Outdoor Rabbit and wild mice

[Deleted User]

 I have a male outdoor rabbit. A male and my back yard have wild mice will my rabbit be safe??

will the wild mice bite my rabbit?

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Welcome to BB!
Here’s a good thread regarding outdoor rabbits-
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/108126/Default.aspx

I personally don’t have experience with mice and rabbits together.

[bunnies!]

Well,I would say that it is not a safe place if their is mice there they carry lots of infections and if it gets close to the rabbit it might harm it.

[LoveChaCha]

I would just bring in the rabbit.

[Stickerbunny]

Chacha, the OP has to follow the rules of their parents and doesn’t have a choice, from their other threads.

You can get some mesh to put on the hutch that would be small enough to keep mice out. Do keep an eye out for fleas and the like though, since mice carry them and you don’t want your rabbit getting a flea infestation, if you see any the vet can give you advantage for them (it’s a special dose for rabbits, so don’t try doing it without instruction).

[Deleted User]

 Okay. I will be getting him a hutch asap! maybe after i neuter him. and i will  take him to the vet if he has flea.

 

 

P.S what does OP  stands for???

[Monkeybun]

original poster

[Mandyyy]

Eh, rats and mice aren’t disease ridden monsters like people think they are (i’m an advocate for wild r/m and I own a few rats and some mice). Mice are very skiddish creatures naturally, so most likely they won’t go near your rabbit because rabbits are a lot bigger then them.

Oh and Ps: rats and mice carry less diseases then your common house cats and dogs. It is all just a myth that they are gross animals who bring on sickness and death :/

[Monkeybun]

domesticated ones, sure. wild ones, not so much.

And I wouldn’t sya its a myth either. Guess what animal brought on the Plague?

[Roberta]

Technically it wasn’t the rats themselves but the fleas that carried the fatal bacterial infection called “Yersina pestis.” Bubonic Plague.
And there in lies part of the answer to the question, control the fleas…………

[Roberta]

Though I’d still bring your rabbit in. An indoor bunny is a happy bunny.

[Beka27]

Posted By Rabbits101 on 12/24/2011 03:20 PM

 Okay. I will be getting him a hutch asap! maybe after i neuter him. and i will  take him to the vet if he has flea.

 

What kind of housing is he in right now?  I think in another thread you mentioned a garage.  Is the garage clean, dry, climate-controlled (or at least warm) and not used to store cars?  Could you make some type of permanent housing in the garage.  At least then the bun would be out of the elements…  We do have some members who have housed buns in garages and it can be successful under the right conditions…

[Stickerbunny]

Yeah it was the fleas that just happened to catch a ride on the rats.

What is he in now if not a hutch? If it’s a larger area it’s better to just secure that than put him in a hutch – pretty much anything can be secured against mice.

[Mandyyy]

ACTUALLY, they are starting to find things from history that say that it was actually human to human. :/

And correct, it was believed at first that the fleas, not the rats (and fleas can jump from any animal to a human)…. I know just about everything about mice and rats, and rats and mice carry less diseases then cats and dogs (even wild rats and mice). :/ It wouldn’t make sense that domesticated rats and mice carry less deseases then the wild ones because our domesticated rats are the same species as our common brown (or norway) wild rats. In fact, our domesticated rats have poorer immune systems then their wild cousins. 

This is from a site about the “Black Death”:
“The original argument was that the R. norwegicus deposed R. rattus from its niche when it came across Europe and because its habit was not to dwell in such close proximity to man, the rat fleas did not bit people so frequently, thus the rate of reinfection was not continuing. However, there was no significant rat mortality associated with the Black Death in records.”

They are starting to look at the fact that it killed too rabidly, and it lasted too short of a period to be a Black Death epidemic.
Also, if the fleas (or rats) carried it, there would be more rat deaths then people deaths and there was no evidence of rats dying left and right from it. There would also see evidence of mass rat deaths in the mass human graves when they uncovered them because the rats would eat the bodies before dying. :/

And rats and mice are different species… 

[Monkeybun]

Just going to leave this little link here for general wild mouse/rat/rodent information…

pestcontrolcanada.com/Rodents/mice.htm

[Stickerbunny]

Most those are the same things any wild animal can carry – even wild birds can potentially infect our pets with things.. dogs, squirrels, etc. That is why we are always cautioning people against using grass if any other animal has been using it as a potty. Fact is: wild animals are more prone to having disease since they are subjected to it much more than pet ones are (clean food source and water being the main difference). Mice are not really any more dangerous than other wild animals, but _all_ wild animals are dangerous to a sheltered pet. They just haven’t built up the same immunities and instincts. Honestly, you are both correct – yes there is a disease risk, but no mice and rats aren’t “disease ridden” any more than a lot of other animals. It’s always best to keep wild to domesticated exposure to a minimum though.

[Monkeybun]

I know that, but if there are mice in residence, its a higher risk than a bird flying by. Thus my warnings.

[Deleted User]

Thank you guys all for the information!!!!!!

MY rabbits lives in a wire cage

[LoveChaCha]

is there a way that you could put down cardboard on the wire bottom cage? the wire is not really good for fragile bunny feet.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Bunny feet don’t have pads of fat like dogs and cats, or even humans. Its just bone and skin, and then fur. Its not ideal for rabbits to be on wire floors because of that, they get sore hocks.

[Mandyyy]

Just saying, pest control groups obviously shove risks at people and pretty much promote why they need to kill them. Stickerbunny is right ALL animal can cause risks, but mice and rats aren’t any more dangerous then any other wild animal.

In fact, I have saved many wild rats and mice from near death and released them. I have never ever caught anything, and neither did my pets.

Btw, the pest control site stated that the main issue with mice is salmonella… which ALL animals can carry. :/ Even some pets, like reptiles, birds and I heard hamsters can pass it on too (not sure how true that is, but I heard it a long time ago).

I agree about the wire bottom, it’s not very friendly on their feet. It can cause injury or just hurt them really bad. I would cover it or buy them a new cage. I also promote indoor buns, less likely for animals to hurt them, for the buns to get sick, or anything else bad from happening if they lived outside..

[Beka27]

Let’s not get too off topic.

Is housing your rabbit in an appropriate cage in the garage an option?

[Stickerbunny]

Indeed – wire bottoms are bad for bunny feet and it can give them sore hocks. Put a blanket cardboard, coroplast sheet, etc down over the bottom if you can. Then just grab some “aviary mesh” (very TINY holes, designed specifically to keep out things like that, meant for bird habitats outside) and put it around the outside, mice won’t be able to get in. Then no worries about exposure, except to bugs.

Is there a roof to the wire cage to protect him from the elements?

[Kafrn]

The as rabbit association put out a warning for rabbits – that mice are attracted to their pellets, come in and eat the pellets and poop and pee in their bowl. Apparently if rabbit eats this it can cause a really bad reaction in the gut and has a high chance of being fatal. Anyone else heard this?

[Roberta]

Mouse Poop !!! Good Point, Whilst the mouse is a relatively clean animal I have heard nasty things about their fecal leavings and bacterial contamination. I’d have to go looking for it though as my memory is ratty (pardon the pun) on the info.

[Deleted User]

 Yes i can

[Mandyyy]

Eating poo from any animal can be bad for your bun… But if anything the mice would be more attracted to their hay, veggies, or if you feed them that fiesta food stuff (which I hope yu don’t, it is really unhealthy)… because from my experience rats and mice HATE rabbit pellets. They are wild and need food no matter in what way they find it, but I think with pellets it won’t attract them but they may pick it up while they are roaming the rabbit cage.

When I was a kid I used to leave out pellets for our backyard rats that we had (i’m weird, don’t ask) and they never ate them… but if we fed the birds they would be out in a minute, or if I left out my hamster food for them.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Posted By Mandyyy on 12/25/2011 05:15 PM
Eating poo from any animal can be bad for your bun… But if anything the mice would be more attracted to their hay, veggies, or if you feed them that fiesta food stuff (which I hope yu don’t, it is really unhealthy)… because from my experience rats and mice HATE rabbit pellets. They are wild and need food no matter in what way they find it, but I think with pellets it won’t attract them but they may pick it up while they are roaming the rabbit cage.

When I was a kid I used to leave out pellets for our backyard rats that we had (i’m weird, don’t ask) and they never ate them… but if we fed the birds they would be out in a minute, or if I left out my hamster food for them.

 

Well…considering hay is a necessity for rabbits, you can’t count on mice not coming by because IYE they don’t like the pellets.

 

I think a set up in the garage is a great idea! Let us know some more details, and we’ll work with you on an ideal layout for your bun!

[Mandyyy]

Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 12/25/2011 05:43 PM

Well…considering hay is a necessity for rabbits, you can’t count on mice not coming by because IYE they don’t like the pellets.

 

They don’t eat the hay, they use it as bedding and nesting materials.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Posted By Mandyyy on 12/25/2011 05:47 PM

Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 12/25/2011 05:43 PM

Well…considering hay is a necessity for rabbits, you can’t count on mice not coming by because IYE they don’t like the pellets.

 

They don’t eat the hay, they use it as bedding and nesting materials.

 

I’m sorry, for I’m feeling a bit fuzzy minded in my merry making, but mice do poop as they go, no? So they would poop and pee in the hay that the rabbits could very well eat?

[Mandyyy]

Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 12/25/2011 05:52 PM

Posted By Mandyyy on 12/25/2011 05:47 PM

Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 12/25/2011 05:43 PM

Well…considering hay is a necessity for rabbits, you can’t count on mice not coming by because IYE they don’t like the pellets.

 

They don’t eat the hay, they use it as bedding and nesting materials.

 

I’m sorry, for I’m feeling a bit fuzzy minded in my merry making, but mice do poop as they go, no? So they would poop and pee in the hay that the rabbits could very well eat?

No, they don’t go as they feed. they just go randomly (for the most part, in mouse tunnels they have a “bathroom” where the family goes).
Or do you mean randomly? I think my minds fuzzy too… Lol. They are pretty clean about where they go, but they probably do drop while collecting hay.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Hah. Yeah, like randomly. Or as they eat. Either way, I had a mouse once but had no luck in litter training it. Although I didn’t try so very hard either… Anyway…not sure where I was going with that.

[Mandyyy]

Ah, haha. I don’t bother litter training my mice.Their poo are too small and such. My rats are litter trained though! I made sure if that. Haha. but you can train a mouse if you really wanted to to use the litter box, since they are smart and very clean. Some are easier then others to train though, just depends on the mouse.

[Deleted User]

Okay. I’ll let you guys know more information….

I think i might just build him a cage or buy him a hutch…

and i feed him 6 cups of veggies in the morning and at night i feed him 1/4 cups of his pellets….

24/7 hay….

[jerseygirl]

Posted By Rabbits101 on 12/25/2011 11:50 PM
Okay. I’ll let you guys know more information….

I think i might just build him a cage or buy him a hutch…

and i feed him 6 cups of veggies in the morning and at night i feed him 1/4 cups of his pellets….

24/7 hay….

From your other posts, it sounds like you are not allowed to have your rabbit indoors, is that right?   So you may have to concentrate on making him a really good outdoor habitat in that case.  I think your idea of building one yourself is good as some hutches are small and not great homes for rabbits.   Building your own, you’ll be able to customise to suit and take care of any problems such as mice.

For an outdoor cage/enclosure some things to consider are:

• Ventilation. Make sure there is good air flow
• Shelter. Provide a place your rabbit can go into that is warmer in winter, cooler in summer. Also a spot they can escape to if frightened.
• Secure. Use good strong wire grid as rabbits can chew through some mesh.  Also, place grid over bottom so they cannot dig their way out then cover it with solid flooring to protect the feet.
• Position. Choose a spot outdoors that provides some protection against the elements.
• Safety. Add a layer of fine mesh to the strong grid structure. This should help stop other animals coming into the habitat. Mice, rats, birds, snakes, weasels…  Lots of things to protect against. Even stray dogs or cats that could come by.
• Space. Make cage big enough the rabbit can hop around, stretch out and stand up in.
• Entertainment. Put things in there so he doesn’t get bored. Some of it’s favorite things to chew or play with.

Also, make sure bunny gets time out of the cage or hutch for exercise and play and visit them lots. : )
 

The diet sounds good. I think your bunny would be happy with that!  Do you feed 6 cups of veggies?  Wow!
 

 

[Deleted User]

okay thanks for the help. and yes i do feed him that cups of veggies every day 

[Author]

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