Raccoon or Cat Attack? ***GRAPHIC AFTERMATH***

I got a text from my Dad in the morning while I was finishing a night shift and reported two of our bunnies got killed.

I am leaning towards raccoon who got the NZW Buck and fatally wounded the NZB Doe:
My dad is usually stoic and holds back emotion told me that he got choked up seeing the New Zealand Blue doe dying.
My mum heard the commotion and the screams of the bunnies, will never leave the bunnies out on the bottom area again.

****Bloody Rabbits****














The attacker(s) was able to climb over the chicken wire and easily escaped it too!
I'm going to completely cover the hutch as soon as possible.

I am so very sorry for your loss. It's heartbreaking, I know. {{{hugs}}} I will guess raccoon because most cats won't attack a rabbit this large.

Oh, I am so, so sorry!

I agree with OneAcreFarm... probably raccoon.

Miss M beat me to it but I to am with One Acer on this one. I have seen raccoons attack cats the same size as your bunnies. I feel for you. I would suggest a much stronger wire mesh to keep your bunnies safer.

Thanks for the support guys, thought the buns were safe out there.

Got a trap set for the Raccoon now!

It is SAD, but Chicken wire is useless for caging or protecting anything.
Even rabbits can easily chew threw Chicken Wire. Like was posted before me,
A much stronger wire is required to protect your Rabbits.
I am sorry for your loss, but with it comes the learning.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

So sorry for your loss... It is heartbreaking to lose rabbits to a predator.

I would say definitely raccoon. I'm with the others... You need much stronger wire and a top on any pen. Even then, raccoons will reach through and grab anything close enough and eat what they can through the wire. I lost a chick that way and the wire slats were only 3/4 of an inch apart.

Your rabbits would be much safer in cages inside a shed. Perhaps they could have supervised outdoor time in a pen, but do lock them up when you're not right there, especially at night.

There's no "EASY" way to say this........

First of all, I'm sorry for your loss. But, more importantly, I'm upset because
this, and 99% of all other tragedies such as this, could be easily avoided.
I usually don't address posts such as this because of the sheer horror those
animals must have felt while they were being eaten alive!!

You made a big mistake in "assuming" they were safe. DON'T EVER make
an assumption. KNOW that they are safe....when the lights go out. Folks
don't know the POWER these wild creatures possess. I DO. I've seen them
destroy structures that a human couldn't and it's gruesome to witness the aftermath.

In today's world, the wildlife has sanctuary in the townships they live in
due to so many restrictions about getting rid of them. They're protected
basically.....until they reach the point of maturity and are at the height
of their natural power. They can literally rip a normally good structure
apart with little to no problem.

Get some traps....do your best to eliminate them. If you can't, then let me
know. It's a guarantee they'll be back tonight or tomorrow night at the latest.

I've got a solution that will end their existence..........quickly.

AND NO.......I won't publicly share this.

grumpy.

Thanks Grumpy, I bought a good sized trap for the raccoon. The weather is not cooperating with the rain, so no reappearance of the bandit yet.
Got a tarp covering the trap and pieces of leftover raw chicken as bait.

So sorry for you loss. I can't imagine coming home and seeing that.

I want to add one thing: this time of year, don't stop after you catch one. When we lived in Mississippi, I fed (don't flame me) a family of raccoons. Every spring, the mom would bring the current babies up to where the food was set out for them. It kept them away from my free-ranging chickens and guineas, and it kept me entertained. My point is, don't assume there is only one. If I caught one, I would keep the trap set for at least another week after that to be sure.

I'm SO sorry!! That's just horrible.

This may seem odd, but try marshmallows in the trap. Worked for us! HTH!

how horrible! For the bunnies and your folks... I had a couple of two month old chicks pulled through chain link fence in pieces, by what I think was a raccoon.Never did catch it got a couple of skunks though :shock: Hope you catch them soon,now that they know where the buffet is they will be back.
I agree with Grumpy. These predators are fed and protected by" do gooders "and the are not afraid of people.
Heck we got a bunch of folks around here that feed coyotes Then they whine and moan when their little dogs or cats become dinner :? .We even had one try to carry off an 18 mo old kid in a new development...guess no one told the critters they had to move.
Anyway....I just wanted to extend my sympathy...............

My stomach is churning just seeing pictures of "not-my-rabbits"- I can't imagine the horror you and your family felt upon seeing them.

It probably was a coon, but skunks and possums can and will do the same thing. Are there any bloody footprints on the deck? You might be able to ID the culprit that way.

All three of the animals I mentioned above are omnivores, so I would put some fruit in the trap too- I hear that watermelon is a favorite of a lot of critters.

If there's one raccoon, there's many more. I keep a trap out nearly year-round...and catch them nearly year-round.

As for wire - I've had them reach through 1" x 1" wire and grab fryers by the leg and eat the leg off. First and last time I lost a rabbit to raccoons.

We also have to deal with feral cats and neighborhood dogs. When you get to the point that you think you're going over-board with your precautions against predators, then you're probably close to where you need to be.

As for raccoons - I only know of one kind of good raccoon! I am saddened by your loss. I know how sick you must feel. Good luck to you and happy hunting!

SuburbanHomesteader":2qg4m9zm said:

As for wire - I've had them reach through 1" x 1" wire and grab fryers by the leg and eat the leg off.

Click to expand...

This must be why Hoodat builds his cages completely out of floor wire.

looks like a cat kill to me, especially the eaten head . - I would reconsider building with chicken wire, a coon can get through chicken wire easily, and even with a top cats can reach through and grab a young rabbit and hold it to the wire while it eats it. I build with heavy 1x2 x 14 gauge wire, or make solid sides and make sure there is no place for a cat, or coon to support it's self [stand] while reaching into the cage.
I make a solid top for cages and provide a shelf about 12 inches high for the rabbits to jump up on so their feet can not be chewed on through the wire. When in coon areas I also have put a solid piece of 1x12 lumber , or sheet metal around the bottom of the sides to make it hard for coons and cats to reach in and hold them against the side. The bottom of outside cages need to be at least 3 feet off the ground to prevent coons from reaching the bottom cage wire.

Awesome advice guys! Will have to use marshmallows, the meat are not a great idea because of the flies and their larva.

Michaels4gardens, that's great setup I would have in my backyard if I had more space, but here's my hutch:

Beautiful hutch, Wabbitjack!

Thats a very nice looking hutch...

another good way to catch coons is wet cat food or an egg.