Bunnies are animals of prey. They are tiny, soft, and easy to hunt when they are wild and free. But when we think to put them in our house, are they totally safe? Isn’t there any risk of hunting bunnies by other animals? Would I be able to save them?
Different types of questions come to our minds. This is how a vulnerable question comes often that do snakes eat bunnies?
Do Snakes Eat Bunnies?
Yes, carnivorous animals like snakes eat bunnies. Garter snake, Brown snake, Python, Rattlesnake, Ratsnakes, Gopher snake- are the most common snakes that eat bunnies.
Though there are many different ways of snakes for eating bunnies. There are also many ways to save bunnies. You can use different kinds of cages or hutches to protect the bunnies.
We will talk about it as far as we can in this article. Let’s go.
What Kind of Snakes Eat Bunnies?
As snakes are carnivorous, so they try to fill their tummy only with meat. They like to kill almost all animals which are smaller than their body and eat them up. Some statistics show a snake can eat up an animal which is 75 to 100% bigger than their body.
So, generally, bunnies are easy animals to be killed for them. Still, there are some common species that like to eat bunnies than others. Those are:
- Gartner Snakes
- Rattlesnakes
- Ratsnakes
- Pythons
- Gopher Snakes
- Brown Snakes
- Southern Black Racer
- Kingsnakes
Why Do Snake Eat Bunnies?
There are many kinds of predators of bunnies. Snakes are meat eaters by origin. They don’t like to fight much to kill a prey and eat it up. They are silent and fast. So they try to find animals that are on the ground. Though snakes climb trees for food still, they are more comfortable on the ground.
So, earthworms, insects, ducks, chickens, pigs, deers, fishes, and bunnies become their prey. They try to kill these animals for their meal. As bunnies are soft and mostly small in size (except Angora, Giant Angora, Rex Rabbit, French lop, etc), so they become prey easily.
Moreover, rabbit’s skin and bones are not so rough or strong, so they are easy for snakes to digest in less time.
How and When Do Snakes Eat Bunnies?
There is a common idea that snakes throw poison to kill their prey. But that is not how they kill every time. Snakes try to swallow their prey while hunting. Believe me, that’s the common behavior of a snake.
They throw poison to some specific animals against those snakes that can’t fight. Even if a snake targets a crocodile, it doesn’t take much time to kill the crocodile with poison. And at this position, if we think do snakes eat bunnies? That sounds weird, right?
There are different times of the day for different snakes to go for a hunt. Let’s see those snakes which eat bunnies.
| Types of Snakes | Time for Preying |
|---|---|
| Gartner Snakes | Late afternoon, Early evening |
| Rattlesnakes | Any time of a day |
| Ratsnakes | Midnight |
| Pythons | Daytime |
| Gopher Snakes | Early in the morning, Late at night |
| Brown Snakes | End of a night |
| Southern Black Racer | Mostly at noon |
Do Snake Eat Baby Bunnies?
Snakes are predators of chance. They are kind of greedy you can say. They just don’t leave when they are fulfilled with the food. If they get chances, they would kill and eat any animals they find nearby.
If a snake can enter into a chicken coop then it just won’t eat the chickens but also the eggs will be gone too! So, if a snake gets a chance to kill a baby bunny then it won’t let go rather it will eat baby bunnies and escape.
Can Bunnies Kill Snake?
If you have already come here to this article, then you may be feeling upset or getting scared that bunnies are so poor that can’t fight back snakes. But sometimes they can.
Bunnies have a good sense of taking smell and hearing sounds from far. They can understand this type of situation in a second. They have sharp claws and teeth to do much harm to a snake that comes to attack.
Bunnies also can run to a safe place much quicker than a snake. Moreover, rabbits like to hop around with other rabbits. So a group of rabbits is like a shield against an attacking snake.
But if you are a good owner, then you must ensure the rabbit’s protection. Let’s talk about how to protect bunnies from snakes.
How to Protect Bunnies from Snakes?
The ecosystem is a bitter truth. You can’t hate snakes for eating your bunnies. Because they also need foods to live on, right? However, your pet is your responsibility.
So there are ways to follow to protect pet bunnies from snakes.
Creating a good hutch: You need to make a safe place for rabbit’s living, mostly for nights. So you should create a good hutch for your rabbits and make sure they are safe enough in it. You can try this kind of hutch for your rabbits.
Safe Place: Just providing a hutch can’t help your bunnies from getting eaten by snakes. The hutch must be in a dry and higher place with a lot of light and air.
Cover the hutch: The opening of the hutch should be covered well. If you find any holes cover them well.
Crop down nearby plants: Cut down every nearby plant in small size. Then the plants won’t be able to allow snakes to hide and attack your bunnies. Moreover, you also can see clearly if any snake comes close.
Do not leave any foods: Try to clean up the hutch and remove all uneaten pieces of foods your rabbits leave in the hutch.
Do not use any acid: Some of us think to use any kind of acid to keep snakes away. But do not do this! That kind of acid can do harm your own pet bunnies. But you can use this type of deterrner to keep snakes away.
Daytime outdoor: If you keep your bunnies inside your room or house then the risk diminishes a lot. But outdoor is risky. So provide your bunnies outdoor only in the daytime not at night.
Keep a sharp eye: Keep a sharp eye on your bunnies. Mostly when they do unusual activities. When they smell any danger, they might grunt or thump their feet or start bustling.
Things to Consider
Being a rabbit owner is not an easy term. You need to be much careful than other owners. Snakes are one of the most dangerous predators for rabbits.
There are always chances that a snake would eat your bunnies. But now you know the ways of protecting your rabbits. I would like to imagine you as a good owner and follow those steps.
Conclusion
As a conscious owner, the question- “do snakes eat bunnies?” can come naturally. Bunnies are easy to be killed by the snake.
So this becomes our top activity to create a safe place for bunnies before bringing them and pet them. The steps are not hard to follow to protect bunnies from snakes.