How to identify rabbits and get rid of them

Got rabbits? These little mammals can do many things to young plants, so prevention is crucial. In addition to fencing, there are many old-fashioned remedies and other solutions that will keep them away from the garden! In addition, see the list of plants that rabbits ignore.

Why should rabbits be set aside?

Anyone who plows the soil considers the rabbit a beautiful threat to carrots. This long-eared animal is very hungry for all kinds of fresh plants - woody plants, perennials, annuals, vegetables, and berries. In fact, the menu of rabbit favorites is so absurd that it is easy to list some plants they do not like.

Rabbits have a very high reproductive capacity, which is why keeping them around can quickly cause a total garden infection. They can produce up to six cubs per year in the north and up to six litters per year in the south. The first debris appears in the north in March, elsewhere throughout the year. The gestation period is 29 days. Eight days more than the time it takes for a chicken egg to hatch!

Eating without food is the primary concern of your backyard bunny, a difficult task preferred by more than two dozen predators of rabbits. Enticing your petunia is not a carefree trip, but a risky endeavor. However, if you can squeeze the rabbit near you through the hole in the fence in your garden, it will find a safe feeding time.

You can see our tips for keeping your plants safe from rabbits, but try to treat rabbits just like Beatrice Potter did — they are part of a quiet, grazing landscape. Protect the plants that you and the rabbits really like, and do not worry about the rest.

How to identify rabbits in your garden

Of the nine species of North American cottontail rabbits, this one is the eastern cotton tail (Sylvilagus floridanus), which is the most abundant and annoying to us. From Boston to Boulder and southern Mexico, this rabbit-about city is rarely found in the wild; Instead, brush fences, field edges, brush piles and you guessed it - landscape backyards prefer. Its preference for flowers, vegetables, bark, and bulbs often results in pruned peppers and sliced pears. although its nicknames are adorable (among them bunny, bunny rabbit,, and cottontail), and you may want to befriend it once you see its beautiful ears, the Eastern cottontail can be a nuisance. It is gray or brown, with a short tail and large ears. It weighs 2 to 4 pounds, is 15 to 19 inches long, and can live for 12 to 15 months. Its voice call is almost silent, but when threatened it will emit a scream. Its most popular features include a cotton ball-like short white tail and long, narrow ears.

An eastern cotton tail, protection is a brush, leaves, or another animal's abandoned burrow pile. Unlike their European relatives, these rabbits do not dig intricate burrows or warrens but build on what they see. Rabbits rarely leave their shelters during the day, preferring early morning or evening instead. Like most animals, they are sensitive to changes in the length of the day as spring approaches. For rabbits, long days mark the beginning of two things: the breeding season and spring feeding.

Rabbit damage

Rabbits are hungry to eat and leave clean damage. Check that the leaves and stems of your plants are neatly trimmed; Insects and other insects usually leave severed edges on damaged plants. Since rabbits eat the delicious green shoots of tulips and other plants, this clean-cut damage often occurs at ground level.

These low-sawing machines graze near the ground, sniffing the first soft young shoots and cutting them short. They like to eat flowers, clover, peas, lettuce, beans, and more. Many of these plants are very fond of shrubs or land pigs, so check the burrows before you determine if you have rabbit damage. Once your plants have passed the seedling stage, they are usually safe from rabbit damage.

Although bunny nibbling occurs every season, especially in early spring the rabbits mercilessly sprout the delicate green of the plants It is encouraged when eating herbs. As one Connecticut gardener recalled, “My tulips were poking through the snow, and suddenly they looked like weeds. Clean up! I blame the bunnies—their little paws were everywhere.

How to prevent rabbits

The best way to keep rabbits out of the garden and prevent rabbit damage is to use physical barriers such as fencing. Although we've mostly discussed eastern cottontails, remember – these tips should work for any type of rabbit that likes to eat your plants!

A chicken wire fence is the best way to keep rabbits out. The fence should be 4 feet high and buried at least 6 inches deep. Bend the top of the fence as a protective fence from the garden so they can't climb or jump over it. For bulbs, try a dome or cage of chicken wire secured over the bed. First, take care to keep rabbits out of your garden. Many old-fashioned remedies rely on spreading various materials around the perimeter of the garden, such as dried blood meal or human hair. Spray dry blood meal on the surface around your plants as early in the season as you can, and repeat after heavy rains. (Note: If you have dogs, don't try this method as they will be attracted by the smell, and start digging up your garden!)

Rabbits don't like to stray too far from their shelters, so try to minimize potential rabbit houses around your yard. Remove piles of brush and leaves, fill in abandoned holes, and cover any holes under sheds or structures. If a rabbit doesn't have a place to live or hide nearby, it won't stay and eat. If rabbits have good habitat, they will breed more - all the more reason for the lack of space!

How to get rid of rabbits in the garden

If rabbits have already entered your vegetable patch, it's time to try some techniques to discourage them from staying. As their twitchy noses suggest, rabbits do a lot of sniffing. Try sprinkling dry sulfur around or on your plants. Rabbits also dislike the smell of onions, so plant them around your garden to further deter the furry creatures To discourage pesky rabbits, try dusting your plants with plain talcum powder.

Because rabbits have a very good sense of smell, you can repel them by sprinkling red pepper flakes around the garden or on target plants Irish spring shaving soap placed in small drawstring bags around the garden is said to help keep rabbits away. Grind together three hot peppers, three large onions, and a whole garlic clove to make a wicked-tasting rabbit cocktail. Add water to cover and keep in a covered container overnight. Strain, then add enough additional water to make one gallon of the mixture. Spray the plants repeatedly after rain. Commercial products that use spicy garlic oil are also worth trying.

Spray around your plants with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of Lysol and 1 gallon of water. Some people protect plants with tin cans or individual "collars" of screening so that plants can reach a less vulnerable level. Place a collar on each stem for protection. Use 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth cylinders to keep rabbits from nibbling on young fruit and native trees. The cylinders should extend beyond the rabbit's reach when the rabbit is standing at the expected depth of snow, and they should rest one to two inches from the tree trunk.

Some deer techniques related to scent are also said to work against rabbits. Deter rabbits with commercially available deer repellents containing a mixture of dried cow's blood, sulfur eggs, and garlic. Legend has it that rabbits are afraid of their own reflection, so try an old-fashioned rabbit remedy and place large, clear glass jars throughout the garden. Garden centers sell ready-made reflectors and other devices — crouching cats, fake snakes, menacing owls — designed to scare rabbits away from your plants. Sometimes, humane traps are the best solution. (Note, however, that it is against the law in your area to catch and release wildlife.) If you don't want to buy a trap, consider making one. Place the trap where you see rabbits feeding or resting and cover it with a piece of canvas.