A warning to those with outside hutches

[NZminilops]

Today I came home to find one of my outdoor rabbits under my brothers car on the driveway, soaking wet. I went around to the backyard and my two hutches had tumbled - and these aren't lightweight hutches either - a couple feet and rolled over.

My two bonded rabbits Lucky And BunBun had both escaped. I spent 3 hours searching for Lucky before I found her. Jack who was in the other hutch was fine, and all three bunnies seem ok but I feel like I've had a heart attack.

It was the most terrifying thing I've seen in my life! The weather in New Zealand is generally very mild and gentle, and we've been having small and medium tornadoes recently around the country, several lower south of where I live and some smaller ones being generated in my area. I can only conclude that a strong wind or tiny tornado could have done something like this. We've had rain and storms for weeks now also.

PLEASE, people with rabbits outdoors, be more vigilent than me and keep a closer eye on the weather. Even if you live in a mild climate and you thinks things are ok, and your hutches are heavy and strong, try to keep them somewhere safer in severe weather if possible.

If this is the only thing I ever manage to impress onto the people here at RO, I can die happy when I'm old.

Michelle.

 

[Mollz]

Wow, I don't keep my two outside, but well done for warning everyone else.

That must hav been such a scary time for you - I would have broken down in tears instantly

 

[Pipp]

:shock2:Scary!!

Poor Michelle! Any suggestions re: preventing it from happening again? Do you have pics of the set up?

Thanks for warning other members.



sas :hug2:

 

[~Bracon~]

Any near the Wellington/Napier area?:?

 

[Aliena]

The tornadoes were all mostly in New Plymouth/Taranaki and there was one in South East Auckland (near me and Michelle). It's all been a bit scary and I'm very glad I don't live in New Plymouth as they got it really bad.

 

[rabb1tmad]

Oh gosh how scary. It must have been terrifying for you and your rabbits. Thank goodness they're ok. Even in our mild climate in the UK we are getting the odd tornado here and there, scary stuff.

 

[bluebird]

My outdoor cages had too be fastened with stakes driven in the ground after a bad wind storm blew them over.bluebird

 

[LuvaBun]

What a scare!! Thank goodness all were ok.

I got an email from the Rabbit Welfare Association to remind people with outdoor buns to be extra careful in the flooding we have had. Unfortunately, many rabbits have drowned in their hutches as people were evacuated

Jan

 

[missyscove]

Wow, I'm curious as to what action you're taking now to weather proof them.

 

[Henxy]

How awful.

And how lovely to see Sebastian Bach again after so many years!

 

[NZminilops]

Sorry I neglected to come back here very quickly .

The actions I have taken to prevent this happening again are to secure the hutches to a ground and move them to a more sheltered area of the yard, against the house. They also now have heavy wooden rooves as oposed to the lighter thinner plywood they had before.

I'm still not sure what happened, for all I know someone could have gotten over the fence and done it because I wasn't home.

The action I want to take is to either build them new housing or house them indoors.

P.S Sebastian still rocks the stage! :biggrin2:

 

[Pipp]

How did you secure them to the ground?

And I've been meaning to mention that looking at Baz everyday isdriving me nuts! :dude:



sas :biggrin2:

 

[NZminilops]

I'll take some pictures when it stops raining. The hutches are attached to the ground with tent peg type things, and to some large cinderbloacks as well. Pain in the *** for moving things around but very sturdy.

If I got rid on the dining room table and managed to get hold of some more nic cubes I'd be sweet with having them inside! So, anyone want to come to NZ and swap some nic cubes for a genuine 1970s mahogany table? Seats 6?

(I'm Baz's secret second wife, don't you know? )