Shovel for digging up weeds.
Snake tongs for wayward rattlers.
Gasoline tank for weed-eater refilling.
Vitamin water for vitamin water.
Bucket for grass clippings.
Gloves for thistle.
Spattered bunny barn for contrast.
Volunteers came out to clear the outdoor bunny enclosure at the sanctuary. There is a poisonous plant that, although the rabbits avoid it, we needed to remove for our piece of mind. Weedeating occurred first due to the fact we found a rattlesnake in the tall grass. The snake was tonged and moved to another part of the property, far away. He will probably come back. This will annoy us. We've had rattlers in with the rabbits and chickens before. Interestingly, they've never killed and eaten any of them.
Anyways, these are but a few of the tools needed to clear out a 1/4 acre of outdoor bunny haven.
Now I am curious, since it's a quarter acre which is a relatively huge outdoor bunny area... I'm assuming y'all took steps to make sure nobunny (SORRY I COULD NOT HELP MYSELF) tunnels under the fence? How is the enclosure constructed?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the poisonous weed?
When will we get more bunny pictures?
It's probably less than a 1/4 of an acre. But it's big. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have 7' fencing w/ barbed wire at top for predator protection. At bottom, we have chicken wire that goes parallel to the ground and out a foot or so. We might have to do it on the inside as well, if the rabbits start to dig.
We're hoping that the culverts and other enrichment will deter them from digging outside. We'll see.
We might have to net over the top b/c we have aerial predators out here.
I forgot the name. They're pretty - yellow and tall. I'll find out what they're called.
Soon, I hope!
I am very happy to see the tongs are for the snakes instead of the shovel. I wish more people were like you and didn't let fear overtake them in regards to the local wildlife.
ReplyDeleteAlso, so you know, a snake you capture and relocate is not likely to return. Research on snakes in Arizona relocated to within 1 mile of a capture site shows they places they've been captured.
it's really really hard to keep bunnies out (or in?). They are incredible diggers, as well as being able to squeeze through tiny spaces. I used the chicken wire technique but was really unhappy when I found a couple of smaller bunnies stuck in the wire...
ReplyDeleteEmilyS: Hopefully it will work. This is their first time being outside. They used to live free-roaming in a 1,000 sq ft enclosure. They never dug out - the packed earth helped. Here they have a larger indoor enclosure and outdoor too. *I* think they'll be able to dig out easily, as I think we focused so much on preventing predators getting in. But initially, while they are learning the lay of the land, they aren't going to go anywhere. That will give us some time to prevent escapes. :)
ReplyDelete