Rats are tenacious scavengers. Accordingly, when they find a secure source of food and shelter, they make themselves at home. Can pet rabbits attract rats? Sadly, it is not only gross to have these vermin in your home and around your rabbit, but it is also a health risk.
Pet rabbits attract rats unintentionally. What attracts rats is not the rabbit itself but the food, droppings, and comfortable environment of the rabbit enclosure. Rat infestation is dangerous to rabbits. Rats are carriers of severe diseases like rat-bite fever, salmonella, etc. Rats also attack small rabbits and rabbit kits, sometimes even killing and eating them.
This article gives details about protecting your pet bunnies from rats and ways you can get rid of rats in your rabbit cage. We will also answer some questions you might have including:
- How Do I Protect My Rabbits From Rats?
- How Do I Get Rid of Rats Without Harming My Rabbits?
- Can Rats Eat Through Rabbit Wire?
- How Do I Get Rid Of Rats In My Rabbit Hutch?
- Can You Keep Rats And Rabbits Together?
How Do I Protect My Rabbits From Rats?
An effective way of protecting your rabbit from rats is by making your rabbit environment unattractive to rats. Consider the following means of achieving this.
Always keep The Cage Clean
Rats tend to roam and reside in messy and dirty rabbit cages. There are many hiding places for mice in an untidy rabbit cage, and there are many foods that they can easily steal. A clean enclosure is usually free of rats.
Additionally, Pet rabbits attract rats with their droppings. Rabbit droppings should not be left in the cage for a long time; rats also feed on them. Therefore, you need to clean the cage regularly and thoroughly to get rid of rats in your rabbit cage and for your rabbit’s good health.
Hence, you need to clean up leftover food and change out hay. Remember too that, unlike rats, your rabbits are not nocturnal (i. ẹ. they are not active at night). There is no need to keep food for them at night. So keep the food bowls empty at night. When rats do not see food in the cage any longer, they may change to another place.
Rodent Proof The Hutch
It is well known that rats can squeeze through the tiniest openings and cracks. In that case, you can either get a new rodent-proof cage made with tough steel wire mesh or make some adjustments to the current one. Confirm that any mesh wall is made of 0.5-inch wire mesh, as this will prevent any rodents from slipping into the mesh.
Ensure that the enclosure is safe and all holes are thoroughly Patched. This becomes highly necessary when your rabbit already has or will have kits. Rats are known for attacking and even eating rabbit kits.
Another vital part of securing your rabbit enclosure against rats is to ensure that the floor is solid. It is easier to clean droppings and food from concrete floors.
Placement Of The Cage
Small gaps around your rabbit cage might be the ideal dwelling place for rats. You can get rid of rats in such areas by placing the pen flush with the wall. Another brilliant idea is to move it at least three feet away from any walls or possible hiding holes that rodents may use.
Proper Food Storage
While it is economical to buy rabbit food in bulk, rats are attracted to them. Most times, rats can chew through the containers for storing foods. Properly keeping rabbit food in air-tight containers can help protect your rabbit from rat infestation.
How Do I Get Rid of Rats Without Harming My Rabbits?
One of the fastest ways to get rid of rats is by using rat poison. Unfortunately, rat poison can kill rabbits too. Another common way is to use sonic and electric pest repellent. These are devices that emit high-pitched sounds that are distressing and painful to rats and mice. These, too, are dangerous to rabbits because they can hear the sounds as well.
Happily, there are other methods of getting rid of rats that are safe for rabbits. They include;
1. Rat Traps
You can set up rat traps in and around your rabbit hutch. This will help get rid of rats. To ensure that the traps will not harm your rabbit, use humane rodent traps that will not kill but hold the rodent inside. That way, if your pet accidentally stumbles on the mousetrap, it will not be injured.
For the rattrap to be effective, you need baits. You can use cheese, pieces of fish or meat, or buttered bread to make the trap attractive to the rats. It is equally vital that you check traps and replace the baits daily.
2. Get A Pet Cat
Cats help get rid of rats. What makes them effective is that their presence alone is usually enough to drive rodents away and prevent them from coming back.
So, if you prefer to get rid of rats naturally without harming your rabbit, get a full-grown pet cat from an animal shelter. A kitten might be too small to do the job. Just ensure to train the cat to be friendly to the rabbit.
3. Seal Up holes.
Check if your rabbit cage has any entrances. Then, use a non-toxic sealant or metal cloth to seal the cracks. (metal cloth is a kind of fine steel wool used to block gaps.)
Sealing up any holes in your rabbit cage will prevent rats from having access to the enclosure. Mice can pass through tiny spaces. An adventurous mouse can pass through a gap of approximately one inch.
Can Rats Eat Through Rabbit Wire?
The fact is that rats have strong teeth and can bite through many unbelievable things. Mice have a tendency to gnaw on wires. Chewing is typical behavior in rodents. If they are starving, they can immediately use their teeth to cut the low-gauge wires without harming themselves
Thus, unless the rabbit wire is made of galvanized steel, rats may eat through it. In addition, wires with tiny holes are hard for mice to insert their teeth. In other words, if the mouse can insert its teeth into the net, it can eat through it.
To prevent this from happening, use a rodent-proof wire mesh made of galvanized steel. Also, ensure that the holes of the mesh are not more than half an inch.
It is also good to put the food pan far away from the mesh walls. In this way, the rats cannot reach through the wires and steal some food.
How Do I Get Rid Of Rats In My Rabbit Hutch?
As earlier mentioned in this article, it is possible to get rid of rats without harming your rabbit. Still, the closest place to your rabbit is the cage, and it is equally a convenient place for rats to flourish. Before your pet can be free of rats, you need to pay attention to the pen too. Therefore, take note of the following tips:
1. Use Fleece Bedding
Using woolen blankets as bedding can make your rabbit cage less cluttered and reduce the possibility of rats settling down in the cell. Fleece blankets are easy to clean and dry quickly. What’s more, wool provides a super comfortable environment for your rabbit, making him healthy and happy.
However, the drawback of wool bedding is that it can become damp in cold and humid weather. When moist, it may cause your rabbit’s body temperature to fall critically(hypothermia). As a result, the rabbit may die. The best way to avoid this is to always keep the fleece bedding dry.
Other materials for making rabbit bedding include paper and hay. If the bedding is not cleaned out completely at least every two weeks, all of these options can provide an ideal nesting home for rats.
2. Use Strong Metallic Cage Wire
If you have a problem with rodents, consider covering your rabbit enclosure with welded wire mesh. Use high-quality wire mesh in your rabbit’s cage to reduce the number of mice. A rodent-proof pen is one of the best ways to make sure your rabbit is protected from both mice and rats.
Sadly, rats can easily pass through the large wire on the best rabbit hutches. However, covering the cage with chicken wire is not the best option because the rat can gnaw on it and enter the enclosure. Instead, use strong metal(e.g., galvanized steel wires) to make your rat-proof rabbit cage.
Can You Keep Rats And Rabbits Together?
Actually, it is possible to own both rats and rabbits as pets simultaneously, and they will get along. Yet, keeping them together in the same space is not a good idea. Also, they need constant supervision before they can be allowed to play together. Consider the following reasons:
1. Rats can be a disturbance to rabbits
Although pet rats are calmer than common pest rats, still, they can disturb the wellbeing of pet rabbits. Rabbits are gentle animals. In contrast, rats are very active. During playtime, rats can encroach on a rabbit space, jump on it, and even bite on rabbits fur occasionally
2. Rats can attack rabbit kits
Rats cannot be trained like cats and dogs. When around kits, rats can give in to their natural instinct and attack the baby rabbits. Even if the pet rat is well fed, you cannot trust how it will handle the kits.
3. Rabbits can injure rats
Ordinarily, a rabbit will not intentionally injure a pet rat. However, the rat might be hurt if it gets under the paw of a big rabbit. Also, a rabbit kick can be deadly to a rat if it is hit in the wrong place.
In addition, an overprotective doe can attack if a rat enters its cage while it is nursing her young ones.
4. Rats can transmit sickness to the rabbit
Suppose you are a new mouse owner or recently adopted a mouse. In that case, your mouse may carry some organisms that can be transferred to your rabbit. Also, rats have immunity to some diseases but can still transmit them to the rabbit. Rat-bite fever and fleas are good examples
Conclusions
Although pet rabbits attract rats, rabbits need protection from rats because of the health risk of rat infestation. Maintaining good hygiene in the rabbit surrounding and investing in a sturdy rabbit cage goes a long way in achieving this.