buying live rabbits

laoismanj

A friend of mine got 30 odd rabbits a few years ago ferreting and let them go in random fields to try bring them back around to see if they would breed, there was no old warrens for them and they disapeared very very quickly.

I have bought some young ferrets and nets and iv found the old warrens and im going to try ny best once again.
Ps anyone want a ferreting buddy im in tipperary north

Eddie B

Benny mcc wrote: »

what's a pillow mound and how do I go about it?

Just read about them on here fella. You'd prob find better info on them with a google search. Amazing what was done in the past, to preserve rabbit numbers, as they were seen as an investment, and held value.

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/tag/rabbits/

Benny mcc

Eddie B wrote: »

Just read about them on here fella. You'd prob find better info on them with a google search. Amazing what was done in the past, to preserve rabbit numbers, as they were seen as an investment, and held value.

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/tag/rabbits/

now I get it. next time I have a digger on the land I'll try something like that. had a digger hired this spring and dug a big pond. have 3 trout in it now and an unwanted goldfish

garyc007

Eddie B wrote: »

Yes, but I'm guessing that like here, within a half hours drive from yours you'do probably have pockets here and there of healthy numbers of rabbits. So to find a ferreting man close enough to you would still be a possibility. Also, I was just thinking. Most don't start working ferrets till September comes round. Not far to wait mind

Im afraid he is right Eddie most in these parts haven't got ferrets anymore as most rabbit populations are gone. You are probably talking an hour or so to get to someone who has any, and even at that finding someone willing to part with a handful is another issue, as their numbers are back too

Uinseann_16

garyc007 wrote: »

Im afraid he is right Eddie most in these parts haven't got ferrets anymore as most rabbit populations are gone. You are probably talking an hour or so to get to someone who has any, and even at that finding someone willing to part with a handful is another issue, as their numbers are back too

Thats a huge part of the issue, lads travel an hour to a new permission and accidentally bring diseases with them
See how easily covid has traveled,:pac:

garyc007

Uinseann_16 wrote: »

Thats a huge part of the issue, lads travel an hour to a new permission and accidentally bring diseases with them
See how easily covid has traveled,:pac:

There would be no travelling to a new permission in this case though. They are wanted for our own land

Stigura

Yep. And I'd be quarantining mine too. I could even keep them contained till they breed.

garyc007

Stigura wrote: »

Yep. And I'd be quarantining mine too. I could even keep them contained till they breed.

A mini digger in to build a few mounds with tunnels or a few of the attached should do the job

Stigura

:eek: Genius!!! Gary, I'd never even come Close to thinking of Nest Boxes!!!

Oh boy! Now we're cooking with gas!

garyc007

That's what I am going to use and a couple of mounds with self made tunnels, all I need now is something to put in them

Stigura

I've been doing my research; Ignoring stupidity, such as Dublin prices and the 'Purveyor of fine, blue, french bulldog boys and girls' type loons? €10 - 15 a bun looks perfectly plausible on the online market.

Of course, find a family who Thought they'd got Geraldine and Jemmima, only to discover it was Gerry ..... I reckon one could clean up! So, yeah. I'm comfortable with those prices

I'm now having thoughts of making my bun's wooden nest boxes (Plastic has never caught on, mainly due to condensation concerns). I'll put them in their room and let them get on with it.

That way, the baby bun's will be born associating them with home. Then, when I take the boxes outside and cover them in brash, I can reintroduce my bun's to them and they'll know they have a safe, familiar place.

Comments? Observations? Offers of cheap bun's?

garyc007

I remember a lad telling me years ago he bought 15 for 130. The reason im using plastic is they will be going in the ground in the field so wood wouldn't last. They will have good drainage and bedding so should be fine.
Rabbits aren't supposed to breed well in captivity or unnatural or noisy environments so we will see what happens out in the open, il try keep it as natural as possible

Stigura

:eek: I've got that sort of cash, in my pocket and waiting! If Only .....

Stigura

I'll just leave this here! :mad:

Sickening, isn't it? Lucky swine!

Never mind, lads. Getting stuck into a couple of other distracting ~ and balance draining! ~ projects, as we speak. But, nothing's changed on the bun front.

Winter Is Coming. Wonder if That might push anything more to the surface?

Meanwhile, I have this woman, in Carrick, on my list :cool:

Stigura

Really just Bunping this thread, lads, to see if anything new gets caught up in it

I'm still completely into the rebunning idea. Just a bit flat out on more urgent projects this minute.

Nutshell though? Maybe better to get bun stock towards the end of winter. Breed what we can. Maybe protect it best we can, till spring ~ and the predators feeding their young has passed.

Let our bun's go in summer?

Thoughts?

bobbyy gee

Spreading disease

https://www.irishpost.com/news/irish-hare-and-rabbit-population-under-threat-from-deadly-virus-189193#:~:text=The%20Rabbit%20Haemorrhagic%20Disease%20Virus,more%2C%20raising%20concerns%20among%20environmentalists.

Doctors room ghost

There was land near us here in east Galway that was out near a road and you would have to slow down to 3rd gear passing it as the road used to be covered in rabbits about 2 years ago.
I used pass it early in the morning all the time with work and there was rabbits everywhere there.
I haven’t seen a rabbit there in the past 2 years.they disappeared overnight and there is nobody hunting them as I know the landowner and I’d know all the locals there.
There’s no rabbits around these parts anymore. The odd hare is all I see.

Eddie B

bobbyy gee wrote: »

Spreading disease

https://www.irishpost.com/news/irish-hare-and-rabbit-population-under-threat-from-deadly-virus-189193#:~:text=The%20Rabbit%20Haemorrhagic%20Disease%20Virus,more%2C%20raising%20concerns%20among%20environmentalists.

"The virus had appeared to have died out"

What a strange statement to make

Stigura

Ghost; That'll be it, mate. That's exactly how it happens. 'Hares today. Gone tomorrow.' Saw it myself, just over in Longford. (Funny; That article doesn't mention Longford I'm pretty still were still that side of the line.)

But, that's why I'm looking at having mine inoculated against it.

Was musing, last night, that Summer may be the optimum time to release them. Let the predator flush even out a bit.

Stigura

Saw a piece the other day. Coursing Club boys bemoaning how they're forced, by law, to release their hares around now. Then see them hoovered up by people who don't muzzle their Dogs.

Please let's not derail this thread with that though. It's simply that it raised the thought in my head:

" How do these clubs Keep their hares? "

I mean, yes; Hares aren't rabbits. Obviously. But, if anything, I'd have imagined a wild hare would be murder to keep alive, compared to a wild rabbit. And, wild bun's are no cake walk!

I've been exchanging notes all along, in PM, with one of the lads on here. We're both probing, off site.

I'm really loving the fact that, shid or bust, at least a couple of us are seriously looking at trying this!

Eddie B

Stigura wrote: »

Saw a piece the other day. Coursing Club boys bemoaning how they're forced, by law, to release their hares around now. Then see them hoovered up by people who don't muzzle their Dogs.

Please let's not derail this thread with that though. It's simply that it raised the thought in my head:

" How do these clubs Keep their hares? "

I mean, yes; Hares aren't rabbits. Obviously. But, if anything, I'd have imagined a wild hare would be murder to keep alive, compared to a wild rabbit. And, wild bun's are no cake walk!

I've been exchanging notes all along, in PM, with one of the lads on here. We're both probing, off site.

I'm really loving the fact that, shid or bust, at least a couple of us are seriously looking at trying this!

Used to partake in netting hares for years. Hadn't much interest in the coursing part of things, but the netting of hares was one of the most enjoyable Sunday morning sports of my youth.

LARGE PENS, is one key factor. Much larger than you would imagine, as far as hares are concerned. Also, lots and lots of cover. We used to include square bales of straw, stacked up, to give the hares cover. Shelter is another key factor. A wet and cold animal won't thrive, and will quickly go down hill fast.

Now, rabbits are hardier, but if you use the same principle, I recon your on a winner 👍

Stigura

Thanks, Eddie

Yeah, unfortunately, pens are a no go for me. Cost of the wire alone would be ridiculous. Then, I'd need a JCB ... Not happening! I'm a single bloke, on a pension. Not an estate manager :eek:

Just to bring us all up to pace on this? We now have an apparent source of wild bun's. Tenner a throw.

I'm agreeable to that. But, what would I then do with them? Empty a sack of them onto the land here and pray? Or, stick them in cages, in my back room, and throw their corpses out over the next few days?

We do have a man doing the dump and pray technique. Be interesting to see how His efforts pan out as time goes on.

No, on reflection? I think I'm erring towards tame stock. Born in a cage. Raised in a cage. Will happily live in My cage. (I'll have to look into knocking up some cages. I have my J Clip pliers)

Now, my oppo in all this? He seems dead set on introducing wild stock, making certain arrangements for its reception. So, this could hardly get any better! We'll have his wild bun's. My tame ones. We both have our eyes on 'summer' for the big release. (I almost typed " Let down ", then caught myself! :P)

Couple of years from now? This thread could form the basis for 'How It's Done' for future generations! Bit of luck, we'll have garnered input from 'Random Wild Dropper'. 'Provisioned Wild Dropper'. And 'Tame Dropper', who's yet to really finalise his exact plans for that drop.


Oh! One last irritating thought to chew on? It's said the Romans brought the bun to UK. No idea who took them to Australia. But; They pulled it off alright. Wonder how