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Stoats

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  • 16-06-2011 6:58pm
    #1
    ThunderCat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,385 ✭✭✭


    I was watching Springwatch on BBC last nite as i'm sure many of you also were, and at one point they showed a stoat attacking and killing a rabbit in the UK somewhere. I knew that the stoat preys upon rabbits as well as rodents etc. but until I saw springwatch I didnt realise there was such a size difference between a stoat and a rabbit. Which leads me on to my question...
    We have a pet rabbit that we keep out the back in it's hutch. The bars of the hutch are of a size to obviously keep the rabbit in but after seeing springwatch last night id safely say a stoat would fit through the bars. So how likely is it for a stoat to visit my garden, which is a typical garden in a housing estate in a built up town?

    I know my question is related to our pet rabbit but I thought id post it in this forum rather than pet issues as im moreso looking for info on the behaviours and distribution of the stoat and it's likelyhood to visit the garden. Cheers.


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    #2
    Mothman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    While I have seen Stoat locally, never seen one in garden and never had issues with Stoat and my hens, though maybe birds don't interest them.


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    #3
    Kess73
    Registered Users Posts: 25,560 ✭✭✭✭Kess73


    Mothman wrote: »
    While I have seen Stoat locally, never seen one in garden and never had issues with Stoat and my hens, though maybe birds don't interest them.


    They certainly can kill hens although generally they will take smaller birds if other prey is not available to them.

    Have seen the result of a stoat attack inside a hen house though. It managed to kill six hens but only ate from one.


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    #4
    cuddlycavies
    Registered Users Posts: 970 ✭✭✭cuddlycavies


    Never heard of them visiting gardens. Our Irish Soat is smaller than the Uk version also. I have seen one killing a rabbit once. I was shooting at the time. It was also interesting how the stoat traumatised the other rabbits to the point of freezing. I had just shot one in a quarry and was surprised to see another sitting frozen despite the obvious gunsound. When I shot the other and went to collect it, another rabbit came screaming over a rock with the stoat attached. I left him to it. I believe that during the rabbit breeding season, a doe will kill a stoat if it comes near it's kittens but I cant verify that. They are fascinating preadators. If you see one at close quarters in a wall or whatever and make a squaking sound with your mouth and back of hand, he will come out to check what's going on. Saw a weasal last year in Northumberland. Can see why many people called our stoat a weasal for a long time. But of course there are none here.


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    #5
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    ThunderCat wrote: »
    I was watching Springwatch on BBC last nite as i'm sure many of you also were, and at one point they showed a stoat attacking and killing a rabbit in the UK somewhere. I knew that the stoat preys upon rabbits as well as rodents etc. but until I saw springwatch I didnt realise there was such a size difference between a stoat and a rabbit. Which leads me on to my question...
    We have a pet rabbit that we keep out the back in it's hutch. The bars of the hutch are of a size to obviously keep the rabbit in but after seeing springwatch last night id safely say a stoat would fit through the bars. So how likely is it for a stoat to visit my garden, which is a typical garden in a housing estate in a built up town?

    I know my question is related to our pet rabbit but I thought id post it in this forum rather than pet issues as im moreso looking for info on the behaviours and distribution of the stoat and it's likelyhood to visit the garden. Cheers.


    If your Garden is in an urban/suburban area, it is very unlikely you will have stoats about


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    #6
    whyulittle
    Registered Users Posts: 3,878 ✭✭✭whyulittle


    I saw a stoat today I think. Small, very low to the ground, and very light in colour. Ran into a mound full of burrows.

    Didn't get a shot unfortunately. This shot wasn't from today either, but was taken may 30 yards away from where I saw it today.

    A22A3523F9C84FE3B7A3FDD494A7408E-0000315944-0002618203-00800L-2ED36473BD6B478F97E8D1BC02E7A56C.jpg

    Habitat was a large open area surrounded by crops, and that surrounded by woodland.


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    #7
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    ThunderCat wrote: »
    I was watching Springwatch on BBC last nite as i'm sure many of you also were, and at one point they showed a stoat attacking and killing a rabbit in the UK somewhere. I knew that the stoat preys upon rabbits as well as rodents etc. but until I saw springwatch I didnt realise there was such a size difference between a stoat and a rabbit. Which leads me on to my question...
    We have a pet rabbit that we keep out the back in it's hutch. The bars of the hutch are of a size to obviously keep the rabbit in but after seeing springwatch last night id safely say a stoat would fit through the bars. So how likely is it for a stoat to visit my garden, which is a typical garden in a housing estate in a built up town?

    I know my question is related to our pet rabbit but I thought id post it in this forum rather than pet issues as im moreso looking for info on the behaviours and distribution of the stoat and it's likelyhood to visit the garden. Cheers.

    Stoats are very rare in suburban areas(they are very wary of cats and dogs) - I don't think you've much to worry about TBH:)


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    #8
    whyulittle
    Registered Users Posts: 3,878 ✭✭✭whyulittle


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    Stoats are very rare in suburban areas(they are very wary of cats and dogs) - I don't think you've much to worry about TBH:)

    Didn't you already tell them that!? :p
    Birdnuts in June wrote: »
    If your Garden is in an urban/suburban area, it is very unlikely you will have stoats about


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    #9
    recedite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,993 ✭✭✭✭recedite


    Zombie threads. ;) Speaking of zombies, we lost a few hens in an unusual manner.
    Unlike in a fox attack where they would have their heads bitten off and be ripped open, these had smaller wounds, but large parts of their innards were hollowed out from the access wound. Not long afterwards, I saw a dead flattened stoat on the road nearby, and the attacks stopped.
    But this is all in a rural area.
    (apologies to the squeamish)


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