The presence of wild rabbits, most commonly the Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), in suburban and rural landscapes presents a classic dilemma for the homeowner. Whether these animals are considered beneficial wildlife or a destructive pest depends almost entirely on the individual’s priorities for their outdoor space. A person who values a manicured landscape or a thriving vegetable patch will likely view them as a severe nuisance. Conversely, someone focused on the local food web may appreciate their ecological role.
Damage to Ornamentals and Produce
Rabbits are opportunistic herbivores with a broad diet, making cultivated gardens and landscapes highly attractive food sources throughout the year. During the spring and summer, rabbits gravitate toward tender, succulent vegetation, including vegetable seedlings, clover, and many types of flowers. They are known to graze heavily on the first shoots of tulips and can devastate entire garden rows of lettuce, beans, and peas.
The damage is often characterized by a clean, angled cut on the stem, which is distinct from the jagged tear left by a deer that lacks upper incisors. In the colder months, when green forage is scarce, rabbits turn their attention to woody plants, relying on the bark of young trees and shrubs for sustenance.
This winter feeding behavior poses the most severe threat to established landscaping through a process called girdling. Girdling occurs when a rabbit gnaws the bark completely around the circumference of a trunk or stem to reach the nutrient-rich cambium layer underneath. If the cambium is removed entirely, the plant’s vascular system is severed, preventing the movement of sugars and water, which ultimately kills all growth above the damaged area. Young fruit trees, maples, and ornamental shrubs like burning bush are particularly susceptible to this fatal damage.
Burrowing and Structural Disruption
While rabbits are often associated with extensive underground tunnel systems, the common cottontail does not typically dig deep, complex burrows like woodchucks. Instead, they utilize existing shelter, such as hollow logs, brush piles, or burrows abandoned by other animals. When they do dig, it is often for a shallow, cup-shaped depression called a “form,” which serves as a concealed surface nest for their young or a temporary resting spot.
These surface scrapes and forms can create minor tripping hazards in a manicured lawn, but the greater concern arises when rabbits seek shelter under structures. Rabbits may excavate soil beneath sheds, porches, or decks, potentially causing localized erosion or settling issues under the foundation over time. A more specific and costly form of damage is the chewing of plastic irrigation lines, particularly above-ground drip systems. Rabbits, driven by thirst, will chew through the flexible tubing to access water, causing leaks that require frequent and expensive repairs.
Their Role in the Local Ecosystem
Despite the damage they cause to cultivated areas, rabbits play a significant and beneficial role in the local ecology. As a primary herbivore, their grazing helps manage plant growth and contributes to the diversity of plant life by preventing a few dominant species from taking over. Furthermore, they serve as a fundamental link in the food chain, acting as a major food source for a wide array of predators, including foxes, coyotes, hawks, and owls.
Their small, spherical droppings also act as a slow-release fertilizer for lawns and garden beds, contributing nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus back into the soil. Regarding health, the risk of disease transmission to people in a casual yard setting is low. Rabbits can carry Francisella tularensis, the bacterium responsible for tularemia, or “rabbit fever.” Transmission typically occurs only through handling an infected animal or via a vector like a tick, but there is a rare risk of aerosolization if a nest is disturbed by activities like mowing.