Weasel Control

[currentriverrabbitry]

Hi folks, had quiet the surprise this morning in my outdoor rabbit pen. It appears a predator, I assume weasel, scaled the 6ft fence, caught, killed and consumed my Rex X New Zealand doe.

The top 1/3 of her body was eaten and the body cavity emptied of organs, thankfully the buck in the pen with her did not also fall victim.

I am setting up a live trap and trail cam hoping to catch at minimum footage of the predator tonight. Does anyone have experience or advise to share around trapping weasels.

Cheers!

 

[MnCanary]

That doesn't sound like a weasel to me, but weasels seldom talk to me about their lives, so maybe it is. It will be interesting to see what the trail cam sees. I'd bet whatever ate your rabbit will be back.

 

[Preitler]

I think you're more likely dealing with marten there, or whatever predator that size lives in your area. Camera is something I have around most of the time, most predators are rather cautious and don't strike at the first visit. One of the best investments ever.
A built a 2-door wooden box trap for the case anything becomes a problem (only caught rats and escaped kits with it by now), apart from that fox shot inside a hutch I was lucky so far.
When I think something is sneaking too close I put a motion detector out, hooked up to an angle grinder or other noisy tool. Not sure if that does much though.
When my rabbits are out in the garden I leave the radio running, preferable on a station with a lot of spoken content. Also not too sure about the effect of that, but I have videos of foxes sneaking up, and running like hell when noise starts - rappits in wooden hutches can make quite a racket by stomping.

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree with Preitler that a marten or fisher is more likely than a weasel. Weasels are very small and feed mostly on mice and rats. All three species are members of the weasel family, but martens and fishers are bigger and stronger. A mink is another possibility if you are near water.

Exclusion is your best bet. What is your fence made of? A mink can go through a very small space, so even chain link might not keep one out. And a open top would let any of them go up and over.

If it turns out to be a marten or fisher, a top made of chain link, well secured, might be enough. A live trap is a good idea. We found sardines a good bait for mink. If you are relocating it, it will need to be at quite a distance. Otherwise it will simply return to its familiar territory.

 

[dlynn]

Hi folks, had quiet the surprise this morning in my outdoor rabbit pen. It appears a predator, I assume weasel, scaled the 6ft fence, caught, killed and consumed my Rex X New Zealand doe.

The top 1/3 of her body was eaten and the body cavity emptied of organs, thankfully the buck in the pen with her did not also fall victim.

I am setting up a live trap and trail cam hoping to catch at minimum footage of the predator tonight. Does anyone have experience or advise to share around trapping weasels.

Cheers!

Hi folks, had quiet the surprise this morning in my outdoor rabbit pen. It appears a predator, I assume weasel, scaled the 6ft fence, caught, killed and consumed my Rex X New Zealand doe.

The top 1/3 of her body was eaten and the body cavity emptied of organs, thankfully the buck in the pen with her did not also fall victim.

I am setting up a live trap and trail cam hoping to catch at minimum footage of the predator tonight. Does anyone have experience or advise to share around trapping weasels.

Cheers!

The helpful fellow at local feed store told me weasels will be my biggest problem, with both rabbits and quail I am trying to set up for. They can climb, burrow, and squeeze thru anything bigger than 1". My friend had fisher attacks with her chickens, but her worst preditor was the neighbors dog. Wondering if anyone ever tried those top roll bar set ups I've seen recommended for confining climbing dogs? Would they be enough to stop raccoons and others?

 

[arachyd]

My guess would be raccoon. They like entrails. It could also be a large owl.

 

[Buknee]

Weasels will kill/eat rabbits. They will eat part of it and come back for the rest later. Use part of the dead rabbit as bait in a live trap. A weasel can get through any opening larger than a quarter. We recently dealt with a weasel in our chicken coop. 3 chickens killed before predator was caught.
Best of luck.