Our basement has a window that opens into our backyard. Since the entire basement is below ground level, the the window has a metal-sided "ditch" around it so that the window opens into something other than dirt. Imagine a walk-out basement with a window instead of a door and no stairs. As you might expect, it's not much of a view, but it's main purpose is to let heat out during the summer.
ANYWAY... a small rabbit, apparently curious and not heeding his mother's warnings (who is currently wandering around the backyard looking for him) has fallen into this ditch. It has been pawing at the window for the past few days, and for a while we didn't know what the sound was. Guesses ranged from a mouse to a snake, and everything in between, but we finally looked out and spotted the critter.
Now we have to get him out of there. I would hop down there with him and lift him myself, but its too small a space for me to crouch, and to deep for me to lie down over the edge, reach in, and grab him. Opening the window from down here is out of the question right now, as I'm fairly certain that the bunny will jump past me and run free in the house.
So I've got a plan that works in theory... I took a cardboard box, tossed in some lettuce poked a hole in one of its flaps, tied a string to it, and lowered it down. The other end of the string is sitting under a rock so it doesn't fall in. We're hoping that when he gets hungry enough he'll jump in and we can hoist him out.
...and right now my sister is telling me that the bunny is jumping on top of the box in an attempt to reach the ledge.
*ahem* I'm open to suggestions.
--j_k
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Put some more boxes in to make "stairs" for him?
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Now I have to clean fresca off my screen.
heeheeheehee
I didn't have anything useful to add, but I like KQ's idea of stairs. Go for it! Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
kq: a stairway and/or a ramp are looking like the best options right now. I need to find some suitable objects, first... he can jump pretty high, it seems, so we won't need many steps.
Now he's back to pawing at the window again...
--j_k
Posted by bunbun (Member # 6814) on :
Maybe the catcher box needs to be bigger, so he can't get on top of it. Poor bunny! We're pulling for him!
Kudos, Cap'n!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Put some boxes in, and then lay boards on top to make a simple ramp. I bet he'll go for it.
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
In the words of the immortal Mitch Hedberg, It's the cutest infestation ever.
Jen
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
I might be picturing your basement incorrectly, but in my mind's eye this makes sense: Why not open the window into a box or some sort of container that the rabbit can jump/fall/crawl into? If he's pawing at it so much, he'll probably go straight through if you open it, and then you can catch him. Would that work?
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
And as it turns out, I was wrong about one detail. There is a screen covering the window, so if I were to open it, I'd have to remove it before making any sort of rescue attempt. Probably would have to find a way keep the rabbit in one corner away from the window so that he doesn't jump through while I remove the screen and position the box.
Good suggestions I'm taking notes. I'm going to try some of these tomorrow... it's dark now, so my bunny-catching skills are limited. Meanwhile, I need to find some planks... or some long pieces of cardboard...
--j_k
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
Oh, poor bunny! He must be terrified.
Might there be a way to use teamwork and have one person hold the box right under the window while the other opens the screen, so he doesn't have a chance to run loose in the house?
Just make sure he doesn't starve to death in the meantime...that'd really make the view lousy. Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
quote:the immortal Mitch Hedberg
That was the suckiest immortality ever.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
Hmmmm we've had a rabbit population explosion where we live. I was told by the folks at Animal Aid that they don't trap rabbits because rabbits instictively don't enter boxes and the like.
It sounded like they knew what they were talking about, so you may want to concentrate on the ladder approach rather than the "box it and hoist it out" approach.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
*nod* Rabbits avoid boxes like the plague. They strongly dislike them; it'll take some real desperation -- perhaps coupled with starvation pangs -- to get him in there.
On the other hand, the "steps" idea is probably a pretty good one. Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Some rabbits like boxes. Try to lure him out with parsley. Mine loves parsley.
Posted by martha (Member # 141) on :
How about hanging a burlap bag (or fishing net, or something else with a coarse texture) over the edge of the hole? IIRC, bunnies have strong claws, which must be sharp when they're young -- so maybe he culd climb up if he had some footholds.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
So, what happened with the bunny?
I want to know!
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
We had a skunk trapped like that once in the window well below our office. The custodians had thrown a few trash bags from the lunchroom in the window well and the skunk had gone in for a meal. We put the end of a board in the hole and the next morning he was gone.
However, the lazy union janitors making more money than we engineers and the smelly trash bags were not gone. Hmph.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
A day later, the bunny is still there.
In fact, now we have two.
*sigh*
We're working on getting boxes down there as steps. My little sister was squatting down there with a flashlight just now; I also think we have some netting we can use.
I might try laying the netting flat, tie some strings to it, and pull them up...
--j_k
[ September 10, 2005, 03:52 PM: Message edited by: James Tiberius Kirk ]
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Oh please put food and water for the bunny. If it's been 3 days they must be famished and dehydrated.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
Nourishment won't be a problem-- anything they need I can drop down there.
So now they're nibbling on some lettuce right next to the window.
--j_k
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Could you just cut the screen and then replace it?
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote: A day later, the bunny is still there.
In fact, now we have two.
*blink* That's faster than that usually happens.
----------
Let me point out that rabbits cannot subsist on iceberg lettuce, although iceberg lettuce CAN provide all the water they need.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Indeed. That is why Bernie gets Romaine lettuce instead.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
I suggest we eat him with taters instead. Did anyone jot down the reciepe from Sam?
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Check Dags recipe site... Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
w00t! We got 'em out-- after trying the stairway trick, we eventually just decided to try and corner one of them and get him to hop inside. They started hopping around and trying to get out as soon as they saw me, so it was easy to "catch" one, once we found a box that was the right size.
Thanks, all
--j_k
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Great! You can cook them now!
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*Growls*
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Fine Syn, you're invited to the feast too.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Am I the only one who thought that Bob the Bobcat could have solved this problem quickly. Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*Growls over eating rabbits*
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Don't wild momma rabbits reject their young if they've had contact with humans? I know this was what I was always told... maybe my parents were just trying to keep me away from the babies.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I've always wanted to eat rabbit (and horse). I don't know where I could find if prepared, though.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
I don't quite fathom eating horse. I want to eat rabbit, deer and buffalo though. Just like the native americans.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I've eaten rabbit, deer, and buffalo.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
MPH - perhaps a German restaurant? Hasenpfeffer is supposed to be excellent, although I've not yet tried it. My local favorite, Schnitzelplatz, doesn't serve it (or at least not yet...)
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I've eaten deer, buffalo, moose, and aligator.
Some critters that I haven't eaten but that I want to include elk, rabbit, horse, ostrich, dog, and guinie pig.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Hey, JTK! Tell us when a buffalo lands in that little death pit of yours!
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Deer, buffalo, ostrich, goat, rattlesnake, and alligator here.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
The only "weird" thing I've eaten is eel, and that isn't even all that weird.
It's darn yummy, though.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener: Don't wild momma rabbits reject their young if they've had contact with humans? I know this was what I was always told... maybe my parents were just trying to keep me away from the babies.
Actually, they don't for some reason.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Synesthesia:
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener: Don't wild momma rabbits reject their young if they've had contact with humans? I know this was what I was always told... maybe my parents were just trying to keep me away from the babies.
Actually, they don't for some reason.
Some human parents will reject their young if they have come into contact with rabbits. Those parents will often tell their children to stay away from rabbits. They make up the story about the rejecting rabbit parents as a cover-up for how easily they will reject their own children.
Just saying.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Oh, I've eaten ostrich, goat, and alligator, too. And shark and reindeer. I've had elk, but I don't think I've had moose. No rattlesnake. I don't think I've eaten any kind of snake or bug. . . at least, no bugs on purpose.
I didn't care for rabbit, but I eat buffalo more often than beef. And the reindeer sausage was excellent.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
quote:Some human parents will reject their young if they have come into contact with rabbits. Those parents will often tell their children to stay away from rabbits. They make up the story about the rejecting rabbit parents as a cover-up for how easily they will reject their own children.
Just saying.
Tante, I think you've hit it on the head!!! Funny how now that I want to be rejected, I can't manage to break free.... Posted by Audeo (Member # 5130) on :
I've had rabbit a few times, and I have to say that it is the second grossest meat I've ever eaten. The very worst I've had is bear. Reading that passage in the Narnia books when the kids eat raw bear always makes me gag a little to imagine it.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
quote: don't think I've eaten any kind of snake or bug. . . at least, no bugs on purpose.
Before you qualified that, I was thinking " I thought she rode a motorcycle...".
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Hm. I quite liked rabbit meat.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
What is it like?
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
I've eaten bugs on purpose, but only ants. If you're going to try it I recommend the small brown ants, as they are very sweet. The bigger black ants have less of a flavor but are easier to feel walking around the inside of your mouth if you don't bite them right away. That's a pretty weird feeling.
--Enigmatic
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
o_O
I've had buffalo, deer and ostrich. I really like all three, but ostrich is hard to prepare.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
What's so hard about it? I've been wanting to buy some.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes. They’ve got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses. And what’s with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway? Bunnies! Bunnies! It must be bunnies! (Or maybe midgets...) -—Anya on Buffy’s Once More with Feeling musical episode
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
GAH!
One came back!
--j_k
Posted by LadyDove (Member # 3000) on :
JTK,
Could you throw down a weighted swath of some kind of cloth, like berlap, and create a gradual ramp by pinning the top half of the cloth to the ground above?
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Bunnies are pets.
Rabbits are dinner.
A stew pot or a frying pan would fix your problem.
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Why don't you cover up the entrance?
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
After you get the bunny that returned back out of course.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I'm actually amazed that you haven't put up a window well cover before. Doesn't the well fill with trash and leaves and yard debris?
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I'm actually amazed that you haven't put up a window well cover before. Doesn't the well fill with trash and leaves and yard debris?
And rabbits?
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I'm so happy I'm not the only person who's first thought was "Anya!" When they saw this thread title.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
mph-ostrich has very, very little fat. So little that it's very easily overdone and should only be cooked rare (or medium rare, I can't remember). Cooked right, it's very good.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote: Opening the window from down here is out of the question right now, as I'm fairly certain that the bunny will jump past me and run free in the house
Well, this certainly would have been MY option to take. Although I would be prepared so it couldn't get past me.
But either way, glad you got it out, JTK.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Wild rabbit (desert cottontail) is generally too gamey for my taste, although soaking the meat in a salt or vinegar solution helps significantly. Domestic rabbit is wonderfully tasty, especially the back portions. If this had happened to me, I would have used the opportunity to add two more rabbits to the freezer.
Speaking of rabbits, I think I'm the only person in the world who couldn't get the stupid things to breed. We got a male and a female, with the intent to breed them for meat. Yes, they really were male and female, I checked. I bred them four or five times, and she never got pregnant. She also was the foulest-tempered rabbit I've ever seen. She is now in the freezer and the male is a pet. I would buy another female, but at this point it isn't worth it because we will be moving next summer. Besides, there are plenty of rabbits for the hunting right outside the door.
--Mel
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Planning on neutering that male? If you don't he'll tear up the house... That's what rabbits do when they are adolecents. They go insane.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
He's not allowed out of his cage without supervision. He's not much of a pet, but we're too attached to eat him at this point. The female was so vicious that that was not a problem.
--Mel
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
It happened again.
--j_k
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
I'm surprised no has has connected the poster's name and the thread title and made the appropriate "Star Trek" tribble reference.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
How about you buy a cover for the access hole? They make those, y'know. Btw, aren't those required to have some sort of ladder? There's no need to release heat that way. Typically, they are for basement escapes in the event of a fire.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
steven, I thought it was *too* obvious and refrained when this came up the last time round.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Every 18 months isn't terribly frequent. Gonna make stew this time?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I've had rabbit since last time I posted in this thread. It was very tasty.
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Even some kind of chicken wire over the hole...
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I think I know what the mph&bev family's next animal additions will be. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
There's a good chance. My BIL has been trying to get me into rabbits for a while now.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
I'm thinking about installing hanging rabbit cages in our garage this fall. It would be nice to add another kind of meat to our freezer. At this point we're only looking at having chicken, turkey, and goat, with no beef or pork until next year. Rabbit would help broaden the menus.
Although, after this thread, maybe I'll just dig a pit in the backyard and catch all the neighborhood bunnies. Kind of like a mammoth pit, only...smaller.
--Mel
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Our cats keep coming home with dead bunnies that they've killed. It's annoying.
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
All this made me think of was that Mitch Hedberg joke: My apartment is infested with koala bears. It's the cutest infestation ever. Way better than cockroaches. When I turn on the light, a bunch of koala bears scatter, but I don't want them too. I'm like, "Hey... Hold on fellows... Let me hold one of you, and feed you a leaf." Koala bears are so cute, why do they have to be so far away from me. We need to ship a few over, so I can hold one, and pat it on its head.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Ahhumnn
Cough, Cough
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
It sounds to me like you have a free rabbit cage already installed. Toss some food and water down there, and when you want to let him into the house to play around, open the window.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Our cats keep coming home with dead bunnies that they've killed. It's annoying.
Yeah, wasted meat.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: Our cats keep coming home with dead bunnies that they've killed. It's annoying.
Yeah, wasted meat.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
-_- I got to stop reading this thread.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
!@#$% rabbits ate all the green bean plants in my garden last night They already ate all the pea seedlings a few weeks ago, I thought maybe they were done destroying my legumes, but noooo. Heck, they're not even bothering to run away from me anymore; one of them was lounging just a few feet from the edge of the garden while I was weeding the other day, totally unconcerned, looking like it was thinking "Oh, the monkey servant has emerged to tidy up our free buffet area, how nice." Wretched little buggers.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stray: !@#$% rabbits ate all the green bean plants in my garden last night They already ate all the pea seedlings a few weeks ago, I thought maybe they were done destroying my legumes, but noooo. Heck, they're not even bothering to run away from me anymore; one of them was lounging just a few feet from the edge of the garden while I was weeding the other day, totally unconcerned, looking like it was thinking "Oh, the monkey servant has emerged to tidy up our free buffet area, how nice." Wretched little buggers.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
jtk -- did you get it out this last time? Have you tried a screen or something over the area where they are falling into the window well?
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
Can't you do what you did the last time to get the rabbit out?
(PS: I've eaten rabbit and thought it was fine, but I think ostriches are too unique-looking to eat. Maybe if I knew they came from an area overpopulated with ostriches I'd try one.)
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by James Tiberius Kirk: It happened again.
--j_k
Have you considered installing a screen so the bunnies can't fall down anymore?
MPH: You think THAT'S annoying, try having a dog that brings home disembolwed cats that she has killed and mangled.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stray: !@#$% rabbits ate all the green bean plants in my garden last night They already ate all the pea seedlings a few weeks ago, I thought maybe they were done destroying my legumes, but noooo. Heck, they're not even bothering to run away from me anymore; one of them was lounging just a few feet from the edge of the garden while I was weeding the other day, totally unconcerned, looking like it was thinking "Oh, the monkey servant has emerged to tidy up our free buffet area, how nice." Wretched little buggers.
Rabbits do that... You should see what Bernie does when I have an apple in my bag. Rabbits have no manners.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote:Originally posted by James Tiberius Kirk: It happened again.
--j_k
Have you considered installing a screen so the bunnies can't fall down anymore?
MPH: You think THAT'S annoying, try having a dog that brings home disembolwed cats that she has killed and mangled.
Oy! I just almost lost my lunch, and I haven't even HAD lunch yet!
Posted by Hitoshi (Member # 8218) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fyfe: In the words of the immortal Mitch Hedberg, It's the cutest infestation ever.
It's true, I've always wanted to hug a bunny. I'd never have the heart to run one out if it was in my garden.
As for advice. I would either give the "capture box" one more go or make a ramp or set of stairs for him to use.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion: I suggest we eat him with taters instead. Did anyone jot down the reciepe from Sam?
I do not eat rabbit and will probably never again :<
And yes for purposes of this response I am claiming that I am the only Sam :<
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
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They already ate all the pea seedlings a few weeks ago, I thought maybe they were done destroying my legumes, but noooo. Heck, they're not even bothering to run away from me anymore; one of them was lounging just a few feet from the edge of the garden while I was weeding the other day, totally unconcerned, looking like it was thinking "Oh, the monkey servant has emerged to tidy up our free buffet area, how nice." Wretched little buggers.