Predator killed my rabbit. Need help.

[Isadora]

No one is bashing you. You asked for help.

Why don't you request a mod lock the thread? Otherwise you will likely keep receiving replies.

 

[Isadora]

Yeah, I asked for help, but I am now saying I am giving up.

Ok. You can hit the report button and ask a mod to lock the thread, if you want.

 

[jnicholes]

Sorry for your loss.
Always sad if a pet is attacked or killed.

Was the rabbit in the run at the time of the attack?

What I see is a run where many predators can jump over. And smaller predator can go trough.
Seeing the bite wound and the left overs from chewing I do think it was a dog who likes meat but was not very hungry.
It doesn't look like it was a marter, a fox or a bird of prey to me.
I can be wrong about the dog, because where I live we have not so many 4 legged predators as in the US,

Yes, she was in the run.

I guess I learned a hard lesson about having a secure run.

 

[BDutch]

Yes, she was in the run.

I guess I learned a hard lesson about having a secure run.

For rabbits you really need a solid cage as run. I had rabbits long ago and lost 2 to a fox. Neighbours lost many rabbits too. Sometimes it was a marter, sometimes a fox. And once it was a dog that escaped. Normally people keep their dog here in the house or on a leash.

Doing some research after the killing I realised that I needed a better cage/run. I bought a prefab chicken coop combined with a small run. I put the cage on a large piece of hwc on the grass in the summer. And on the terrace in winter . To prevent foxes/marters digging underneath.

 

[bruceha2000]

No offense, but my run is not that wide. I don’t think a dog could’ve done that.

From the picture the run is plenty wide for a dog to get in and the fence isn't that high. My alpacas can turn around in a space narrower than that and they are way bigger than a dog. And the fence, if it wasn't like that before, could have easily been bent over by a dog going in. At our prior house the neighbor had a black lab that would bend my 3' welded wire fence when it went over (which was often).

I ASSUME that dogs can get into that part of the yard? The wood fence we can see in the picture looks quite substantial and would likely keep a dog out.

 

[jnicholes]

I’ll do that. Thank you.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

It's probably safe to say that everyone here has lost a beloved pet, some in a horrible manner like yours, and some due to mistakes we've made. Bottom line is that we ALL make mistakes. And we learn from them and do better next time. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[casportpony]

Locked per the thread starter's request.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Looks to me like a dog attack. Dogs kill for the fun of it, and shake their prey/toys. Coyotes, fox, etc would have eaten her or taken her away. So sorry for your loss!!!

 

[jnicholes]

WARNING: GRAPHIC POST.

The investigation is ongoing, but I got some more updated photos and information.

Here are the clues so far:

Something killed the rabbit and left it behind.

Bones were scattered near the rabbit carcass.

The rabbits lower jaw and one front foot are missing.

Only a little rabbit fur is scattered in the run.

Images of the animal crime scene.

ETA: it happened at night. She was alive before I went to bed.