Stoat and rabbit

Maidup · #1 (**permalink**) 04-12-2011, 11:09 AM

I watched a stoat take a wild rabbit in the garden last night. An amazing feat, just a shame its left it in the lawn this morning! It dragged it quite a way, through some ground cover and out the other side but has abandoned it now.

The wild rabbits are a bit of a pest in our garden so we're happy to see the stoat, (just wished he/she'd eaten mor eof it after such efforts)Is it likely to stay? Will it have moved into their burrow or just passing through?

Wild-Woman · #2 (**permalink**) 05-12-2011, 05:55 AM

Stoats do take up residence in old rabbit warrens, so if you've got rabbits around in some numbers, I suspect the stoat will be quite content to stay where there is a good food supply.
Stoats don't like being 'exposed' in the open for too long so this is one reason it may have left the rabbit. Stoats can become prey themselves if they're not careful.

MP · #3 (**permalink**) 06-12-2011, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Stoats do take up residence in old rabbit warrens, so if you've got rabbits around in some numbers, I suspect the stoat will be quite content to stay where there is a good food supply.
Stoats don't like being 'exposed' in the open for too long so this is one reason it may have left the rabbit. Stoats can become prey themselves if they're not careful.

I often wondered why they never hang around, I can only assume when you say they can become prey themselves, this would be to Birds of Prey ? I can not think of much else that would take on a Stoat ? At least not without the risk of injury to it`s self in any case. I once see a Rabbit chase off a Stoat, honest

.

Dogghound · #4 (**permalink**) 06-12-2011, 05:47 PM

If you have decent numbers of rabbits then there is a good possibility that it will stay. Prey populations are a key influence on stoat distribution and numbers as you would expect. Its likely that stoats are around most of the time, they are very widespread but often not easy to see. Numbers tend to around their peak going into winter.

Quite a large range of predators will take a stoat, especially when they are in the open. Mammals like foxes and cats are a large threat as well as birds of prey like buzzards but also owls (tawny, short eared and barn).