Do Rabbits Attract Mice? Top Tips To Keep Them At Bay

You might be noticing little black rice-looking droppings around and you could be wondering “do rabbits attract mice?”

First, let me put your mind at ease and say that no rabbits themselves do not attract mice.

But there are a lot of things that come with having rabbits that could attract mice. Things like a warm place to hid out and other living situations cause mice to show up.

Don’t freak out and think you are dirty or are doing something wrong if you are struggling with mice. You just have to become a detective and figure out what the main cause is and fix it.

Mice can be a nuisance and they could be a problem in your backyard farm or at the rabbitry. There is an increased risk of having mice when you have rabbits or other livestock. But not for the reason you think.

If Rabbits Don’t Attract Mice What Does?

Rabbits and mice don’t like each other so what would actually cause mice to show up in your rabbit enclosure, barn or home? In addition to being an unappetizing food source for mice, rabbits can also be a deterrent due to their scent. Rabbits naturally produce a musky odor which can be unpleasant for some animals including mice.

Mice are known for their love of grains and other starchy foods, but they will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough. This includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even meat.

Rabbits primarily eat grasses (ie hay) and leafy greens which do not appeal to the taste buds of these pesky rodents. We have a palette where we stack our livestock feed in the detached garage and which do you think ends up with mice chewing holes in the feed bag? The chicken feed or the rabbit food? Yep, the chicken food had the wholes first.

Rabbit pellets are not the first choice of mice to eat so they have to be pretty hungry before eating that. Now if you have a lot of hay or straw laying around they aren’t going to eat it but they will use it for nesting if they don’t find something else better.

How To Store Feed

It’s going to be difficult to store things like bails of hay out of reach but food and grains defiantly need to be kept in a rodent-proof container.

Tubs or sealable containers are great or I love to use large mettle trash cans with a lid for the feed for our backyard chickens. Its a great heavy alternative to storing feed.

Plastic containers are ok but if you are not careful, some regular tub lids can still be pushed open enough for a mouse to get in. My husband found this out with the pretty solid tubs he is using for his duck decoys. Also, some are made with holes in the sides from how they were molded and machined.

Time Of Year Will Cause An Increase In Mice Showing Up

Mice love to live in warm and cozy places – this includes homes, sheds, garages, barns, and even in cars! They’re particularly attracted to cluttered areas filled with food crumbs and easy hiding spots. So if you want to keep your home or barn mouse-free, it’s important to keep it clean and tidy.

But more than that the time of year and seasons changing from warm months to cold winter months is going to cause mice to frantically look for somewhere to bed down for the winter. While mice may not choose to live closer to larger animals in your barn they are likely to make an exception if they are looking for a safe place to live and stay warm for the winter.

Disease Risks: Are Mice Dangerous?

The infectious diseases that mice can bring to your livestock may not be something that is top of mind right? Out of sight out of mind. But it’s important to keep in mind if you’re a farmer or livestock owner.

Mice are pesky little creatures that bring with them a high health risk for your animals and I am all about taking preventative measures over treatment. It is far more affordable and less hassle if you keep things cleaned up so mice don’t have a lot of hiding places.

For starters, mice can carry a variety of diseases that are harmful to both humans and animals. Some of these include salmonella, hantavirus, leptospirosis, and tularemia. These diseases can have serious consequences and require immediate medical attention in order to prevent further spread.

Most of the time it is caused by their fecal matter or them urinating on something that comes in close contact or is digested by your rabbit.

My Must Have Rabbitry Supplies

Prevention Strategies

Are you tired of pesky mice running around your backyard farm or rabbitry? Well, fear not! There are plenty of ways to get rid of those little critters that are safe for your animals. Here are some tips that will have you saying goodbye to mice in no time.

Rodent Traps

Traps are going to be your best solution to your mouse problem. Mice are just going to keep coming in if you don’t do something about them. These stupid humane traps are just a waste of time. If you catch it and release it back outside that mouse is going to beat you back to your own house.

Pay close attention and try setting up traps around the areas where you’ve noticed mouse activity. Ahem… droppings are the best indicator.

However, be thoughtful about what other animals have access to that area OR what animals you have that could end up catching those mice.

Poison Taps

For example, we have two dachshunds and when we use poison traps we make sure they don’t have secondary exposure effects. So if your dog or cat gets a mouse that ate the poison they won’t be affected.

Snap Traps

Be careful where you put snap traps and what animals have access to that area. If you have barn cats make sure you use a trap that could be set inside a box with an opening so your cats don’t walk on the trap and get their paw broken.

Best Mouse Bait

Peanut butter has always worked great for us. Put it on the tray of the snap trap and if you have a good amount of mice in your housing area you should have success in about 24 hrs.

We have also used salomi but that didn’t work as well. Use things that are smelly and will attract the mouse to the trap.

Do not put traps of any kind just out in the open or in the same living area as your actual rabbit. It’s a good way to damage your animal.

Natural Repellents

You can also use natural repellents like peppermint oil or cloves to keep mice at bay. Mice have a powerful sense of smell and don’t like to have annoying smells where they live.

Remove Any Welcome Signs For The Mice

The first thing that will attract mice is a nice warm living space so you need to go through the barn or area where your rabbits and other animals live to close up and clear out anything that mice might like to live in.

Things like:

• boxes with things that could be nesting material.
• Old paper, stuffing like cotton balls, fabric.
• Containers with cubby holes that are seldom moved.
• Bedding.
• Straw.
• Animal fur.
• Other animal houses with holes like bird feeders or squirrel houses.
• Other pet food – like cat or dog food.
• leftover food or snacks.
• A chicken coop.
• Compost pile
• Brush or wood piles.

Another option is to seal up any holes or cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings so they can’t sneak in. But this can be difficult because mice can get through holes as small as a dime.

How To Mouse Proof Your Rabbit’s Cage

Pests and other animals are another reason why I don’t like my rabbits on the ground. Having your rabbit’s hutch off the ground will help keep mice out of your rabbit’s enclosure. My rabbit hutches are off the ground by almost three feet.

The other thing you should look for is small pockets where a mouse could build a nest if they decide living next to a rabbit isn’t so bad.

Best Mousing Cats

If all else fails, consider getting a cat or two as deterrents! Cats are natural predators and love chasing after rodents. Females are going to be your best mousers the fellas often turn into big lazy house cats.

You also have to make sure you keep that cat outside a large amount of the time and encourage them to go find their own food. Meaning doesn’t feed them a ton of people food or canned food all the time. Feed them once a day and if they want more they have to go find it. I.e do the job they are there for.

Clear Out Any Open Fileds

Both farmers fields with corn or soybeans as well as brush piles and overgrown fields are big attractants for small rodents because they are filled with food and cover from predators.

Wives Tails That Are Not Attracting Mice

There are some things that cause people to think mice are attracted to but honestly, they’re just theories.

Some of those things are:

• Rabbit droppings.
• Wild Rats
• Wild Rabbits
• Your Rabbit’s Food

The bottom line is rabbits don’t attract mice but the things that come with raising rabbits can cause mice to hang around.

Mice can be super annoying and even scary for some people. But don’t ignore the issue. It will get worse if you do nothing about it. Get rid of any food sources you can find and start your pest control plan ASAP.