The American Beagler Forum

we have built an "rasing" pen for rabbits on the outside of our 30 acre running pen, the rasing pen is actually 2 pens 20x75 per pen. one of these is connected to the 30 acre pen with opening so that rabbits can go/come into large pen. we have all pens built with coated rabbit fencing, something tore into the outer pen and killed 16 of our young rabbits, ate just the heads off, man i am really pissed and something is in trouble. this was the young rabbits that we were going otuse to get our stock built up, the rabbits have culverts and houses to go into but whatever got in there worked thru them.

weasle or a mink will kill rabbits, had one kill my pet rabbit when I was young. Ripped out his jugglar.

chascmp wrote:we have built an "rasing" pen for rabbits on the outside of our 30 acre running pen, the rasing pen is actually 2 pens 20x75 per pen. one of these is connected to the 30 acre pen with opening so that rabbits can go/come into large pen. we have all pens built with coated rabbit fencing, something tore into the outer pen and killed 16 of our young rabbits, ate just the heads off, man i am really pissed and something is in trouble. this was the young rabbits that we were going otuse to get our stock built up, the rabbits have culverts and houses to go into but whatever got in there worked thru them.

Harner's Hounds wrote:weasle or a mink will kill rabbits, had one kill my pet rabbit when I was young. Ripped out his jugglar.

Harner is right. They will do the same thing to chickens. I know this from watching one do it to mine when I was younger.

if only heads are gone, great horned owl

i knew what the weasel/mink would do to chickens (heads off). don't think the owl could get into this pen. it is covered with same coated wire as sides are built from. something tore into pen at one corner (knocks the owl out i would think) our neighbor has some beagles that run loose but only heads missing/removed sorta leads me away from those also.
i am really thinking mink.

A weasel or a mink wont need to tare a hole in the wire they go threw the holes were ever they can fit there heads there body will follow so im thinking some thing bigger.Maybe a fisher or coon? I`ve seen coon kill just for the sake of killing when i was a kid i seen a coon get in my dads chicken house and killed all 50 hens and the rooster and only eat 1 and left the reast lay there. Let us know what you find set some traps around what ever it was it will be back sence it food a food sorce.

get one of those cameras a trail cam i think they are called i bought one to find out what was happening to my rabbits plus i put out live traps ,,,ive caught 5 coons ,2 possums ,5 cats .. of course all were realsed ...... in the same condition ......

mink or whatever would have to tear a hole into this pen, it is the vinyl coated 6 ft rabbit wire, there is no hole large enough for them to go through. we will for sure have a live trap set and locate the culprit.

thanks

This sounds like one of two animals to me. My first guess would be house cats. I've seen them eat nothing but heads on small rabbits. They'll do it for meaness too. Secondly, it could be foxes. But I really think this is the work of a danged house cat . Best of luck to you.

Definitely a weasel. Buddy of mine had this happen to him last year with chuckar partridge. The weasel got into his hutch and killed every bird he had. Most of the birds he just chewed the heads off. They suck the blood out. Did you find the heads?

He trapped and killed the weasel the following week.

I agree with Billfosburgh, that it was probably a great horned owl.
I have had owls take the heads off of chickens, ducks, guineas and rabbits.
Keith

How big is the hole in the wire?I will have these hole in my wire.Don t know what it is.Just don t see why they don t climb over.What every it is.Keep us posted.

I had trouble in my pen it was all of the above plus more....

You said the top was covered and it tore in at one of the corners. Put an electric wire at the bottom of the pen on the outside, this helps keep predators from trying to dig under the fence and some also use electric wire at the top of the fence to stop predators from climbing over the fence. Just a thought.

my dad is thinking our neighbor's dogs might have torn in, i am having a hard time thinking the dogs done this. i do know we found alot of dog sign running the outside of the pen, whatever got in tore into one pen and then got through seperating fence into second pen. that pen is connected to large pen and those rabbits knew how to escape through block exit.
thought we were heading in right direction, finally had enough rabbits to start raising our own. probably will put another fenace around outside of coated wire, i have some 8 ft cyclone will see if they can tear through that stuff.
if we catch anything in live traps i will let yall know