# Wild Rats in With the Rabbits



## kellysmith1976 (Jun 10, 2008)

I have checked my sheds and i couldnt believe what i saw.. Blood!..
It was kinda sprayed up the wall, From the floor to about 1ft up.. It was quite a bit, at first i thought maybe the rabbits had a fight, But there was no fluff, and after thoroughly checking them they are fine, no marks on them at all..
So i cleaned them out to see if i could find anything else, and i found rat poop..

Now im in a panic as to what to do.. Would the rabbits have attacked the rat?.. There is no trace of a body or remains..
I have checked the shed and there was a small hole gnawed in the side, so i have filled it.. 
But could the rats give the rabbits diseases, And how do i get rid or at least deter the rats from getting in!


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## kingkelly (May 14, 2012)

Are you sure you don't have a male rabbit spraying? It can be very dark in colour.


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## kellysmith1976 (Jun 10, 2008)

kingkelly said:


> Are you sure you don't have a male rabbit spraying? It can be very dark in colour.



No Both males have been castrated.. and it is definately blood, No doubt in my mind!


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

A rabbit is not likely to attack a rat unless in defense, it could have been two rats fighting one another.

However you want to rid of them asap as they will attack rabbits, you will probably benefit from treating them all for parasites, i had one rat get in my shed last summer and passed lice onto everything. Had to ivermec all the rabbits and around 100 mice. It also killed a bunch of my mice and bit one of my rabbits on the nose through the mesh. 

I had to resort to poison and now i have a trap set constantly outside to catch strays.

I don't hate rats, but i can't risk them being around my other animals.

A friend of mine had one get into her guinea-pig enclosure and it killed 8 of them. I used to breed rats and there is nothing scarier than being attacked by one, they can be so vicious.


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## PPVallhunds (May 23, 2010)

Also the worrie of leptosprosis that they can carry. so make sure you thurrely disenfect your hands after bing in there and cover any cuts you have. Its transmitted threw infected urin.

We have them for the first time in 9 years so geting the traps out. You can use poisens one, snapper ones, electric ones, ultrasonic repeller things or humane traps.


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## lisadew24 (Jul 31, 2010)

I would try and get rats sorted as quick as possible I had a customer tell me a rat killed her rabbit it got in the hutch and killed it also my pet rats killed a wild mouse that got into their cage all that was left was a back foot, tail and ribs and also someone on here had their pet rat get into their bearded dragons viv and kill it. watch out for crows when your rabbits are in their run when I worked in a vets a man came in with a rabbit with a hole in its side and turns out it was a crow he saw the crow doing it


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## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Apparently magpies are a pest for pecking at rabbits eyes...i have to say personally i've lived in two different places where the magpies were always in the garden with the rabbits running around and only so much as squawked at them and attempted to run away with their fluffy white tails... they were far more interested in tennis balls and teddy bears than the rabbits.

I personally couldn't see a magpie getting that close to one of my hare's without getting a good kicking, even the neighbours cats won't get to close to them! lol


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## kellysmith1976 (Jun 10, 2008)

Thank you... I have boarded up all holes, and gaps.. in both outer shed and insulation wall... Amazingly there was a big hole, with evidence of rat traffic.. god knows how long they have been in there without me noticing!..
I have thoroughly disinfected sheds...
I have also put some snap traps (in places that no other animal can get to) I dont like using these, but I feel that in this situation, i have to.
I am going to be phoning council about them, as I spoke to my neighbour and he has seen a couple of rats.. Down the road a bit they have Pigeons and chickens.. Now im not blaming him, But I guess with my supply of Rabbit food and his supply of bird food.. they have come in numbers!

Oh and the blood is a mystery.. I cleaned it off, and it was definately blood.. but as to whose im still none the wiser!


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