Wild Rabbits.

[Bigbad]

Been looking for a new house for months.
I liked the place I went to today, but the vendor told me there are lots of wild rabbits in the garden. It’s very rural.
Actually, he didn’t need to tell me. The evidence was all over the garden!
Every step I took on the grass, it sunk in, so there must be lots of rabbit warrens underneath.

Is this a concern? Could they get under the house and damage the foundations?
Thanks.

[Cloverjo]

There are lots of wild rabbits in my garden too. I've never been concerned about what they might do to the house. A badgers' sett was a bigger problem.

[ummmm]

I don't know how destructive wild rabbits are compared to domestic ones but my domestic ones ate my entire garden.

[paddywak]

You can find loads of recipes using rabbits on the web Bigbad,and and most of them are very tasty.

[Bigbad]

But does your garden sink with every step, Cloverjo?

Never fancied eating rabbit, paddywak, and I certainly couldn’t skin and gut them.
I don’t have the stomach!

[hc4361]

Rabbit tastes lovely.

[paddywak]

It's lovely Bigbad, but I know it's not to every bodies taste but when I was a kid we were raised on it.Any way to get back to you're rabbit problem most rural villages have a "poacher" or two so make a few inquiries in the local pub and I'm sure you'll find somebody with a ferret who'll pop down and clear your garden for you.

[maggiebee]

Skinned/gutted, soaked overnight in lightly salted water then curried. I defy anyone to tell the difference between rabbit and chicken.

[Canary42]

Unlikley I would have thought, otherwise houses in the countryside would be toppling all over the place. If you're still worried, try asking a qualified surveyor (I'm not sure whether we have any on AnswerBank - there is a guy still active here called "The Builder" who may know).

[Bigbad]

Been thinking about this.
I’ve decided that apart from the grass being like a trampoline, I really don’t want to walk over rabbit poo every time I go into the garden. It was covered with the stuff.
Oh well, I’ve been looking since last September, my search continues.
Back to the drawing board.

[Cloverjo]

My garden is covered in rabbit poo. I always go out with bare feet. Not as disgusting as it sounds. It's not like treading in the dog equivalent.
If you love the house then carry on and buy it. I love looking outside and seeing my little 'pets' roaming around nibbling the grass.

[Bigbad]

Nope.
Decision made.
If trampoline grass and poo bothers me that much, then the place is not for me.
I do realise that when buying a house, there are compromises to be made.
Sometimes you don’t know what they are until they pop up.
Or in this case poop up!

[237SJ]

Get a ferret. Your rabbits will gone in no time

[Maydup]

We have wild rabbits too, and there is no getting rid of them. As cute as they are to watch, they do take over the garden and will eat everything. I have a heavily fenced and walled vegetable garden, but everything else is wild and weedy now as they eat anything else I plant. They also dig and burrow, and although the house is not in danger, your ankles are!

I wouldnt buy the house either.

[The Builder]

Thanks to ummm for pointing me here.
I can't say I've ever heard of rabbit damage to building foundations, even though they can burrow to between 3 and 4 metres down, well below average foundation depth.

Cloverjo makes a good point - badgers are much more of a problem. Their tunnelling is much bigger. There are several cases of imminent foundation damage by encroaching burrowing.

Damage seems to be confined to garden vegetation, but there are chemical solutions available, or more natural, rabbit-friendly methods if you'd rather.

You could ask the opinion of a surveyor, but I doubt if they would have much experience of this either.

[dunnitall]

Poor rabbits.... They deserve life too. Shame if they encroach on 'your' territory...they deserve a life too. Leave well alone if you are not animal friendly....find a other place that doesn't have wild life messing with you. Animals are part of the planet...trouble is humans think they own and have dominion over everything else. X

[hereIam]

OR we could just live and let live, after all, it's their world too!

[hereIam]

Snap dunnitall ....

[dunnitall]

Hereiam... How right you are !

[Cloverjo]

Bigbad doesn't want to kill the rabbits, dunnitall and hereIAm. She's just worried they might damage the foundation of the house.

[dunnitall]

Big bad.....right decision IMO .....if it is going to bother you...don't do it! I know from experience one can think they can change or find an alternative but it hadn't worked for me. Practicalities prevail ... You go with your gut feeling... Can you handle this or not? Good luck in your choice. You have plenty of replies it's now up to you!