We have a juvenile bunny living in the bushes in the front yard. It’s small. It’s cute. And it’s driving our dog crazy.
She is an English cocker from field and show lines, but her hunting skills are limited to flushing and tracking Things That Fly. She’ll flush the rabbit and then run the opposite direction, for example.
Usually she’s fixated on the kitchen, where the treats are, but lately the focus has changed to the front door. She is stressed. The bunny is stressed from being terrorized by the dog. We are stressed, not to mention tired of picking shrubbery out of the dog’s coat.
I do not want the rabbit to die, which so far has been the only “helpful” suggestion. But it needs to find new digs.
There are commercial Rabbit repellents.
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I’d imagine the bunny will move on by itself if the dog keeps making Life uncomfortable.
If it’s a female with kits that could mean waiting until the babies are mobile.
7wks at best.
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UGH ! ^
Exactly the scene here; within the fenced yard … fourth nest this season ` mother rabbit figured I would protect her kits and they were safe from wild predators within the fenced yard. UGH ! It’s a challenge ! dog and mowers … the nesting area has been secured as much as can be done. Hopefully this is the last litter for this season. SEVEN WEEKS ???
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LOL welcome to my life. For some reason rabbits will go into my fenced back yard and eat the grass in there, rather than the grass outside the fence. And then when I let the dogs out in the morning, the rabbits can’t figure out how to get back out fast enough.
In the open field, my dogs will try to catch them, usually unsuccessfully, but if they will hunt for and catch/kill the kits.
If you know where the rabbit lives, can you try to put some pressure on it to move? Shooing it away often - maybe it would move on? The smallest babies now are big enough to be mobile - would they really have another litter at this time of year? (Or, maybe I should ask where the OP lives - I am in NY. I think it might be too late for babies again here).
We’re in GA. Judging by its size, I think this rabbit is just a couple weeks past being weaned. It’s small.
SO bought some rabbit repellent (thanks @Equibrit, never knew there was such a thing) and spread it around where the rabbit has been hiding. He also pulled up a dying shrub, which thinned out one of bunny’s favored safe havens. The dog hasn’t been parked by the door today, but we had a small party this afternoon, so she was preoccupied with trying to mooch food.
I know rabbits breed like, well, rabbits, but they’re in our living space because we built homes in theirs. So I prefer to coexist where possible.
