny dinner.
In your neck of the woods:
bobcats, fox, racoon, opossum, weasel, wolf, bald eagle, cooper's hawk, goshawk, red-tailed hawks, barn owl, great horned owl, and the snowy owl. Just to name a few.

You may know all this or maybe you don't I don't really know you as a person. But I do want your animals to be safe.

Just my 2 cents.

a7736100":18w83stc said:

It's a lot harder to get them back in the cage.

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When you let them out close the door behind them and when you want them back in just open the door and wait till their curiosity kicks in.

We don˛t have any predators by day, but at night.. Just this year a wild ferret opened the locks!! And drink the blood of a female brood doe that I just got one day ago. I got there just in time, he had my buck in his claws.

I've had a raccoon unlock the pad lock on its friends cage. Busted him key in hand. Like I said very smart critters. Since then I sleep with the keys. :lol: :lol:

wamplercathy":sitr13lm said:

I've had a raccoon unlock the pad lock on its friends cage. Busted him key in hand. Like I said very smart critters. Since then I sleep with the keys. :lol: :lol:

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Wow. I had no idea. Had a pair unzip the tent I was sleeping in years ago then hang from the tent poles watching me sleep. Back then I thought it odd but kind of funny. Now after reading some of these stories about how they kill & destroy it freaks me out! Were they really just watching me sleep or trying to decide which end to start at.? :x :lol:

the reluctant farmer":1330rkge said:

wamplercathy":1330rkge said:

I've had a raccoon unlock the pad lock on its friends cage. Busted him key in hand. Like I said very smart critters. Since then I sleep with the keys. :lol: :lol:

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Wow. I had no idea. Had a pair unzip the tent I was sleeping in years ago then hang from the tent poles watching me sleep. Back then I thought it odd but kind of funny. Now after reading some of these stories about how they kill & destroy it freaks me out! Were they really just watching me sleep or trying to decide which end to start at.? :x :lol:

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Over all they are very curious animals and were most likely trying to figure you out, and why you were sleeping under the jungle gym. Now if you freaked out got trapped in there with them, that's a different story. :lol: Their not evil little demons but they seem that way to us at times. But I'm sure they think the same thing about us.

wamplercathy":1nvt4sut said:

I've had a raccoon unlock the pad lock on its friends cage. Busted him key in hand. Like I said very smart critters. Since then I sleep with the keys. :lol: :lol:

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This is why I actually have COMBINATION locks on my chicken coop doors. Raccoons are very clever and very strong. I have a chronic problem with them ripping the siding off the side of my house in big chunks to get into the attic. And that's just to get somewhere warm and dry. :-x They are very good at getting what they want.

I don't have my buns yet, but for climate reasons (extreme heat, need to have then in AC), I plan to have them indoors. I am very relieved that that will make the predator issue so much easier...

With regard to your original question, rabbits are prey animals, and domesticated rabbits are probably even less suited to survival in the open than wild ones. The choice to free range vs. confine/protect is a personal one, of course, but in your situation, I think it's important for you to know that the odds against your buns' survival are pretty high.

- Ant Farm