The Rabbit Mystery (1 Viewer)

[Castaway]

Well that was a first! Picked the van up from storage last night. Whilst loading it up this morning, Mrs Castaway found what looked like dead slugs in the space under the cooker. At the same time I found some bits of fur in one of the outside lockers. Upon further investigation, I found a lot of other bits of something that used to be a rabbit and inside was a perfectly built nest using an old towel and lots more rabbit fur! Now, the question is, how did whatever it was manage to get a rabbit into the locker? We've had mice in the van before but I can't think of anywhere anything much bigger could get in! I suspect it will have been a stoat or a weasel but has anyone ever come across this sort of thing before? The dead slugs were obviously droppings from whatever it was!

 

[Silver-Fox]

Not the type of rabbit i was expecting in the post

 

[magicsurfbus]

Rat ?

Don't know if they kill rabbits but they might scavenge roadkill or carcasses, so they wouldn't have to get an entire rabbit in there in one go. Be careful of dealing with urine traces if so, they can carry Weil's Disease.

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[Hollyberry]

I was going to say probably dismembered outside and bits brought in ( yuk)
I'd wash all the hard surfaces with diluted bleach or bleach spray.

 

[Jands]

Sounds a bit rampant.

 

[Two on Tour]

Maybe time to purchase and fit one of these. I've just fitted one in the engine bay and one on the underside of the hab floor to keep rodents at bay.

Amazon product ASIN B0000WR76I

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[BobtheBass]

Sounds like a wild Puma or Panther to me. Their staple food in the wild (in the UK) is slugs and rabbits, which apparently to them taste like roast lamb and mint sauce do to humans. Be careful as if you upset them by rearranging their carefully made nests they may well give you a nasty nip, or possibly worse. You can buy Puma traps at Pets World shops but you have to bait them with opened tins of Fray Bentos pies otherwise they don't work so well. If you walk around your van at midnight shouting "here Puma, Puma Puma. Come to daddy for some lovely pie substitute" that often tempts them from their hidey hole under the wheel arches. Possibly. Or I may have dreamt all of the aforementioned.

 

[Castaway]

A bit of Google searching has pretty much confirmed that it was a stoat or weasel. Still can't work out how it got in, though!

 

[DBK]

A weasel would be my guess - they are known to line their nest with fur from prey when it is cold. The phrase "weasel it out" is derived from their ability to squeeze through tiny gaps.

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[movan]

Uuuuugggghhhhh SLUGS!!

@CWH

 

[SteveB123]

RAT

 

[ambulancekidd]

Ferret (same family) escapes from cage, they are amazing at getting through a gap.

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[Dogeared]

Cat, would be my bet, looking for a warm spot at night.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Well that was a first! Picked the van up from storage last night. Whilst loading it up this morning, Mrs Castaway found what looked like dead slugs in the space under the cooker. At the same time I found some bits of fur in one of the outside lockers. Upon further investigation, I found a lot of other bits of something that used to be a rabbit and inside was a perfectly built nest using an old towel and lots more rabbit fur! Now, the question is, how did whatever it was manage to get a rabbit into the locker? We've had mice in the van before but I can't think of anywhere anything much bigger could get in! I suspect it will have been a stoat or a weasel but has anyone ever come across this sort of thing before? The dead slugs were obviously droppings from whatever it was!

That is only one of lifes little questions. I heard something scraping around in the back of my sealed off fireplace, went off and got some tools and a torch . Lowered the sealing plate and peered in ,expecting a mouse, but NO it was A Female MALLARD padding around in the there or I thought it was, because it was very black.. I opened all the doors and closed the curtains so the only obvious way to the light was the open front door. I reached in and grabbed a pair of feet causing a LOT of fuss. pulled it towards me getting peced and shat upon doing so , got it out through the gap at marched towards the door. Off it went straight across the road to the river and Splosh! in the water that was a good bath so I could see it was a female. Question is how did a duck fall down my chimney and what was it doing on the pot anyway?

 

[raysalaugh]

Question is how did a duck fall down my chimney and what was it doing on the pot anyway?

Too much weed on the river.

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