# ants in rabbit hutches



## giant snail (Oct 25, 2009)

i have all my hutches undercover...... they all makde from various sheet wood material...... iv put PVA glue on the bottles partly up the sides to replel urine etc..... 
y-day morning i had noticed a few on the floor i think they are coming though the mypex (carpet/ material stuff that stops weeds growing) by the afternoon i came round to feeding the rabbits there where HUNDREDS of them they wernt intrested in any of the rabbits they where under the litter tray all around the door frame only on 2/4 hutches managed to get rid of most of them....... what can i do???

would ant powder be safe to put down under the litter tray and thier wood shavings does anyone know??

i sprayed them with double stregnth formula H didnt seem to care about that! :bash:


never had an issue before i think they have just decidied to make a nest under my hutches..... not sure what is attracting them into my hutches???


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Buy boric acid (sold in chemists for wounds, and I think some cooking areas in supermarkets, and laundry areas) and mix with jam or something else sweet and place where the ants will be but the rabbits cant reach, such as the high side of a hutch (you can rub it in say a toilet roll tub or the sleeve of a matchbox etc, and tape that to the hutch not ON the hutch obviously)

The ants will carry the goods home and the whole nest will be eliminated. Should be a ton less within days, but will take a week or two for them to stop coming as the larvae mature they will start popping out so keep it there for a while.

Please consider popping a little vinegar around it to stop bees also taking a dose, no one likes dead bees, they are our friends


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## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

*ants*

I've never had this problem myself but can suggest a few things. 

Firstly how far are your hutches from the ground? I try to make sure all my hutches are at least 6 inches from base to ground level. I also keep all of my hutches on patio and not soil/grass as this better helps maintain hygiene, preverse wood and prevent rising damp. 

Secondly try looking into some natural solutions such as lavender which I use to deter flies and mosquitoes. This should also deter ants from entering the hutch in the first place. 

Then I would advise changing away from wood shavings. Try easibed, ecobed, megazorb, auboise and many more. You can see my website binkybunny.weebly regarding bedding. Its in construction so bare with me. 

How often are you cleaning hutches and litter trays. I do litter trays once or twice a day and then spot clean daily, full turf out and disinfect every week or so and then monthly full empty, hose down, bleach and a solid scrub. 

I also use lion on the base of my hutches. This will further deter insects which will be attracted to the smell of ammonia absorbed by the timber of the hutch. 

Lino is easy to take out, clean and put back in again then to be covered with a generous layer of bedding. 

You can also use a product called stable zone to base the hutch with before putting down bedding. This will also help prevent presence of insects. 

Where abouts are the ants hiding that isn't been seen everyday? Do you give the undersides of your hutches a brush down too when doing cleaning and repainting them? 

Good luck with that. Is a very strange thing to have ants nesting in a hutch, I would have thought ants like to nest in dark, untouched places.


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## giant snail (Oct 25, 2009)

i have never had this problem either been there almost 3 years now! 
my hutches are all under cover so never get damp from rain. they are about 3 inches off the floor. doesnt matter how high off the floor they are ants will walk up surfaces as they are doing with the hutches.

they arnt nesting in my hutches i dont think i havnt a clue what they are doing. i have bought 12 ant bait boxes and put them under neith a few of my hutches so hopefully sort the issue out. if not will have to find aload of frogs!:lol2:


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

We have ants come every year to our window sill it is not dark, it is not undisturbed and there is no food or anything sweet...and I hope noone has ever got urine there lol.

Sometimes you find you are just on the commuter path between where they live and what they are searching for.


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## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

Hi Again, 
I don't really know much about ants but maybe it would be a good idea to research them? I know ants like warm places too like window sills in the summer. Maybe its the warmth of your hutches that's attracting them? 

If I were you I would empty all my hutches, take them apart and hose them down and scrub with bleach. If there is some kind of route they are choosing to take, it will surely be followed by the scent of previous ants having taken that route? 

Such an upheaval of the hutches being taken apart and then bleached should ruin this trail. 

I would also still increase the height of the hutches from the ground. You could even treat the legs of the hutch with something with chemicals in and wait for it to dry/settle before putting your buns back in to their homes. 

While doing this, it might be a good idea to repaint/timber treat the hutches too. Cuprinol is safe for bunnies. 

Ensure the hutches are rinsed with boiling water after being bleached and left to dry in the sun fully before putting in all new bedding. 

If your hutches are only four inches from the ground you could get a problem with wood lice. I had this once and by increasing the distance from hutch to ground, I've not had the problem since and wood lice can climb too. 

You could use fly sticky tape on the legs of the hutches? Ants might get stuck to it? Its cheap on ebay and I buy them every year to put on the ceiling of my hutches in case any flies get in.

Another benefit with bleach cleaning is that it is the only thing that will kill the E.C parasite. As long as you can smell bleach on the hutches once rinsed and dried, its safe for your bunnies but do stik your nose to the wood as bunnies do for a sniff. Lol. 

Other than that I can only think of putting a small pile of sugar in your garden far away from the hutches and hope that the ants are attracted in the opposite direction to your rabbits. If they are attracted to the sugar, you can then douse that area in ant killer. 

What bunnies do you keep? I have ten bunnies and babies at the moment. Will be getting another BRC rung fawn mini lop buck next month, very excited as he's from the Parish line so super rare and fantastic bloodline. 

Can't wait to show him for myself! Ill be going to the South of England show and showing my choco tort doe there. 

Are you a BRC member? The fur and feather website has loads of great tips and advice for bunny keeping!  

Emilie.


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## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

try this dynamite insect repellent - its herbal
Dyna-mite Insect Repellent 250ml by Dog Health Ltd - Amazing Animal Accessories - Online UK Pet


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

lovemysnakes said:


> try this dynamite insect repellent - its herbal
> Dyna-mite Insect Repellent 250ml by Dog Health Ltd - Amazing Animal Accessories - Online UK Pet




Dyna-mite doesn't work :devil:, tried it years ago. Biggest waste of money going. Best thing would be to smear something like Nipon ant killer on the legs of the hutches so they eat this before getting into the hutches :2thumb:.


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## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

Oo thanks, I hadn't tried it but I know not to bother now. 

You don't really want dead ants in the hutch though really. I honestly would want to take them all apart and disinfect them. Who knows what ant carry? Probably not much but still. 

You could spray it down with ivermectin, like 5%, 1 part ivermectin, 5 parts water. It works a treat on mites, so can imagine ants won't much like it either.


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## giant snail (Oct 25, 2009)

i have found what they are looking for :whip: its the sap in some of the wood i am using as the weather is warmer and more humid!!! darn it. they are everywhere im pretty sure i found the nest so i drounded and destrioed alot of it but going to get some nipon as read that this is good. the ant bait boxes iv bought have kill quite a few as seen lots of dead ones. the ants dont seem to be bothering the animals luckily little :devil: to get rid of tho lol 

hopefully nipon will sort it


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## Jaydan (Apr 30, 2012)

Personally never had this as mine was a house rabbit but this has had me scratching my head, my friend had the same problem with her bun last year and for some reason I think she said she used bicarb soda? Dont take my word on this, im going to have to ask her. Hope you get the problem fixed


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## lovemysnakes (Apr 17, 2011)

giant snail said:


> i have found what they are looking for :whip: its the sap in some of the wood i am using as the weather is warmer and more humid!!! darn it. they are everywhere im pretty sure i found the nest so i drounded and destrioed alot of it but going to get some nipon as read that this is good. the ant bait boxes iv bought have kill quite a few as seen lots of dead ones. the ants dont seem to be bothering the animals luckily little :devil: to get rid of tho lol
> 
> hopefully nipon will sort it


Pleased to hear its getting resolved  now if only it would stop raining so the buns can enjoy the garden  its so chilly I had to repack sleeping compartments with lots of straw again! Lol


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