Magpies trying to eat buns.

Hi,

We get a lot of birds in the garden, the the past week a pair of magpies keep visiting. I thought it was lovely to have magpies in the garden , they are such colourful birds... even if they are not to friendly to other birds !

Magpies have been going up to buns runs and at one point one put its beak through the wire mess toward Pumpkin , who just doesnt seem bothered by them at all... Its got to the point that they visit most days and the magpie jumps up to the run to see if Pumpkin is in there. I thought this was cute and they had made friends !

I happen to be on the phone to my mum and said " ah Pumpkins magpie friend has just flown down to look for him "... my mother shouted get that bird away from Pumpkin, its trying to eat the bunny

Ive check online and its true magpies do try and eat buns It didnt occur to me as both my buns are 3 kg and bigger than a magpie... but it looks like they will still try to eat the buns eyes.....

Im an idiot...

Dawn

Oh yes Magpies will attack your bunnies if they can they are a beautiful looking bird but very nasty.

Ive read so many bun manuals and never have I read about this...

I feel like a bad mum for not knowing about this ... Buns could have been hurt right in front of my eyes... by the grace of God they are fine.

My mum says ravens will attack buns aswell .....

x

You are not a bad bunny Mummy you didn't know, I didn't know till I saw the Magpie going to peck my rabbit Keegan, I was on the phone to a friend and happened to be watching Keegan in our back garden and I spotted the Magpie and I gave a loud bang on the window and it flew off.

I don't know about Ravens and Rooks as we have loads in our garden but when I do have a bun free range I usually sit and watch them with a nice mug of coffee, but I wouldn't trust any large bird with a bunny or a Sparrowhawk .

thanks for sharing what happened to you..

After 8 yrs as a bun mum u think u can't possibly learn more but you do...

We've been her 2 yrs so have no idea why the magpies have just started coming in the garden. Ive been feeding the birds again in past 2 wks after over a month of stopping since the falcon captured a pigeon in the garden.

I think Im going to have to stop feeding the birds all together. I can't risk this keep happening.

Dx

i didnt know that ither,we dont get many big birds round here but will keep an extra eye out now

I dont get magpies near my house, my main worry was the hawks from up the road, a few times they tried to catch something in my garden (1st time was my budgie throught the window second was a wild bird). At the moment we seem to have a new cat in the area and I caught the little bleep on top of the bunnys house few days ago, my dogs sorted that out quickly, when my wee guys are out playing they will have the dogs with them to keep them company and the hawks away as well as a new cat intown, the dogs are gentle and they often sit together bess lies in the sun while smokey jumps over her and nibbles her paws, infact today smokey was drinking out a puddle so put fresh water out in a clean bowl for him while he was out playing and bonnie my westie ended up sharing it with him lol, not something I let happen just thought it was really cute. I dont leave them alone I am in and out the house or going up and down the house so when the bunnys are out if I cant sit with them I can still see them, all my windows look into the garden with the back door slap bang in the middle.

Now that I come to think about it am sure it was a few o they birds that attacked my salem (old cat) he was so badly injured he had a hole in his head right through to the skull, I had been taking great care of it tho vet hardly had to do anything just let it heel naturaly, but he was astonished at the damage the birds did to the poor cat, cought them doing it too.

Oh my god! How funny that you posted this today....we had a magpie in the garden today that matt noticed nipped charlie on the bottom!

He assumed he was trying to get some fur from Charlie for its nest!

Katieb wrote:Oh my god! How funny that you posted this today....we had a magpie in the garden today that matt noticed nipped charlie on the bottom!

He assumed he was trying to get some fur from Charlie for its nest!

this is exactly what happened to Pumpkin last week... didn't think about the pinching of fur for the nesting concept... this would make sense. Why would a magpie nip a buns butt if they are really after their eyes !

BUT ...would a magpie really fly down and hop up to the run today looking to see where Pumpkin is just for a bit of butt fur ?

From personal experience I feel it is less that they are trying to 'eat' the rabbits, and more that they are actually trying to pluck fur from them for nesting. They are notorious 'thiefs' after all.

If you Google there is actually quite a few mentions of them taking fur from cats for the same reason.

Sooz wrote:From personal experience I feel it is less that they are trying to 'eat' the rabbits, and more that they are actually trying to pluck fur from them for nesting. They are notorious 'thiefs' after all.

If you Google there is actually quite a few mentions of them taking fur from cats for the same reason.

thanks for that Ive had a search and found one video of magpies trying to get a cats fur , cant beleive the cat doesnt move !


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVIb065qI5Q

Sooz wrote:From personal experience I feel it is less that they are trying to 'eat' the rabbits, and more that they are actually trying to pluck fur from them for nesting. They are notorious 'thiefs' after all.

If you Google there is actually quite a few mentions of them taking fur from cats for the same reason.

This sounds more sensible to me... but then I have no idea. I thought magpies were friendly! Except in swooping season. We used to have heaps of magpies when we lived in the country, they would visit our garden and beg food from us. We had guineapeas then but the magpies never paid attention to them.

Magpies aren't strong enough to get through wire though, are they?

Members of the Crow family are all considered to be very intelligent birds. They are probably just after the fur for their nests as it is the breeding season and they are bright enough to know where they can get it.

Having said that, crows etc., will kill baby birds and probably would take small, weak baby animals. I doubt they would attack an adult rabbit unless it was very ill. Most rabbits would either scoot away or would go on the offensive back.

I'm glad to see this. I didn't think we had magpies here, but it seems we do now. They are invading from the West Coast and Alaska. Another bird to look out for!

We have far too many hawks and owls to even think about even walking Thumper on a leash. Even though he is ~10 lbs(~4.54 kg) they could still grab him.

Woop. Now I've done it. I was looking up owls on google and the site had the sound of a screech owl. He went on alert. Poor thing. At least he isn't thumping. He went crazy thumping when the neighbor cat came and stared at him through the bolted French door.

~holly~

NickieM wrote:Members of the Crow family are all considered to be very intelligent birds. They are probably just after the fur for their nests as it is the breeding season and they are bright enough to know where they can get it.

Having said that, crows etc., will kill baby birds and probably would take small, weak baby animals. I doubt they would attack an adult rabbit unless it was very ill. Most rabbits would either scoot away or would go on the offensive back.

thats the weird thing Nickie Pumpkin didnt move, he was sat in his run and kept looking round, like he was saying why are you poking me bird ! Binky on the other hand ran round the run then ran in... One magpie for each bun....buns must feel invaded.

I was wondering if I put out the buns fur from when I brush them if magpies would just take that and leave the buns alone? ... or maybe that would attract more magpies...

Most of the time the buns run around the garden but Im having to keep a close on them all the time ... I used to leave them in their runs when I went out but now Im to frightened and have to bring them in doors.

Dx

what about pigeons? 2 just landed on the fence and eyed the buns up,then the pigeons started to hump on the fence and must have gave snowflake the idea,she decided to have a go at spike spike then thumped at her and then snowflake nipped her bum,so spike thumped again and ran off

At my old house my bridge piggy joyce just used to charge up to the magpies squealing and it would just completely confuse them. I think this is where Flo has learned to do the same to the pigeons and collard doves. Although she grunts rather than squealing.

I seem to remember hearing some while back that Longleat had to put a cover on their guinea pig area because local birds were plucking the poor pigs for their fur during nesting time.

putting a clump of fur out would test if the magpies were after the fur or the buns.

Pigeons are safe enough, Myrtle loves to play with the wood pigeons that come to our garden - she attempts to sneak up on them then pounces...even a sleepy Myrtle will go out into the garden if there are pigeons about!

paullp wrote:putting a clump of fur out would test if the magpies were after the fur or the buns.

Pigeons are safe enough, Myrtle loves to play with the wood pigeons that come to our garden - she attempts to sneak up on them then pounces...even a sleepy Myrtle will go out into the garden if there are pigeons about!

good idea.. I might try and put out a clump of fur and see what happens. Its been raining/hailing here today so they haven't been today.

Even if they are after the fur I cant leave Pumpkin in the run if I go out as he just sits there while they peck him

However it would calm my fears that the magpies are after the buns eyes .

Dx

paullp wrote:putting a clump of fur out would test if the magpies were after the fur or the buns.

Pigeons are safe enough, Myrtle loves to play with the wood pigeons that come to our garden - she attempts to sneak up on them then pounces...even a sleepy Myrtle will go out into the garden if there are pigeons about!

thats good to know,thats what was in our garden the wood pigeons and thats what snowflake was seemed to be doing,she was slowly hoping behinde them,she followed them all the way around the garden and then decided to pounce,was really funny to watch her

Daisy has a thing about the pigeons....even though they are bigger than him he always chases them! Apparently if you are a nethie, a pigeon is quite offensive!

Katieb wrote:Daisy has a thing about the pigeons....even though they are bigger than him he always chases them! Apparently if you are a nethie, a pigeon is quite offensive!

Binky is just the same ... for some strange reason when he is chasing pigeons I imagine Binky in a deep Suffolk accent say " get off my land"

Dx

Dawnbunny wrote:

Katieb wrote:Daisy has a thing about the pigeons....even though they are bigger than him he always chases them! Apparently if you are a nethie, a pigeon is quite offensive!

Binky is just the same ... for some strange reason when he is chasing pigeons I imagine Binky in a deep Suffolk accent say " get off my land"

Dx

Thats exactly how I imagine it too!

I remember the crow that came and had a look at Wolfie through the fence. He bounded up all officious and it simply pecked him on the nose as if to say, 'Bog off!'