Rabbits under buildings (C1)

Our first clinic dealt with rabbits under buildings. It was attended by members of several different Rabbit Sweep clusters and hosted by a cluster member. David Lucas was the leader and participants were invited to ask questions or proffer answers.

Rabbit Sweep has investigated the problem. The rabbits are a problem for the damage they do when not in their burrows. Rabbit Sweep has identified getting rid of the warrens as the real work of significance for land holders. This means getting the rabbits out from under the shed (or whatever) is the top priority. BTW, once out, there is a new problem but it may resolve itself or other techniques can be used. So let's say our goal is to make the warrens permanently impenetrable.

Here's the starting point:

Fumigating under buildings can be unsafe so we advocate the following.

1. Clear the space around the building and, if suitable, instal a rabbit-proof fence around it . Fix good quality wire netting (perhaps a metre by two?) to cover each of the entrances to the warren, burying the edges so the rabbits don't see them and burrow under them.
2. Make a small one-way fixture that can be positioned and fixed to act as a door - if it is made of suitable netting (maybe slightly heavier than already used), the rabbits can push it open but it will fall back in place and they cannot use it to get back in. To make sure the door does noy catch on the netting, cut the top so it has no spikes but on the other three sides, have the spikes as long as possible and bend them towards the centre on the outside of the door. Cut a hole in the main netting just big enough to let the rabbits through and cover it with the door. Check the door opens and shuts appropriately and doesn't leave a gap. Having bent up the side bits of the door should stop it sticking in the netting. Note_ gravity is what will keep the door shutt so check your work!
3. We recommend smoothing the surrounding dirt covering the netting so observation of the use of the door can be assessed.
4. Once the rabbits have left the warren, it may be necessary to think about baiting, or perhaps getting in some ferrets. If the warren can be filled in, that might help and if some acacia paradoxa (prickly wattle) is available, putting it in any entrances to the old burrow can be very effective. We recommend checking the system every few months in the future.

This image shows the rabbit-proof netting attached vertically to the shed with a skirt coming away from the shed and the outside edge buried.

The door is the square netting and slightly heavier. The top is attached to the wire netting and the sides have the ends poking out and then curved up. This way the door returns easily to the vertical position ready for repeated use without getting caught in the softer netting.