Rabbits readily consume zucchini plants, making them a frequent and frustrating garden pest. These animals are attracted to a wide variety of cultivated vegetables, and the tender, nutrient-rich growth of squash plants offers an appealing food source. Understanding the specific nature of this attraction and how to identify their presence is the first step in protecting your garden from damage.
Zucchini as a Food Source for Rabbits
Rabbits are attracted to zucchini plants primarily because they offer tender, palatable forage, especially the new growth in the spring and early summer. Zucchini is generally non-toxic and safe for rabbits to eat, containing beneficial fiber and high water content. They will consume all above-ground parts of the plant, including the leaves, stems, and even the flowers.
While the mature, large leaves of the zucchini plant can develop prickly hairs (trichomes) that may deter some feeding, rabbits often ignore this mild defense. The newest leaves and softest stems near the plant’s base remain vulnerable to browsing. This preference means young zucchini seedlings are at the highest risk of being completely destroyed soon after planting.
Distinguishing Rabbit Damage from Other Garden Pests
Successfully protecting your zucchini plants begins with correctly identifying the culprit, as damage from rabbits, deer, and groundhogs can look similar at a glance. Rabbits possess sharp incisors that leave a clean, precise cut on stems and leaves, often at a 45-degree angle. This distinctive, neat cut is the most reliable sign of rabbit feeding.
Rabbit damage is typically confined to a height of about two feet or less above the ground, aligning with their limited reach. You will also often find small, round, pellet-like droppings scattered near the site of the damage. In contrast, deer lack upper incisors, causing them to rip or tear foliage, resulting in ragged, uneven edges. Deer browsing damage will generally be found higher up, sometimes reaching six feet or more on tall plants.
Groundhogs tend to cause more extensive, irregular damage by consuming large sections of a plant and often eating the fruits themselves. The presence of large burrow entrances, often 10 to 12 inches wide, with mounds of displaced dirt nearby, is a clear indicator that a groundhog is the primary offender. By examining the cut edges and the height of the damage, gardeners can confirm they are dealing with a rabbit problem.
Immediate Strategies for Protecting Zucchini Plants
The most reliable strategy for preventing rabbit damage involves establishing physical barriers to exclude them from the zucchini patch. A fence constructed from galvanized hardware cloth or chicken wire is highly effective, provided the mesh size is one inch or smaller. The barrier must be at least two feet high, supported by sturdy posts, as rabbits can stand on their hind legs to reach foliage.
To prevent rabbits from digging underneath the barrier, the fence bottom needs to be secured. This is done either by bending the lower six inches outward in an “L” shape and burying it shallowly, or by burying the fence straight down six to twelve inches. For young plants, temporary floating row covers secured tightly to the ground can provide protection until the plants mature.
Repellents offer a secondary line of defense used in combination with physical barriers. These products generally work in two ways: by taste or by scent. Taste-based repellents, often containing capsaicin, make the foliage unpalatable. Scent-based repellents utilize odors that rabbits find offensive, such as dried blood meal or commercial predator urine products.
Repellents require frequent reapplication, especially after rain or overhead watering, which washes the active ingredients away. They must also be reapplied to any new plant growth that emerges, as rabbits quickly target untreated leaves. Another proactive measure is habitat modification, which involves removing dense brush piles, tall weeds, and debris near the garden that rabbits use for shelter.