Keeping rabbits from damaging your yard and garden requires a comprehensive approach using humane, non-lethal, and natural methods. These small mammals seek food and secure shelter, often consuming tender plants and nesting in landscaping. Effective deterrence involves systematically making the environment less appealing by blocking physical access, eliminating attractive hiding spots, and applying sensory deterrents. Implementing these strategies simultaneously offers the most reliable way to protect cultivated areas.
Constructing Physical Barriers
Physical exclusion is the most dependable long-term solution for protecting specific areas, such as vegetable patches or flower beds. The barrier must account for a rabbit’s ability to squeeze through small openings, jump, and dig. Use galvanized hardware cloth or small-gauge chicken wire, as it is durable and resistant to rust. To exclude all age classes, the mesh should not exceed 31 millimeters (1.25 inches) for hexagonal netting or 50 by 25 millimeters (2 by 1 inches) for rectangular mesh. The fence height must extend at least 0.75 meters (30 inches) above the ground to prevent jumping.
A fence resting on the ground is easily defeated by digging. To prevent this, the bottom edge of the wire must be buried 6 to 10 inches deep. The buried portion should be bent outward in an “L” shape, extending away from the protected area, which creates a barrier rabbits encounter when attempting to dig beneath the fence line.
Removing Attractive Habitats
Modifying the landscape to eliminate potential shelter sites reduces rabbit population pressure in your yard. Rabbits seek dense, low-lying cover to hide from predators, rest, and create shallow nests. Removing common harborages forces them to seek less secure locations.
Common attractive features include dense brush piles, stacks of firewood left on the ground, and overgrown areas of tall weeds or long grass. These materials provide secure cover, encouraging rabbits to linger and breed near your plants. Clear out abandoned equipment or materials that create small, dark spaces near the ground.
Low-hanging structures, such as the skirting around decks or sheds, also offer excellent nesting sites protected from the elements. Seal these gaps with wire mesh or solid material to prevent access. Additionally, promptly harvesting ripe vegetables eliminates easy access to food sources, reducing a primary attractant.
Utilizing Natural Sensory Repellents
Natural repellents appeal to a rabbit’s strong sense of smell and taste, making treated plants unpalatable or signaling a perceived threat. These methods require consistent reapplication but offer a non-toxic way to deter feeding behavior.
One effective approach is creating a taste repellent using capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their heat. A simple spray can be made by steeping ingredients like crushed garlic and cayenne pepper in water, often with dish soap added to help the mixture adhere to the foliage. This solution creates an immediate, unpleasant taste sensation when a rabbit attempts to nibble the treated plant.
Another potent scent-based repellent is dried blood meal, which is a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that signals the presence of a predator. The application of these sensory deterrents should occur every one to two weeks, and immediately after any significant rainfall or heavy watering, as moisture washes the active ingredients away. To prevent rabbits from becoming accustomed to a single repellent, rotate between different types, such as alternating a spicy taste spray with a scent deterrent like blood meal.