Rabbits may seem like cute and cuddly creatures, but when they invade your yard and start destructive burrowing, nibbling on plants, or leaving droppings everywhere, they quickly become unwelcome pests. Getting rid of rabbits in your yard can be challenging, but with persistence and a multi-pronged approach, you can humanely and effectively rabbits from your property.
Understand Rabbit Behavior
To get rid of rabbits, it helps to understand a little about their behaviors and tendencies:
- Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. This is when they will be out feeding.
- They tend to follow the same paths through a yard, wearing down trails along frequently traveled routes. Look for these rabbit runs as clues to their entrances and exits.
- Rabbits seek out food sources like vegetable gardens, flower beds, and low-growing shrubs. These attractions draw them into a yard.
- Rabbits like to hide and take shelter in bushes, woodpiles, under decks or sheds, and in other secluded spots. Denying them hiding places helps deter them.
- Rabbits dig burrows for shelter and raising young. The holes and piles of dirt left behind damage lawns.
- Rabbits breed rapidly, so even removing a few may not get rid of all of them if breeding continues.
Knowing rabbit tendencies makes it easier to start taking steps to make your yard less appealing to them.
Remove Food Temptations
One of the strongest attractants for rabbits is access to tasty plants and vegetables. If you remove these enticing food sources, rabbits have less incentive to stick around or dig burrows in your yard. Here are some recommendations:
Protect Vegetable Gardens
Safeguard veggie gardens with fences or other barriers. A fence should be at least 2 feet high and secured at ground-level to prevent rabbits from digging underneath. Bury the bottom several inches of the fence in the ground if possible. Chicken wire or hardware cloth works well for excluding rabbits.
Row covers over garden beds can also deter entry. Just be sure to secure covers well so rabbits cannot get underneath.
Avoid Rabbit-Favored Plants
When landscaping yards or gardens, avoid plants that rabbits tend to favor. These include tulips, pansies, clover, hostas, beans, and lettuce. Opt for plants less palatable to rabbits.
Herbs like lavender, thyme, mint, and sage have stronger scents that tend to repel rabbits. Ornamental grasses and plants with prickly textures or unappetizing flavors – like yarrow, juniper, or artemesia – are other smart choices.
If you already have plants rabbits are eating, apply repellent sprays made with hot pepper oil or garlic oil. Reapply after rain. Sprinkling blood meal fertilizer or human hair around plants can also discourage rabbit nibbling.
Manage Fallen Fruit
In areas with fruit trees, prevent fallen apples, plums, or other fruits from accumulating on the ground. Rake up and remove any windfall to eliminate a tempting rabbit food source.
Don’t Leave Pet Food Out
Rabbits are opportunistic eaters. Do not leave pet food outdoors where rabbits can access it. This applies to actual pet food bowls, overflow from bird feeders, or any other potential food source.
Eliminate Shelter and Hiding Spots
Rabbits seek out hiding spots for shelter from weather and predators. When you remove places rabbits can nestle in, you reduce their desire to take up residence.
Keep Yard Free of Debris
Ensure your yard does not have wood, rock, or brush piles sitting around. Even spaces under decks or porches can provide shelter. Trim back overgrown vegetation and keep the lawn mowed. This removes places rabbits can hide.
Fill In Rabbit Burrows
Inspect your yard regularly for shallow burrows with rounded entrances. Fill these in as soon as you discover them. Rake the hole flat and pack down the refilled dirt firmly to prevent digging again in the same spot.
Check for burrow activity daily and make filling holes part of your regular yard maintenance. Persistence pays off over time.
Use Wire Mesh Around Foundations
If rabbits are getting under your shed, deck, or house, seal off access. Fasten wire mesh fencing around the base of foundations, buildings, and other structures. Bury the wire several inches underground to prevent rabbits digging underneath.
Keep Shed and Deck Areas Clear
Do not allow piles of materials or vegetation to accumulate in areas around sheds, decks, porches, or houses. Even though you make the foundations rabbit-proof, they will still hang around if surrounding areas provide cover.
Repel Rabbits from Your Yard
Completely fencing off your entire yard is often impractical. Fortunately, there are techniques for repelling rabbits and discouraging them from lingering, even without solid fencing. Deterrents mixed with removing food and shelter make the area inhospitable for rabbits.
Use Predator Repellents
The scent from predator urine, like coyote or fox, triggers rabbits’ natural fear response. Look for these specially formulated repellents online or at hardware and garden stores. Apply them along the perimeter of gardens and yards. Reapply after rain.
Other natural scents rabbits dislike include vinegar, ammonia, or essential oils like peppermint, garlic, or tea tree. Make DIY rabbit repellent sprays.
Try Motion-Activated Sprinklers
These devices detect movement and shoot bursts of water to startle intruders. Position them along frequented rabbit trails or burrow areas. The unexpected soaking teaches rabbits to avoid the locations. Just be sure the sprinklers won’t splash veggie gardens or flower beds.
Apply Granular Repellents
Products containing either capsaicin from hot peppers or putrescent egg solids create an unpalatable surface coating. Sprinkle these odor and taste deterrents on the ground along rabbit trails and in areas they frequent. These granules are rain-resistant and provide 30-45 days of protection. Reapply as directed.
Use Predator Scare Devices
For mild deterrence, set up flashing lights, clanging pie pans, old CDs hanging on string, or other noise and motion devices. The activity makes rabbits hesitant to stick around. Just be sure to move devices regularly so rabbits don’t become accustomed to them in one spot.
Block Burrow Entrances
In addition to filling in holes, you can block burrow access by inserting chicken wire, hardware cloth, or wire mesh down into the entrances. Weigh the wire down with rocks to hold it in place. Rabbits will have a hard time digging back in through the wire.
Apply Repellent Landscaping Mulch
Certain mulch types naturally repel rabbits with scent and texture. Pine bark mini-nuggets, lava rock, and larger wood chip mulches are good choices. Avoid normal shredded bark mulch, which rabbits can dig through more easily.
Plant Rabbit-Resistant Perennials
Ring vegetable gardens and landscaping with tough perennials and herbs rabbits dislike. Varieties include lavender, catmint, marjoram, butterfly bush, gaillardia, Shasta daisy, salvia, and yarrow. These useful plants provide beauty while also deterring rabbits.
Use Fencing as a Last Resort
If other tactics are not keeping rabbits at bay, fencing off all or part of your yard may be warranted. Use fencing as a last resort, since completely enclosing a yard is costly and labor-intensive. Here are fencing guidelines:
- For best results, install fencing several inches below ground level to prevent digging underneath. The fence should also angle outward from the base.
- Chicken wire, hardware cloth, and galvanized wire mesh all work well and resist rust over time. Avoid plastic netting, which rabbits can chew through.
- Make sure fencing is pulled tight with no gaps along the bottom or around posts where rabbits can squeeze through.
- A height of 2-3 feet is sufficient, but shorter fencing may work if the bottom is secured several inches underground into an L-shape.
- For garden areas, miniature fencing about 1 foot tall can protect vulnerable plants. Use U-shaped sections around each bed.
- Double wrap wire fencing for extra security and stability. Use secure fasteners like zip ties, not just staples, to attach the wire to posts.
Check Local Laws on Trapping
As a very last resort if no other options are working, trapping and removing rabbits may be an option, but only where legal. Make sure you check your local municipal codes first. Trapping requires finesse. Here are some key factors:
- Only use humane live traps that do not harm rabbits. Release unharmed rabbits at least 10 miles from your property so they cannot find their way back.
- Bait traps with food rabbits cannot resist like lettuce or apples. Place traps along major runways for best success.
- Trapping works best in early spring when rabbit populations are lowest after the winter. Trying to trap in late spring when numbers rapidly expand is less effective.
- You must remove all rabbits trapped and reset the traps daily. Even missing a day allows rabbits to breed again. Consistency is critical.
- Releasing trapped rabbits on public land is usually illegal. Get permission before taking them to another private property.
- Be aware that trapping is labor-intensive and often not as successful long-term as exclusion methods. Monitor whether it is worth the time invested.
Don’t Use Poison Baits
It may be tempting to set out poison bait to kill invading rabbits. However, this method is not humane or smart. Poison risks harming children, pets, birds, and other wildlife attracted to the bait besides rabbits. It also may only draw more unwanted rabbits into your yard searching for the bait.
Act Rapidly at First Sign of Rabbits
If you spot the first few rabbits in your yard, take quick and thorough action. The longer rabbits are left to acclimate and breed, the harder they are to evict. Implement a combination of deterrents immediately when you spot the first few long-eared invaders.
Be Patient and Persistent
Removing a rabbit infestation takes diligence and commitment over an extended time. No single approach will instantly provide results overnight. But by executing combined tactics consistently and continuously, you gain the upper hand. Don’t allow discouragement to set in. With rabbit problems, persistence definitely pays off.
Monitor and Modify Your Plan
Keep observing where rabbits appear most active in your yard and their favored access points. Also track which control measures seem most and least effective. Maintain detailed notes.
Adjust your rabbit eviction plan as needed based on these observations. For example, you may need higher fencing in certain areas where rabbits always breach. Or alternate different repellents to keep rabbits off balance. Continually adapt and improve until you hit on the right formula.
Call In Reinforcements When Needed
Severe rabbit infestations may reach the point where you need to call in an expert. Pest control specialists or wildlife management companies can assess your unique situation and provide the best solutions, including humane trapping or exclusion work.
Although hiring help costs more upfront, in the long run it may save money compared to buying a slew of ineffective do-it-yourself products. The right expert can identify exactly why your efforts have failed and how best to turn the tide.
Protect Landscaping After Rabbits Leave
Once you evict rabbits, take preventive measures so they do not quickly return and undermine progress. Here are some upkeep tips:
- Inspect regularly for any new burrows or evidence of rabbits and immediately address issues before populations rebuild.
- Maintain fencing and make repairs to keep rabbits from sneaking back in.
- Reapply repellents periodically as a preventive measure. Vary the products used so rabbits don’t become accustomed.
- Ensure you don’t make changes such as new plantings or debris piles that make conditions attractive again.
Staying vigilant with proactive protection keeps hard-won success from being short-lived. Make rabbit prevention a permanent part of your landscaping routine.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Rid of Rabbits
What smell do rabbits hate?
Rabbits have a strong dislike for the scent of predator urine, especially from coyotes or foxes. Vinegar, ammonia, and essential oils like peppermint, garlic, tea tree, and citrus also deter rabbits when used in repellent sprays.
What is the best rabbit repellent for yards?
Effective rabbit repellents for yards include predator urine granules, capsaicin or putrescent egg spray formulas, and liquid formulas containing ammonia or vinegar. Spreading these along rabbits’ pathways and burrow areas conditions them to avoid those locations.
What can I spray to keep rabbits away?
Homemade sprays using ammonia, vinegar, garlic, or chili powder mixed with water can effectively repel rabbits when sprayed on plants or along rabbit trails. Capsaicin formulas made from hot peppers or commercial formulas containing predator urine also work when sprayed. Reapply after rain.
What plants do rabbits hate the most?
Rabbits strongly dislike the scent and taste of lavender, rosemary, marigolds, mint, citrus, yarrow, juniper, daffodils, and ornamental grasses. Interplanting these around your vegetable garden provides natural barriers rabbits won’t cross.
Do mothballs keep rabbits away?
No, mothballs are not an effective or safe rabbit repellent. Their fumes can bother other wildlife and pets. The chemical napthalene in mothballs is also a possible human carcinogen with environmental toxicity. Stick to natural botanical repellents applied correctly.
Does human hair keep rabbits away?
Yes, human hair does help repel rabbits when spread around garden beds and landscaping. As it decomposes, the hair gives off an odor of humans rabbits want to avoid. Saving hair clippings provides free rabbit deterrent material. Renew applications after rainfall.
What home remedy keeps rabbits away?
Hands down the most popular home remedy for driving away rabbits is mixing a spray of raw eggs, hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, and water. The putrid rotten egg smell combined with spicy capsaicin covers all the bases rabbits hate. Just spray it on plants and in rabbit runs.
What scent will keep rabbits away?
Rabbits are repelled by the pungent smells of vinegar, garlic, chili powder, ammonia, and essential oils. Making DIY repellent sprays with any of these provides an unpleasant burst of scent each time a rabbit comes near. Reapplying frequently strengthens the stay away message.
Will mothballs or ammonia keep rabbits out of my garden?
No, mothballs are ineffective and unsafe around gardens where food is grown. While ammonia does deter rabbits with its sharp odor, it may also damage edible plants. Products specifically labeled as rabbit repellents are better choices for protecting vegetables and fruit trees.
Conclusion
Pest rabbits can quickly ravage gardens and landscaping if left unchecked. But by executing an aggressive, multifaceted game plan, you can successfully evict unwelcome long-eared guests. Keep your yard and garden rabbit-free by focusing on these key strategies:
- Remove food sources rabbits seek like vegetable plants and fallen fruit. Starve them out.
- Eliminate shelter spots and seal off hiding places under decks and foundations.
- Use scent, noise, water, and other deterrents to condition rabbits to avoid areas.
- Plant species naturally unappealing for rabbits around the perimeters of your yard.
- Erect fencing as a last resort only if other measures are insufficient.
- Monitor closely and constantly refine your approach based on results.
- Call in experts when infestations are severe and require greater knowledge and effort to remove.
With persistence and adaptability, you can reclaim your yard and garden from the menace of burrowing bunnies and grazing garden raiders. Use integrated humane tactics, and you will once again be able enjoy your outdoor spaces free of rabbits.