# Rabbitat Campaign!



## Pipp

http://www.rabbitsonline.net is a huge supporter of 'sanctuary' living and natural environments for homeless rabbits, and we need to get serious about this! 








The model we're supporting was developed by Quan Myers and her non-profit RABBITATS FOR HUMANITY. 







A good example of how shelters can implement this design is the Coastal Humane Society in Maine. Check out their rabbit page, here: 

http://www.coastalhumanesociety.org/rabbitats.shtml


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## slavetoabunny

One of our volunteers/fosterers with Gainesville Rabbit Rescue has recently offered to turn over her entire barn (she has a huge, lovely farm) over to the rabbits. We are currently soliciting volunteers as well as donations of materials from Lowes/Home Depot, etc. to turn it into a rabbitat. We already have an emergency generator (we are in hurricane territory after all) donated through a grant and are working on raising funds for A/C. We have two electricians (one is my husband) and a carpenter lined up and many volunteers to help with painting etc. Plans and permitting are in the works. I'll update as work progresses.


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## luvthempigs

That's great news Patti :clapping:


I will be watching for updates


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## irishbunny

I absolutely LOVE this way of living for buns, I'd even love to have a setup like that for my own bunnies. I have been thinking of doing something like this for the last couple of years, probably when I have finished college and got my own place in a few years, and taking in bunnies and letting them live out their lives in a set up like that. Especially bunnies that are too aggressive or don't enjoy human company. I have the space to do it now, but not the cash sadly.


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## tamsin

Is this temporary housing for rabbits that are going to be adopted out or permanent long term housing? In the UK we usually mean 'sanctuary' as long term place for rabbits that are hard to home, ie have health or behavioural issues, but I don't know if your using it in the same context.

The pic at the bottom of the first link is fab.. couldn't do that here because of the foxes though  I'd love a walled garden that I could mesh over to make it totally safe - that would be the ultimate rabbitat!


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## irishbunny

From reading the first website, it sounds like the owner keeps all the rabbits in that setup for good.


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## Pipp

tamsin wrote:


> Is this temporary housing for rabbits that are going to be adopted out or permanent long term housing? In the UK we usually mean 'sanctuary' as long term place for rabbits that are hard to home, ie have health or behavioural issues, but I don't know if your using it in the same context.
> 
> The pic at the bottom of the first link is fab.. couldn't do that here because of the foxes though  I'd love a walled garden that I could mesh over to make it totally safe - that would be the ultimate rabbitat!



Tamsin, I've been specifically trying to promote this for my area (BC) which has huge overruns of feral domestics, so 'sanctuary' is correct. I don't want to see rabbits used to living in a natural environment to suddenly be confined, and the school of thought is that the ferals don't make good house pets (although the seven we've picked up from the UVic grounds to date are certainly proving us wrong). 

It's only been in the last day or two I'm resolved to spread this model on a smaller level to rescues for adoptables as well, so maybe 'sanctuary' on its own is no longer the best word/phrase, let me rethink that one! 

You guys already have bunnies living in gardens (and our domestics can be your wildlife, LOL!) you're way ahead of the North American mindset!

According to Quan, she has foxes, coyotes and every other predator imaginable and hasn't lost a bunny yet. The stockade fencing is augmented with inlaid mesh or chicken wire in an 'L' shape underground and the foxes don't get in and the rabbits don't get out. 

In our area it's playing the odds -- we can lose one or two to predators or we can lose thousands to government culls. 

Thanks for the feedback! I'd love to have more input from the UK, you guys really have the natural experience. 


sas :bunnydance:


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## slavetoabunny

*Pipp wrote: *


> It's only been in the last day or two I'm resolved to spread this model on a smaller level to rescues for adoptables as well, so maybe 'sanctuary' on its own is no longer the best word/phrase, let me rethink that one!
> sas :bunnydance:


Absolutely!! That is what we are aiming for with our bunnies. Although ours will be geared to the Florida heat....meaning we will have large indoor runs that are air conditioned in the summer with access to the outdoors for our lovely winter months.


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## irishbunny

We are pretty lucky here in that we have perfect weather for bunnies  I would so love to do this now, we live in the perfect area too, quiet and green lol  right in the middle of no where. It would be great if someone on the forum did this.


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## tonyshuman

About how much does a single Rabbitat cost? Could we try to help raise the cost for one setup through the forum?


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## tamsin

That does sound/look like an ideal set up for that sort of situation. I think that that sort of natural enclosure is the best sort of environment for a bunny. Great to watch them interact and be bunnies to. It's something I've definitely seen get more popular over here. Not so much in rescue but pet owners are going for large aviary style enclosures to keep a group in. It gives you so much more scope for environmental enrichment with space for logs and whole tree branches and tunnels etc. This style of thing: http://www.aviaries4u.co.uk/chicken_runs.htm (only with rabbits not chickens in) with hutches or a shed attached for shelter. 

I think it would be more problematic with adoptable rabbits as every time you put rabbits in/out you mess with the hierarchy. Although it might work just because rabbits have more space to sort things out. But even if each rescue just had one 'pen' like that to house hard to adopt long termers that could free up a lot of space plus it sets a good example to owners for what they should aim for. 

In terms of rescue accommodation over here, it varies a lot but many rescues are moving towards a sort of cattery style system with each pair of rabbits having a pen inside with a cat flap leading through to an outdoor enclosure. Does take up space though - housing groups is definitely more space efficient.

I find housing quite an interesting topic as it has so much influence on health/behaviour


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## Violet23

Oh now I really cant wait to be done school and in my own place - I am sooo doing this with my bunnies! I honestly have never seen a setup like that before, so cool!


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## Pipp

*tonyshuman wrote: *


> About how much does a single Rabbitat cost? Could we try to help raise the cost for one setup through the forum?


It actually seems surprisingly inexpensive. I didn't write down the exact prices, but Quan said she only spent hundreds, not thousands. 

And I just found this DIY site, which says a 50 ft stockade fence can be built for under $600. 

http://www.diyornot.com/Sample/Project.asp?ndx1=1&ndx2=10&ndx3=0&Rcd=85


Here's the quote: 

_A fence contractor will charge $1,136 to build a 50-foot long, 6-foot high wooden stockade fence, but you can buy the materials and build it yourself for $560, saving 51 percent. Add more to the budget if you want to seal the fence sections with a wood finish. The materials include seven fence sections, 14 4-by-4-inch posts, miscellaneous hardware and enough concrete mix to anchor the posts. It's strenuous work because it involves digging the holes for the posts, pouring cement in the postholes and securing them and then fastening the fence sections to the post._

If someone put fifty feet of fencing behind their garage with the garage forming one wall, the enclosure could be 16.5 ft square and easily (and happily) hold a small colony, so this is a good option for anybody with a house. Better yet, if there's a shed with a swinging 'cat door', it's awesome indoor/outdoor living. 

Housing dozens seems pretty affordable. I'm sure we can raise $2500 for a free standing 50 ft square model and throw a 'rabbitat raising' meet-up in the process. The larger the area, the more natural food sources there will be room for, making the ongoing maintenance cheaper. 


sas


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## irishbunny

This is our chicken enclosure, which my Dad built for nothing, the wire came from a guy getting out of chickens, he also built his own wooden chicken coops with scrap wood. So if you want to build this kind of set up, you could find people online or locally looking to get rid of that kind of stuff. Then just get someone willing to build it for free 

Feeding the bunnies should not cost much, buy bulk pellets and hay and they can also eat grass and other plants you find around if you live somewhere where you can. The most expensive part would be vets bills, I think. Unless you get someone or some place that will help you out with that.

I hope someone on the forum sets it up be so cool so see how it goes!


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## funnybunnymummy

*Pipp wrote: *


> *tonyshuman wrote: *
> 
> 
> 
> About how much does a single Rabbitat cost? Could we try to help raise the cost for one setup through the forum?
> 
> 
> 
> It actually seems surprisingly inexpensive. I didn't write down the exact prices, but Quan said she only spent hundreds, not thousands.
> 
> sas
Click to expand...


On her page she said she spent $350-$400 on the CHS rabbitat.

I like this idea. I've been keeping Gus half in the house, half in the backyard (fenced and bunny-proofed with overhanging trees for protection and shade) and he really seems tothrive having access to the outdoors! 

We've definitely got the right climate for it here (not too hot, not too cold). So who'sproviding the land?

Rue


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## Pipp

funnybunnymummy wrote:


> So who'sÂ providing the land?



Know any Gus fans with an acreage or big back yard who may want to jump in with their own warren?:  


sas :bunnydance:


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## funnybunnymummy

Unfortunately, nobody. 

Rue


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## PixieStixxxx

RO could fundraise to build a rabbitat for the homeless bun buns in BC!

But we need to find someone with land !!


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## tonyshuman

That's exactly what I was thinking, April!


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## PixieStixxxx

Pipp!
Are we going to be building one for the Uvic rabbits?


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## Pipp

*PixieStixxxx wrote: *


> Pipp!
> Are we going to be building one for the Uvic rabbits?


We need to find land, yards, barns or whatever and apply for a permit (or .... :devil ), that's the immediate goal. 


sas :dancingorig:


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## PixieStixxxx

My parents own three farms in the Philippines. I should talk them into buying land here :nasty:


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## Bill Jesse

It would be utopia if we could find just an acre which we could use to house the UVic bunnies. Land here is very pricey and hard to find. All of us want them to stay here but it seems there is no room at the 2 island sanctuaries and most of the bunnies will be going to Texas. Actually once we have them across the Canada/US border they could go to any good sanctuary in the USA.


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## hopperhaven

Those are lovely areas

Rabbits are so happy outside. 

My sanctuary has 30 hutches and sheds each with their own enclosure. They aren't as big as those shown, but range from 6ft square up to 20ft square. The smallest hutches are 6ft by 2ft by 2ft, but most are bigger.

Each one houses from 1-4 rabbits. I had a group of 12 once but they went to war and had to be split into smaller groups. I dread to think of the damage groups of ferals must do to each other! I have had succesful groups of 5-8 rabbits in the past but they have gradually died over the years and the ones here now don't seem to want to co-operate with larger groupings In fact I have several who won't even accept one partner And the first thing the different groups do when I let them out in the morning is go and patrol the boundaries and argue with the neighbours, charging up and down the fences with their tails in the air. Rabbits love nothing better than a good arguement!

I shut all the rabbits in the hutches or sheds at night to keep them safe from foxes. Last winter when we had so much snow, there were fox tracks in and around the hutches regularly so I know they are here often. I could hear a vixen barking last night, and often I hear the rabbits thumping at night when either a fox or a cat goes prowling, so putting them away at night is essential. A fox can get over any fence that a cat could get over. All the hutches and sheds have good solid bolts and secure wire and covers for the winter. They get let out first thing and put away just before dark. They all go to bed happily as that is when they are fed. They see me coming with the pellet bucket and fling themselves into the hutches, often with a flick of their heels I never pick them up after they go in, so they trust me. Health checks are done and meds given in the morning before they are let out. I have quite a few half wild or extremely nervous or downright vicious rabbits so this system works well.


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## Bill Jesse

Sounds ideal in so many ways. I guess I can only wish.


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## Nela

I posted about this in another thread but I wanted to ask since it concerns this directly...

How are they keeping predators out? Ok the fence is full so I am sure it keeps dogs out if they cannot dig under but what about predators attacking from the top like cats? 

Justasking because I want to make Maybelle free range and it would look sort of like this and my main concern is keeping cats out so I was curious to know how they have solved that


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## Nela

I went ahead and emailed Quan for more information about how it is actually set up. I only now saw Pipp's reply about the foxes and coyotes. I would very much like to convert my yard and let the bunnies out in a more natural and spaciousenvironment. If they can manage it then surely there must be a way.

Meant to add, this may be concerning my own rabbits at the present but in the future I would adopt rabbits hard to rehomefrom shelters if this could work. Last week or so, 5000 rabbits were killed in a fire at a shelter. I only recently found a proper list of current shelters and there are definitely a LOT of rabbits. The country is overun with them, both wild and domestic. They are culling.


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## Bill Jesse

I agree about having a safe run for the rabbits and a covering is needed. My 3 baby bunnies were born free and although each is in a 2x4 cage it bothers me. I have an outdoor pen and just bought an exercise pen but we are in a rainy season now and they are not using it for now.
A fire! How devastating! I just wired my bunny barn for a light and an electrical outlet. I have done wiring in the past and this would be a very simple operation but I elected to hire a pro just because of my fear of fire in there.
Culling seems to be the big word these days. Here if its not the rabbits its the deer, the beavers, Canada Geese and bull frogs.


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## Moro Ferret

Hi. These enclosures are beautiful.

I am confused, though. I thought the HRS was all about bringing bunnies inside -- they say on their website that bunnies living outside in hutches don't live as long due to the elements and predators getting/harassing them. Even if the space is bigger, isn't that still a big threat? What about raccoon roundworms and other illness/parasites? Do the buns live outside, or come in for the night? What about poisonous plants/mushrooms growing in the enclosure? 

I am just really curious about the safety of outside living. I have been thinking of building an outdoor "playland" for mine to use on nice days...It really seems like they'd enjoy it.


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## Bill Jesse

I share your concerns. I have 3 rabbits in a hutch inside a building. It is sheltered from the elements and predators. I have outdoor pens for them to run around in but only if I am present. I also have a male who lives indoors (free roaming) but will go outdoors in his pen when the weather is nice enough. None of my rabbits are ever outdoors at night.


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## Pipp

*Moro Ferret wrote: *


> I am confused, though. I thought the HRS was all about bringing bunnies inside -- they say on their website that bunnies living outside in hutches don't live as long due to the elements and predators getting/harassing them. Even if the space is bigger, isn't that still a big threat? What about raccoon roundworms and other illness/parasites? Do the buns live outside, or come in for the night? What about poisonous plants/mushrooms growing in the enclosure?


This isn't the HRS, which is all about bringing bunnies inside where humans can enjoy them and keep them safe. Unfortunately, the HRS can only house a small percentage of the homeless rabbits in the world and they rarely deal with feral or meat rabbits. This option is a step up from loose in the park or life in a tiny cage or hutch while awaiting the butcher. 

The UVic bunnies had some major parasite and nutrition issues. Both can be solved with care. The young bunnies were picked off constantly by hawks, but rabbits in the Rabbitats won't be breeding. The 20% first year survival rate in the wild mostly applies to the babies. 

Outdoor savvy rabbits -- or more the case, rabbits that get to choose their food and not just eat what they're given or have access to rarely to be choosy -- will not eat poisonous plants. (They also have a high tolerance to plants considered poisonous). This shouldn't be much of an issue, but I would still watch for and remove mushrooms and bad vegetation, good call on that one. 

And raccoon roundworm is a very serious concern and is taken into consideration when designing the rabbitats. Raccoons are pretty specific in their toilet areas, they are easily identified if you know what to look for, and she need to be avoided or very very thoroughly cleaned. 

As many 'safe' rabbits are tortured as house pets by well meaning caregivers. The two things that matter the most to the rabbits instinctively are overhead cover (if not underground burrows) and traction. Wire cages with no 'panic room' boxes or at least a cover over part of the tops and sides is as unnatural to a bunny as a human living in a glass house. And the linoleum or corroplast flooring is like a human living on a skating rink. Of course they adapt to an extent (as would we), but it goes against every natural instinct the poor rabbit has. So there's no one-size-fits-all 'house bunnies are better off than yard bunnies'. 

Rabbits locked in hutches (a particular HRS no-no) are more prone to predator attacks than rabbits loose in the yard and will instinctively feel far more threatened. They're caged meat, attracting raccoons, weasels, etc.. A yard rabbit that has been allowed to build its natural escape routes or has routes built for them is far less likely to succumb to adrenaline poisoning (which rabbits are prone to). In all cases a secure, solid fence is essential to block line of sight predators as is lots of ground cover for attacks from the air. 

Its also not much different from saying you can't send your kid to school because he might get hit by a bus. Lock him in his bedroom, he'll be perfectly safe there. Suicidal, but safe. And you can't compare rabbits to infants. They're a lot smarter that people seem to realize, and they possess some impressive survival skills. Rabbits are not designed by nature to be safe. Everything eats rabbits. 

That said, Rabbitats aren't really the best option for house rabbits (especially the many who are taken away from their families too young and grow up very dependent). But in many cases, rabbits are better off 95% safe in a well-designed predator-savvy yard than 100% dead in an overcrowded shelter, meat breeder facility or a loose in a park that's nothing but a coyote smÃ¶rgÃ¥sbord. It's all about choices and options.

The 'Rabbitats' model will be happy with 95% safe. The ones pictured are historically 99.4% safe. (Two dwarfs for some reason didn't hide from a Barred Owl when there was an owl infestation in Maine, those have been the only casualties in six years). 

But people wanting to let their house rabbits out in the yard can certainly make the area as safe as the house. You just have to know what you're doing. 

PS: I vividly remember when I first joined this board's predecessor, the loss of three rabbits to predators that week. One board favorite was killed by a neighborhood dog that rushed past the rabbit owner as she was opening the door to her house -- the dog had seen the rabbit in the window. And another lost her bunny to a neighbor's dog who rushed in and knocked over its wire run while the owner was supervising the play time. Yet another person had a very secure hutch that thwarted a raccoon attack, but the rabbit died from fear. There is no such thing as 100% safe. 

sas :bunnydance:


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## maxysmummy

*Moro Ferret wrote: *


> Hi. These enclosures are beautiful.
> 
> I am confused, though. I thought the HRS was all about bringing bunnies inside -- they say on their website that bunnies living outside in hutches don't live as long due to the elements and predators getting/harassing them. Even if the space is bigger, isn't that still a big threat? What about raccoon roundworms and other illness/parasites? Do the buns live outside, or come in for the night? What about poisonous plants/mushrooms growing in the enclosure?
> 
> I am just really curious about the safety of outside living. I have been thinking of building an outdoor "playland" for mine to use on nice days...It really seems like they'd enjoy it.


i was thinking the same thing!


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## Moro Ferret

Hi Pipp. Thanks for the post! It was very educational. 

I also was not trying to lump everyone in with the HRS, I just know that bringing bunnies inside is becoming increasingly popular.

Here's a question for you. Some European studies show that ferrets who live outdoors (In colder climates of course) and are exposed to natural light cycles and weather actually tend to live longer and have less tendency to develop adrenal cancer and other complications. Keep in mind that Europe also has different food and breeding practices that also lead to healthier ferts. My question is, do you think it is, in some respects, healthier to keep a rabbit outdoors in a Rabbitatt?


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## tonyshuman

Similar ideas are being put forth in rabbits. Their issue seems to be vitamin D and calcium metabolism. The sun provides the vitamin D that can keep their bodies doing normal things with calcium, not creating huge bladder stones or sludge.


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## maxysmummy

*tonyshuman wrote: *


> Similar ideas are being put forth in rabbits. Their issue seems to be vitamin D and calcium metabolism. The sun provides the vitamin D that can keep their bodies doing normal things with calcium, not creating huge bladder stones or sludge.


oh no that makes me feel so guilty


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## tonyshuman

Don't feel bad--our bunnies are much better off with us! Vit D supplements by having a good quality pellet and maybe using full spectrum light bulbs can help.


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## Nela

Pipp,

'But people wanting to let their house rabbits out in the yard can certainly make the area as safe as the house. You just have to know what you're doing.'

Would you and other savvy people make a post (or point me to one if it exists) on 
that topic? Specifically, what do we need to look for and how much is enough, etc. I was hoping to build tunnels and things to give Maybelle the yard. I had about given up on it until I saw your post. I was pleasantly surprised by your stance on the matter to be honest. If you have a chance, could you elaborate on the matter? It would make a world of difference to my bunnies :rose:


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## SOOOSKA

How do you vote on this Pepsi thing? I signed up but can't figure out how to vote.

Susan:?:?:?:?:?:?:?:?


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## tamsin

*Nela wrote: *


> Pipp,
> 
> 'But people wanting to let their house rabbits out in the yard can certainly make the area as safe as the house. You just have to know what you're doing.'
> 
> Would you and other savvy people make a post (or point me to one if it exists) on
> that topic? Specifically, what do we need to look for and how much is enough, etc. I was hoping to build tunnels and things to give Maybelle the yard. I had about given up on it until I saw your post. I was pleasantly surprised by your stance on the matter to be honest. If you have a chance, could you elaborate on the matter? It would make a world of difference to my bunnies :rose:


An aviary is the most secure option. Depending on your out door space you can sometimes use 1 or 2 house walls to form some of the sides. Here are some examples: http://www.therabbithouse.com/gallery/rabbit-aviary.asp

The main points are you need walls either solid or covered in small enough mesh to stop predators i.e 1"x1/2". Something to stop them digging in/out so either paving floor or mesh buried in the soil/grass, and a roof, again mesh for this but you can also cover with something solid.

Tam


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## gentle giants

I have a question about the fencing for a rabbitat. Do you need to bury a few inches of it in the ground in case they dig out? I have been keeping all of my spayed/neutered rescues in a large homemade run since the weather finally warmed up enough for them to be comfortable. I move the run every day so they will have fresh grass, clover etc. and I have to put bricks down around the outside of the wire or one of my does will dig out.


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## Pipp

In many cases we can use garden wire (the plastic coated kind like 'yard guard'), use zip ties to strap it to the fence and garden hooks to secure it to the ground. For major diggers, you can lay that wire over top of the entire ground in the run. The vegetation will still grow through it, but they can't dig burrows. 

Hope that helps! 


sas :bunnydance:


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## slavetoabunny

When I live in California many moons ago, we rabbit-proofed our yard by digging down and placing two feet of bricks. This is not the ideal solution for most people. We only had one small area that was vulnerable to escape. The rest of our yard was completely enclosed by cinderblock fencing.


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## Must_Love_Pets

I have the space for sure!! I have a HUGE backyard. If someone would build the enclosures I would rescue and foster in a heartbeat!


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## Pipp

Thanks! I'll see what I can do!


sas :bunnydance:


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