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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny Won’t Come out of wall???

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    • ohmy
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        So, the rabbit found the hole in the wall from the outside laundry under the bathtub and has decided not to come out. For 4 days. :-/ She will peek out to look at me but I can’t get a hold of her. Without tearing out my bathtub, any suggestions here? I also can’t open the wall any further than the 16″ block I now have at the end.
        http://s15.postimg.org/40sta8cnv/20150624_161025.jpg


      • jerseygirl
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          just reposting image for you 




        • jerseygirl
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            Yikes 4 days! She probably thinks of it as a haven.

            Is there evidence if she’s ventured out to eat or drink at all??

            Im not sure how youll entice her out other then using  a food bribe. Id be putting water and hay under there to check shes still eating and drinking.

            Edit:  Just noticed the greens in the picture!  DId she go for them?

            Im wondering if you can angle something like a length of garden hose (or irrigation pipe) to reach over her and tap behind her butt. It might make her dart out forwards.


          • ohmy
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              She has water, greens, tomatoes, fruit and other than peeking, nothing. I am sure she is getting water under there and scratching around in the night but she needs to come out.


            • ohmy
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                Also, she disappears back in there and around the corner so you can’t even see her. Tried to get a spatula (yes, I am desperate) behind her to slide her forward but she scooted back to fast. I am having nightmares about a dead rabbit in my walls in Florida!!!


              • Roberta
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                  There has to be something she finds utterly irresistible.
                  Re the bath tub, is it free standing or fitted onto a plinth ? are there any gaps around into the area even tiny ones ?


                • Roberta
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                    I am assuming that with all that pipework and wiring there must be a way to access in behind if there is a problem, do you know any tradies you can send the pic too that might know of another way to access the space ?


                  • JackRabbit
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                      Is the bathtub just a bathtub or is it part of a one-piece tub/shower unit (i.e. is the wall tiled or part of a tub unit?

                      Any chance she has babies back in there?

                      4 days is a long time, and not knowing what’s back in there, you may have to like Roberta said and get a plumber or good handyman to open things up so you can get her out. With that area normally not used, you never know what could be back there to get hurt on or eaten.


                    • Roberta
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                        Can you send pic of bath where it joins that wall ?


                      • Roberta
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                          Looking at those pvc pipes they appear to be waste outlets, it should be a simple matter for a tradie to temporarily separate them to improve access.


                        • RabbitPam
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                            First, can you put the next meal of greens much farther into the room, possibly one leaf first thing in the morning, so she has to walk past the pipes when she gets hungry? Then, take a large flat side of a cardboard box, or a sheet of acrylic (can buy cheap at hardware store) and slip it behind her leaning against the pipes to block her running back. I would have a towel there as well (not heavy, but large), and toss the towel over her when she is eating away from the pipe. You scoop her up inside the towel (don’t hold it tightly around her face) and carry her out of the room quickly. If you get her farther out into the room to eat you might not even need to block the pipes if you can catch her with the towel.

                            Put her back in her cage asap. Be sure she has a litter pan and water waiting.


                          • ohmy
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                              It is a drop in with space around the edges perfect for bunny comfort. It is connected to the shower and everything further up is tiled. The only reason we had a hole is a plumber fixed a low issue with the pipe last summer and that was the cheapest way to accesses it. Still cost over $500 for it. To have someone out to open things would cost thousands to do and repair. I want a new bathroom, but it isn’t in the budget right now. Since I tried the spatula, she now runs the moment she hears me coming all the way back in there. I have food and water outside the room. Left the door open to the backyard. And cleaned the bathroom itself hard last night hoping she might dislike the fumes enough to vacate for at least a while. She laid in the open air until she heard me and was back in. Is there anything I can put in there with her that won’t hurt but cause her to dislike being in there enough to leave? And farther than just the opening?


                            • ohmy
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                                I don’t think she has babies. She is allowed to move about some (clearly a bad move) but I have not exposed her intentionally.


                              • Bam
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                                  This is tricky. The smell of vinegar and water is generally disliked by rabbits.

                                  Can you camp out on a mattress beside the hole, load up with a supply of craisins, banana and other desireable treats and wait until she ventures out to feast on them? Then quickly block the hole and catch her?

                                  Bumping this so more people will see it and hopefully offer more suggestions!


                                • jerseygirl
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                                    Do you have (or can you borrow) a cat play tunnel?
                                    Rabbits are innately curious, I’m hoping if you placed one end of tunnel at the entrance of her cave, she might come check it out. If you hear her venture right into it, you could slide the whole thing back into bathroom. Swinging the end away from lining up with the hole beneath the bath. Does that make sense?

                                    A tunnel would block her vision of you, so you might be lucky enough that she’ll enter into it.

                                    OR

                                    Temporarily block the hole in the wall. Rabbits dislike not having escape routes. She might approach to dislodge the barricade…


                                  • The Law Bun
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                                      My suggestion- do a trail of treats for her to follow. I once had to get Lilith out from under a structure she had found her way into, and so I first GAVE her one treat. She was interested, afterwards I planted treats a bit farther out so she had to keep inching out to get the next one (lettuce worked just fine so she isn’t getting a ton of sugar). Once she was sufficiently out, instead of reaching for HER, I slid an object to prevent her from running back under. Reaching for the rabbit will only scare it.

                                      ALSO, to lighten the mood, you can always get advice from It’s Always Sunny. You kind of have to know the show, but Charlie’s advice is infallible lol. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/83483178/


                                    • JackRabbit
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                                        It looks like she is going in the wall behind the bathtub — is there a room next to the bathroom that shares that back wall? If so, could you cut a small access in the wall from that side?


                                      • ohmy
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                                          Thank you for all the suggestions. I can’t sit and wait because I have 3 kids under age 6 I have to care for. The Tub is on the outside wall of a concrete brick home so no opening anything else. I will try the vinager and see if she hates it enough to leave. Cross all Fingers!!!


                                        • ohmy
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                                            Well, bunny is losing steam. Was sitting in backwards just out of reach and very slowly hopped back and around the corner when I tried to get a finger on her. Lost weight and is looking a bit rough. 🙁 Have food and water outside. Do you think she is gOing to give up and come out or … ???


                                          • Roberta
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                                              Sounds like she might be weakening. I’m thinking that a cardboard box if the cat tunnel isn’t available keep whole, close the top, cut a bunny sized hole in front, fill with salad and wait.
                                              I think the next big concern is if she is looking rough is if she becomes sick or bloated and is unable to move from inside the cavity she is hiding in.
                                              Another option is a cat trap, do you know anyone that may be able to lend you one ?


                                            • JackRabbit
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                                                I’m thinking its time to move beyond waiting for her to come out on her own and get help. Maybe a friend of a friend knows a plumber who would donate a little time to open the space up for you and put it back together. Maybe try callin the fire department to see if they have ideas. Have a handyman pop out a few tiles, make a hole, and reach in and push the bunny forward while someone else grabs her (would also allow you to see if there are babies she’s protecting).

                                                If your bunny is running out of steam, she needs help right away or she could die in that wall and you will end up spending the money to remove her anyway.


                                              • Roberta
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                                                  I have been thinking on this. First thing is to get a look at the space she is going into. Do you have one of those swivel mirrors on a stick mechanics use ? If not you can make one with a small mirror and broom handle. Needs to be at an angle so you can see into the space to see A. How far it goes, B. If there’s a nest, C. If there is something in there she is chewing on that could poison or electrocute her. If she chews through any cables, wastepipes or wiring you are going to have to rip the area open anyway. Short space, no nest, no electrics. Get the garden hose and snake it in slow and set to a slow trickle. But check the space first with that mirror you don’t want her going further into the cavity walls, drown babies or fry your electrics. If the cavity extends around the house there may be other access through a low vent that can be removed and used to entice her into the house.


                                                • Roberta
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                                                    You will need to point a flash light on the mirror to illuminate the space.


                                                  • Roberta
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                                                      Also I am pretty sure looking at the works that you have similar connections to the free standing tub I put in 3 yrs ago. Because drain holes dont always align with waste pipes it has a soft flexible connection. Not only would this be attractive to a hungry bunny it wouldn’t take much to chew through. She eats that then the whole tub needs to come out to replace it. If its a molded unit you might have to replace the whole tub if the waste outlet is damaged.
                                                      Second option is your local fire brigade or humane society that have experience with getting animals out of tight spaces.


                                                    • ohmy
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                                                        I can rent a trap for a pretty penny from animal control. I went ahead and shot her with a water hose today and she moved pretty quick to the other side and I almost had her. Wasn’t fast enough to keep her from scooting. She ate everything I put down and drank the bowl of water and was much livelier today. Didn’t appreciate the hose shot either. Gives me a new appreciation for the energizer bunny.


                                                      • ohmy
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                                                          It is a big space for bunnies. I have now soaked it under there and will have to put a fan down tomorrow or I will get mold. Will the wet encourage out?


                                                        • ohmy
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                                                            I wish ours was good at removing more than more than destroying. They haven’t had that much training.


                                                          • OliverBun
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                                                              Here’s a weird suggestion. You can buy Timothy hay ultra with sweet potatoes in it (target carries it here…not sure where you’re located). It’s not so good for buns in general but it may help in this situation. One taste of those sweet potatoes and my bun now goes insane any time he even hears a plastic bag that may be the hay bag and runs straight towards the sound and begins circling my feet. Its a much stronger reaction than any other treat. It’s a good tool for getting him to leave areas that I don’t want him in. Perhaps you could let yours taste the sweet potatoes by putting the bag back there and train your bunny to associate the bag sound with sweet potatoes? Might get your bunny to come out in search of treats?


                                                            • MeketatenBun
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                                                                ^ This is actual great advice! My Meketaten can be the grumpiest bun alive, but when I shake her treat bag she ZOOMS out of her cage to stick her face in the bag as soon as possible


                                                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                  Did you get him out yet?


                                                                • ohmy
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                                                                    Nope. I am not putting food in there now so she has to come all the way out to eat and drink.


                                                                  • ohmy
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                                                                      Seriously beyond frustrated.


                                                                    • olivehotot
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                                                                        Oh my gosh. I was initially going to suggest treats and toys, but I see that it’s a no-go. Has she come out yet? Maybe it’s time to try the traps.


                                                                      • Roberta
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                                                                          Time to call in the big guns. Are there any other animal rescue’s in the area ? Even one or two towns over, often they will drive the distance to help in an emergency.


                                                                        • LBJ10
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                                                                            I hate to suggest this, but how big is this hole? Would a smaller person fit in there? Like one of your kids or someone you know who has kids that are a little bit older? Tell them not to grab her, you don’t want her to struggle and get hurt. But if they can get in there far enough and give her a nudge, she would likely be persuaded to make a hasty exit. That is, as long as there isn’t anywhere else for her to go in there.


                                                                          • Roberta
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                                                                              Was thinking the same thing LBJ


                                                                            • ohmy
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                                                                                Caught!! At 4am. You can’t image my satisfaction in blocking off that area and seeing her run for it. AWESOME! 😀 Got a hold of her and she was like “what? What’s wrong??” :-/


                                                                              • ohmy
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                                                                                  Anyone want an energizer bunny????


                                                                                • ohmy
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                                                                                    I just happened to hear a noise outside and woke up. Caught a slight flash out of the corner of my eye in the dark and took a chance it was her out and closed it up. It was!!!


                                                                                  • Bam
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                                                                                      Great news! So happy to hear this!
                                                                                      I hope she’s in good shape.


                                                                                    • Roberta
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                                                                                        Yayýyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy… I hope you gave her a stern talking to.


                                                                                      • JackRabbit
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                                                                                          Glad she’s out! You still need to get a look in the back of the hole with a mirror and flashlight (or somehow) to make sure there are no babies in there. Think I’d lock her securely in another room while doing so though!


                                                                                        • OliverBun
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                                                                                            Woohoo! Hopefully she’s doing ok.


                                                                                          • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                              Glad she’s out. Hope all else is well.


                                                                                            • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                Phew! I’ve been checking in on this thread hoping for exactly that news.

                                                                                                You must have been on such a high at 4 in the morning. Lol

                                                                                                Hope she’s okay.


                                                                                              • ohmy
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                                                                                                  She is fine. Lost weight but still full of it. Yes, she and I talked for about 45 minutes before being put down. I told her I was very unhappy with her behavior. She just looked at me like a defiant teen. 😉 And I was. Got right on here to share my news! Thank you all for all your wonderful help!

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                                                                                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny Won’t Come out of wall???