How to Control Rabbits

How to Control Rabbits

Rabbits are cute but as cute as they are, they can cause a lot of damage in our garden. The question most people ask is whether rabbit repellent or rabbit deterrent can really repel rabbits or not. Rabbit are opportunistic animals, so you need a good rabbit repellent strategy or product to protect your yard. This article will show you step-by-step ways of stopping rabbits from damaging your garden.

Identify their pattern of activity

To find rabbit deterrent method that works, you need to know where and when rabbits cause the most damage. Generally, their habits change with the seasons, which is why you may need to use multiple rabbit repellent solutions based on the time of the year. Here are the common activities carried out by rabbits based on the time of the year.

Spring/Summer

• Nibbling on the young seedlings
• Eating alfalfa, clover and grass
• Pilfering flower gardens
• Destroying tender crops such as lettuce, cabbage, peas and beans

Fall/Winter

• Clipping twigs
• Occupying animal burrows
• Girdling young tree bark
• Chewing on shrubs and woody plants

Think like rabbits

The most important thing rabbits think of is how to make more bunnies. One rabbit couple in a breeding season can produce up to 17 baby bunnies, which is the reason you need a strategy for coexistence when it comes to finding rabbit deterrent method that works.

Rabbit as a timid creature prefers to feed where they can easily take cover when there is a problem. So it means you will most of the time find rabbit damage at the edge of your garden, which is why it is vital to remove anything that can give the rabbit a cover in your garden.

Best rabbit repellent methods

There are three main methods of keeping rabbit off your favorite plants; they include fencing, repellents and targeted coverage. Let’s look at how each method works.

Fencing

If you discover that rabbits are the only animals causing damage in your garden, getting 2’ fence made of poultry mesh should solve the problem. However, you need to extend the fence down into the soil to discourage burrowing. You can also protect any vulnerable plant with self-supporting pop-up nets. If after fencing your garden, rabbits are still causing damage, you can increase the height of the fence by 2-3 ft. You can also consider electric fencing. Although the electric fence is more expensive but will make a good investment in the long run.

Rabbit repellent

If there are several other things that rabbit can eat in your garden, you can deter them from eating a specific crop in your garden by spraying it with Rabbit MACE. Rabbit MACE is an effective rabbit deterrent because even if rabbits have grown fond of a crop, it will repel them. Most other repellents don’t deter rabbit from eating a particular crop they have grown fond of, but Rabbit MACE is effective in this aspect. You can use the repellent spray to break their feeding cycle so that young plants can have enough time to grow. Remember you need to apply the spray regularly, especially after heavy rains.

Targeted cover

If you have a certain plant that rabbits can’t resist in your garden (such as beans and peas) or an exotic plant you have grown, you can focus on protecting that area alone. You can wrap or cover the plant with garden fabric. This is an easy way to protect a particular plant you don’t want to lose.

Remember that animals can be unpredictable, so you should pay close attention to everything happening in your garden.