I NEED HELP WITH THIS ONE

[hitnspit]

Ok i went to the barn this morning and found 3 of my 4 week old rabbits dead. the faces have been eaten off clean. nothing else touched just the faces. ANYONE seen this before or know what could be the issue. Any help please Thank you......

 

[Southern by choice]

Not sure but you might want to post this under pests and predators. You will probably get a greater response. Some say possoms because of the head just being eaten. I don't agree, we have coons and possums and neither one has just eaten the head.

 

[brentr]

How high off the ground are your cages? I had a friend who lost a pheasant to a raccoon through a chainlink fence. Said the raccoon grabbed the bird, and essentially plucked and ate it (most of it) through the wire. If your wire would allow a coon to reach through, and your cage is low enough, that would be my thought. It could have grabbed the bunnies, pulled them close to the wire, and eaten what it could reach.

See any distinct tracks or disturbances on the ground near your cage? Bent or stretched wire on the cage?

Sorry for your loss. If not a coon, not sure what it was (and am not sure it was a coon).

 

[hitnspit]

All rabbits are inside my barn. they are 3.5 feet off the floor. All cages are suspended from the wall. really no way for rats or mice to get to them..... very confused....

 

[Southern by choice]

any evidence of owls?
coons and possoms can jump up to that height easily, and by the way, I am sorry for your lil' guys! Kinda got focused on the question and never said anything about your loss.

 

[Abbey]

I am so sorry! What a horrible thing to find. I don't have any ideas, but a lot of sympathy.

 

[20kidsonhill]

what size squares(holes) does your wire have?

 

[bonbean01]

I have no idea...but what a horror for you and hope you can find out what did this and get rid of it

 

[pennylove]

Sounds like raccoons, to me. As someone else suggested, they would have no problem reaching your cages at that height and could easily grab the rabbits through the wires, pull them close enough and eat the parts they could reach. They're both smart and sneaky enough to do this, too.

How terrible, though. I am so sorry you had to find something like that. Just awful.

 

[LadyIsabelle2011]

So sorry for your loss

If I were you I would set up a live trap for the animal and use one of the bunnies it killed as bait. See if you can find some trails leading to your barn, predators like coons and possums are creatures of habit and will take the same trails again and again.