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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.
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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.
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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?
Posts: 1225 | Registered: Feb 2002
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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...
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. Posts: 952 | Registered: Jun 2005
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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.
Posts: 251 | Registered: Apr 2005
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*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. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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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.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: May 1999
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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.
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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 ]
Posts: 3617 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Oh please put food and water for the bunny. If it's been 3 days they must be famished and dehydrated.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Let me point out that rabbits cannot subsist on iceberg lettuce, although iceberg lettuce CAN provide all the water they need.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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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.
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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.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I've always wanted to eat rabbit (and horse). I don't know where I could find if prepared, though.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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I don't quite fathom eating horse. I want to eat rabbit, deer and buffalo though. Just like the native americans.
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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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...)
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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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.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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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.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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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.
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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.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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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.... Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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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.
Posts: 349 | Registered: May 2003
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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.
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