Rabbits are one of the most loved and adored animals around. They are kept as pets, appear in children’s books and even have a celebrated icon in the Easter Bunny. So it’s hard for some people to believe that they can also be one of the country’s greatest pests. But a few happy rabbits can wipe out a nice garden in no time.
Rabbits will devour a wide variety of plant material. Small flowers and plants can be ripped right out of the ground and other damage can be identified by chew marks on older woody growth, clean-cut clipping of young stems, and rabbits’ distinctive round droppings.
What makes controlling rabbits so difficult is that they reproduce quickly and often. Although a rabbit’s life expectancy is 12 to 15 months, they can produce up to four litters per year, with as many as six young per litter. The young are born in shallow nests in the ground but are able to leave the nest in two to four weeks.
Although baby bunnies can look cute when they are young, they will quickly establish their feeding patterns and favorite places to visit. Making matters worse is that most rabbits are random eaters, taking a nibble here and there every night until most of your landscape has been damaged.
While some people have success trapping rabbits using traps filled with carrots, fruits and other vegetables, the easiest way to control them is to make your garden undesirable with the use of repellants. We recommend a two-pronged approach that odorizes not only the soil but the plant foliage as well.
Dry soil-type repellants can be shaken out right onto the soil surface; we recommend applying around the garden perimeter. Liquid plant-type repellants, such as GetAway by Havahart, can be sprayed directly onto the foliage of their favorite (damaged) plants. It is important to re-apply the repellents according to package directions until you have broken the feeding patterns of the rabbits. Signs to look for are new growth appearing on plants and a decrease in droppings.
Rabbits have many of the same plant tastes as deer, so another solution is to plant deer-resistant plants in your landscape.