Why I would never keep pets outside, Frodo and Sam <3

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Seeing poor Astrals experience, I want to write about my experience aswell and why I would never, ever keep pets outside again.

Frodo and Sam were my rabbits, they were house rabbits and lived in a cage in my room, and each morning were let out and each evening put back in. It was a beautiful day so they were in put in a fully enclosed run with a hidey.

Not long after, one started screaming (never knew rabbits could scream). Went out to find Frodo had bitten Sams back and broken it, killing him instantly, after which, Sam kicked his back legs hard to break his back, but hadn't done it right and found him screaming, dragging his back legs behind him. Vet says it was more than likely a bird of prey landed on the run and scared them. I was only 14 and they were the first rabbits that were MY pet, not the familys. I was totally devastated and had to rush 'them to the vets to be put down.

It upset me so much I've always said I would never, ever keep pets outside again, not even in a run and I always tell people my experience. If you live in a rural area and have a run that the rabbits or piggies go out in, please, PLEASE spare yourself the heart ache and put a cover over the roof of the run, and a ledge a few inches high around the side of the mesh. The roof to stop a bird of prey seeing the rabbits, and the ledge to stop snakes getting in (vet said it could of been a snake, but our garden was a fully enclosed 6ft high wall).

R.I.P Frodo (closest) and Sam (further back) xxxxxx


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So sorry about your rabbits. :( What an awful thing to happen.

Personally I think rabbits benefit a lot from time outdoors and if you can then it's best to let them have some time outside . . . but you're right that you should make it as safe as possible.
 
I am so sad about your experience! Poor Sam!

I lost my very first own guinea pig that I got as a teenager to when our neighbour's dog managed to burrow underneath the dividing fence (which wasn't very solid, but not ours) and then wiggle in where two corners had been hinged together by a hasp into the otherwise secure run with a solid top.
My sister came home from school to meet the dog with her own guinea pig in its mouth on the street in front of our house - you can imagine how she screamed! My piggy wasn't found until the next day, as he'd been flung over a retaining wall. His back was broken and we assume that he must have thankfully died instantly. We stopped having piggies then.
 
oh what horribly sad stories both of you. RIP bunnies and piggies :(

I've lost pigs to foxes. My pig Marble was kept in a hutch outside with Pebbles and somehow the fox managed to undo the latches (think they were a bit loose i had been meaning to tighten them.....) and in the morniing when i woke up MArble's hair was alll over the lawn. I made my boyf at the time go out and see what had happened as I couldn't face it. Luckily (I think due to her colour of brown) Pebbles was found about 20 mins later hiding under the upturned bin in the corner completely fine. It was bittersweet but she lived to a ripe old age of six so hopefully didn't remember that trauma very long. RIP Marble, and sorry x 8...
 
Sorry to hear of everyone's awful experiences, losing their piggies/rabbits in such a horrible way. I can't imagine how distressing that is.

I just wanted to add that everyone should be vigilant, regardless of whether they live in a rural or an urban location. As already said, there are all kinds of predators posing a potential risk, so please don't assume that your piggies will always be ok, just because you live in a town/city.

Do we have any threads with ideas on how to make sure hutches/runs are as 'intruder-safe' as possible? A sticky in the Housing section would be a very good idea, I think.
 
I agree, that's be a great idea. I mean in an ideal situation, animals should never be left unattended when in a run, but, let's face it, none of us have that kind of time to supervise if we want our pets to get the exercise they need and deserve... Plus you can be the most vigilant owner around, but accidents happen. I would let my guineas outside, but only under supervision but that's just cos of my experience.

You'd have to give me a fully enclosed tank to get me to leave them outside alone again hahaha... with artillery round the perimeter of the garden! lol
 
I have very strong hutches and runs, with metal bars in stead of wire, the runs are heavy that I doubt a fox would be able to lift them either. My dogs and cats can't get into them. Obviously there could always be accidents, but I think the main things are, either very strong wire or metal bars, thick wood, not easy to open, and heavy runs, and don't use runs at night unless they're very very good ones.
 
oh my gosh this is a sad link, personally i could never ever keep any animal outside because i could not live with myself if they were hurt in any way, what others do is their business i have no opinion of it, but i know i could not live with myself. Even when my pigs go in a run in the garden i watch them i would never ever leave them unsupervised. so sad.

I cant even cope with cats getting birds that i feed

how horrible life can be sometimes :(
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
oh my gosh this is a sad link, personally i could never ever keep any animal outside because i could not live with myself if they were hurt in any way, what others do is their business i have no opinion of it, but i know i could not live with myself. Even when my pigs go in a run in the garden i watch them i would never ever leave them unsupervised. so sad.

I cant even cope with cats getting birds that i feed

how horrible life can be sometimes :(
Click to expand...

When it happened my mum had just popped over to a neighbour and wasn't away for long - these things can literally happen in seconds!
 
oh i know, like i say, i think nothing about what other people do or anything, i just know i would hate myself if anything happened.

The run i have is completely covered over with about 3 layers of the small holed chicked wire stuff, but i still dont leave them unsupervised....even so, like you say, dogs can dig etc etc

harsh cruel world 8...
 
I think it was the shock of something landing on top of the run. If they could have seen it coming like a cat, snake etc, it would've been OK as the run was good, they would've hidden, and the animal wouldn't have been able to get in, but it was because something landed on the top of the run, and even though it couldn't get in, it obviously startled them and scared 'them so much they thought they couldn't get away, which is why I recommend covering the top of the run so no birds of prey would be able to see them x
 
So sorry to hear what happened :( I lost my guinea pig Smudge to a fox a few years ago and then his cage mate stopped eating soon after, either from the shock or pining for his friend. I don't know how anyone can relax with their pets outside :(
 
Aww that's so sad. :0 RIP bunnies. :( It still wouldn't stop me letting my rabbits play outside though because I think it is a rare thing to happen. So sorry about what happened though. :(
 
Thank you for sharing this with us - it's such a horrendous event to have experienced, I'm so sorry about your beautiful bunnies. I'll try and take your words of advice on. Only this weekend, I had a neighnours cat come up to the piggies in their run in the garden - needless to say I had to Sssh it away. Sorry, once again.
 
oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for everyones terrible losses! frodo and sam were gorgeous bunnies xoxo
wiebke i can only imagine how your sister felt when she saw her poor piggy in the dogs mouth, the thought of anyone having to see that is horrible :(

rest in peace bunnies and guineas, be free at the bridge, safe forever x
 
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