Rabbits possess a strong instinct to burrow, allowing them to easily bypass garden and yard boundaries by digging directly beneath existing fences. These animals are naturally attracted to the dense vegetation found in residential areas, seeking both food sources and protective cover from predators. Successfully excluding rabbits from a protected space depends almost entirely on installing physical barriers that extend below the soil line.
Essential Materials for Effective Exclusion
Effective subterranean barriers against rabbits require materials with specific properties regarding gauge and mesh size. The most suitable choice is galvanized hardware cloth, which offers superior strength and resistance to rust compared to standard chicken wire. Hardware cloth featuring a mesh opening of one inch or less prevents rabbits from pushing through or manipulating the barrier.
The material must be robust enough to withstand the continuous pressure from digging and degradation caused by soil exposure. To be an effective deterrent, the barrier should extend a minimum of 6 to 8 inches below the ground surface. This depth accounts for the typical shallow burrowing behavior of rabbits.
Implementing Vertical Burial Barriers
One direct approach involves creating a vertical burial barrier that intercepts the rabbit’s downward burrowing path. This technique requires digging a narrow trench, approximately 6 to 8 inches deep, positioned immediately adjacent to the existing fence line.
The chosen hardware cloth must be securely fastened to the bottom of the current fence fabric using heavy-duty staples or wire ties. The material should then be lowered vertically into the prepared trench, ensuring the top edge extends one or two inches above the ground level. Maintaining this slight above-ground height helps prevent rabbits from simply pushing the soil down and walking over the barrier.
Once the wire is positioned, the trench is carefully refilled with the excavated soil. It is important to tamp the soil firmly to eliminate air pockets and provide solid resistance against digging near the surface. This process creates a continuous, rigid wall that forces the rabbit to abandon its attempt to dig under the fence line.
Utilizing the Apron Method
An alternative to the vertical wall technique is the apron method, which capitalizes on the rabbit’s natural behavior to dig directly downward next to the fence. This approach involves burying the barrier material in an outward, L-shaped configuration rather than straight down. The material is typically only buried about 2 to 3 inches deep at the fence line itself.
The lower portion of the hardware cloth is bent outward, away from the protected area, to create a horizontal flap or “apron” that extends 6 to 8 inches. When a rabbit begins to dig immediately adjacent to the fence, its paws quickly encounter this wide, horizontal layer of wire mesh.
This subterranean apron is an effective deterrent because the rabbit’s natural digging trajectory is immediately blocked by the horizontal obstruction. The entire apron must be covered with the excavated soil and firmly tamped down to disguise the barrier. The apron method often requires less deep trenching than the vertical method, making it a viable alternative for areas with difficult or rocky soil conditions.
Ongoing Deterrence and Maintenance
The installation of a physical barrier requires periodic inspection and maintenance to ensure continued effectiveness. Buried wire barriers should be checked regularly, particularly after heavy rainfall or observed digging activity, to confirm the soil has not eroded or exposed the wire. Rabbits can exploit minor breaches or sections where the apron has lifted from the ground.
Clearing vegetation along the exterior perimeter of the fence line also contributes to long-term deterrence. Removing dense shrubs and tall grasses eliminates the protective cover rabbits rely on for safety while feeding, making them more hesitant to approach the area. This lack of visual obstruction enhances the barrier’s effectiveness by increasing the animal’s sense of exposure.
Supplemental measures can be employed outside the fence boundary to discourage approach. Certain approved, scent-based repellents, often containing ingredients like dried blood or sulfur, can be applied to the ground or surrounding foliage. These non-lethal deterrents exploit the rabbit’s aversion to specific odors.