Do Rabbits Attract Rats
An important part of raising homestead or pet rabbits is the cleanliness of your rabbit, their house or hutch, and their food storage area.
Clean and well tended rabbits and their spaces greatly reduce the risk of a pest like rats entering the picture and wreaking havoc.
Rats, well known as sly and opportunistic rodents, will first be attracted to your rabbits through unclean bedding, feces, and leftover food. And don’t put it past them: rats will nibble at your rabbits, especially defenseless and small baby bunnies.
Do House Rabbits Attract Rats
All rabbits, whether they are in the barn, garage, or house, may very well attract rats.
This is why cleanliness and proper housing and tending practices are so important when raising bunnies. Why do pet rabbits attract rats? Read on for all the information and best practices needed to keep rats away from your rabbits!
Why Do Rabbits Attract Rodents
Rodents eat very low on the food web and as such tend to be (quite honestly) dirty eaters. They also have a great sense of smell!
This is why having a rabbit may attract rodents:
- Rabbit pellets are a hearty food option for a hungry rat
- Rats may eat rabbit feces and droppings
- Dirty rabbit bedding and hay attract rats due to its strong smell
- Defenseless newborn rabbit kits are an easy meal for a rat
Can Rats Eat Rabbit Pellets
Yes, rats can and will eat your rabbit’s pellets. In fact, easily accessible or poorly stored rabbit pellets is one of the primary reasons rats come around rabbits.
What’s more is that a single rat will bring their friends to enjoy the feast and within no time your pellet storage will be soiled and on its way to empty. Proper storage of rabbit pellets is essential to keeping pests like rats away, read our post on rabbit pellet storage for guidelines on how to best store rabbit pellets.
Why Do Rats Eat Rabbit Droppings
Do rats eat rabbit poop?
Yes, Rats eat the droppings or feces of rabbits and other animals (most notoriously those of dogs). This is because droppings contain some nutrient value as well as bacterias that the rat needs in order to maintain their stomach health.
This is very similar to the natural practice of coprophagia in rabbits, although your bunnies eat only their own feces, never those of another species of animal.
Do Rabbits Attract Rats and Mice
Rats and mice may come around your rabbit but your bunny itself does not attract these rodents.
Rather, it is unclean living spaces, excess feces, and easily available rabbit food that attracts rats and mice.
Are Rabbits Afraid of Rats
When faced with a rat, a rabbit is likely to leave it alone. The small rodent doesn’t seem to pose a threat like other larger rabbit predators (think raccoon or fox!) so your rabbit is more likely to be indifferent than afraid.
However, if the rat is constantly in the private and personal space of your rabbit, or if the rat attacks a doe’s nest, your rabbit may get aggressive with the rat and injure or kill it by trampling, biting, or kicking it.
Do Rabbits and Rats Get Along
Rats and bunnies do not get along and cannot live safely together. Never allow a rat to live with or near your rabbit!
Rats are often aggressive towards rabbits and may attack your rabbit. They also greatly increase the dirtiness of your rabbit’s living space and the chances of your rabbit contracting diseases, pests, and unwelcome bacterias.
Do Rabbits Keep Rats Away
Unfortunately no, rabbits do just about nothing to deter a rat from hanging around. Your best bet for controlling or deterring rats and mice around your homestead is a barn cat!
How to Keep Rats Away From Rabbits
These are the following steps we have taken at our hobby farm to keep rats away from our rabbits:
- Change Rabbit Bedding Often – old bedding not only attracts rats and mice, but also bugs and other pests. As such, we change our rabbit’s bedding weekly, keeping it fresh and clean.
- Clean Your Rabbit’s Spaces – if there is any buildup of old bedding, food, or general dirtiness in our rabbits’ hutches, we wash them while our rabbits enjoy outdoor time.
- Offer Measured Amounts of Rabbit Pellets – too many pellets will encourage scavengers like rats to come around. Rather, we only offer our rabbits a proper pellet amount.
- Pest-proof Your Rabbit’s Hutch or House – raising it off the ground, ensuring all sides, roofs, and ceilings are hole-free, and installing a secure closure or lock are all essential steps in pest-proofing your rabbit’s hutch or house
- Store Your Rabbit’s Pellets Properly – proper storage of rabbits pellets is key to keeping pests away.
Note that we DO NOT recommend using rat bait on your homestead or within your home or living space. Rat bait will kill rabbits and other pets!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Do Rats And Bunnies Get Along
Can Rabbits Catch Diseases From Rats?
Yes, your rabbit can easily catch a disease such as deadly rabies, or other unwanted ailment such as mites, from rats.
Do Rats Catch Rabbits?
A rat will not try to catch and eat a full grown rabbit, as the rabbit outsizes the rat by a lot. However, rats will overtake a new rabbit nest and catch and eat newborn baby bunnies.
Do Wild Rabbits Attract Rats?
Just like pet rabbits, a wild rabbit itself will not attract a rat. However, dirty living spaces and bad grooming habits may bring a rat to explore a wild rabbit’s burrow. In addition, the warmth and dryness of a wild rabbit’s burrow may also attract a rat.
This rat is no match against this well fortified rabbit hutch
Final Thoughts on Do Rats Eat Bunnies
As discussed, finding rats around your rabbits is a serious circumstance and is one of the last things you want as a rabbit raiser or pet owner.
While rats aren’t the most notorious of rabbit predators, they do pose a serious threat to newborn bunnies. Rats also greatly increase the likelihood of your rabbit contracting an unwanted disease or pest infestation.
We highly recommend keeping the living space of your rabbit clean, tidy and well secured, especially your rabbit’s food. All of these measures together will greatly reduce the chances of rats finding your rabbit’s home a hospitable place!