One Way Rabbit Door

Okay, I wish I could take credit for this idea but I can't. It comes from a person who posts on the Homesteading Today forums under the name of "Thatch". Thatch came up with the idea of making a one-way rabbit door out of PVC pipe. We did modify the door/hinge but the basic concept was Thatch's. The PVC pipe is 4" diameter.

Sorry about the shadow; the flash on my camera is poorly positioned for close up shots. The door is made out of 1/2" hardware cloth cut to fit the opening of the PVC pipe. The "hinge" is made by drilling two holes in the PVC pipe, sticking a length of coat hanger wire through, and bending the hardware cloth stems so they wrap around the coat hanger wire. As with all photos on this blog, you can click the picture for a larger version.

This shows more or less how the door is positioned in the fence. It looks a heck of a lot larger than 4", doesn't it? Anyway, I cut a hole in the fence, fit the door into the fence, drilled a couple more holes in the pipe, and used zip ties to secure it to the fence.

Now when rabbits escape (and THREE of them did, last night!) they can get back into the colony. They are usually surprised to find themselves outside the colony and spend a lot of time and effort circumnavigating the fence looking for a way in.

The three last night got out by digging up from one of the main burrows which extends pretty far beyond the fence. My NEXT colony is going to have the fencing sunk a couple of feet into the ground to prevent dig outs.