Wild Rats In My Rabbit Area - Are My Bunnies Safe?

Recently we have had some rats in our garden and have started to eat my rabbits food. I am worried that the rats could pass on a disease or attack my rabbits. It is not an option to keep them indoors. Also I cannot watch them all day as I have school..


Any advice?Wild Rats In My Rabbit Area - Are My Bunnies Safe?
Pet the rabbits and the water/food in a hutch while you are at school. If it is not rat and mouse proof make it so. Let them out in the garden when you are home and give them treats. Keep the food in rat and mouse proof containers. The rats should go elsewhwere.Wild Rats In My Rabbit Area - Are My Bunnies Safe?
get ur bunnies out of ther pronto


they could get diseases


move them from the garden
I don't think it is safe. Rats really carry a lot of disease and have been known to bite babies sleeping in their cribs.. etc.





Here is how to get rid of them permanently. Set a bucket in the area outside of the bunny pen. In the top, put a pan of food - could be oatmeal, vegetables. grains whatever they will eat - pnut butter gob is good too. Place a board up to the top of the bucket for their easy access. Sprinkle the board with flour or white powder - flour is best. Put quite a bit on there so you will see their 'tracks'.





After a week of 'feeding the rats this way dust off the board and sprinkle lye up the board in a good heavy dusting. You should be able to buy lye in a drug store or hardware store.





The rat's feet are oily. The lye will stick to it. They will try to get it off their feet and it gets in their mouth. For some reason, ALL the rats leave your area. I think they pass the word and all just disappear.





NOW you MUST make sure that cats/dogs etc do not have access to it. I am thinking your garden may have a fence around it and that is why I thought the garden area would be good.





If you have to put it underneath your house or barn so cats dogs etc cannot get to it. You can also use a 4'; pvc pipe to make the 'runway' up to the top of the food pan but you must duct tape it down good and put 2 rocks on each side at the bottom to brace it. It has to be long enough they can climb it easily. Then when you put the lye in you must just shake and tip until their path is dusted well.





Good luck!





PS I was raised on a large dairy and because there was so much grain dropped from the cows' mouths and hay around etc the rats had to be controlled. Sometimes we would not see a rat for a yr or more after this treatment.





Just make sure other animals and children etc cannot be exposed to it.

tiny myspace