Rabbit Control for the Home Garden

About Rabbit Control

Bunnies are so cute… until they invade your flower or vegetable garden looking for a free meal. If you are a homeowner, you’ll need to know how to control rabbits. Rabbit control in the home vegetable garden is essential to having something to harvest. In the flower garden, they are also a pest. For example, rabbits will munch on tulip leaves as they emerge in the spring. As a result, you have few or no blooms. And for some flowers, like tulips, they eat the leaves down to the ground.

Rabbits can be a big home garden pest. Sure, your neighbor isn’t a gardener. And she just loves to watch those “cute” little bunnies hopping amidst your flower and vegetable gardens. But for you, bunnies translate into a lost crop. To a gardener, there’s nothing “cute” about rabbits.

We’ve got some suggestions and solutions for keeping rabbits out of your favorite vegetables. Hopefully, one of the rabbit control methods below will prove the perfect solution for you. So, read on………..

Rabbit Control - Five Steps to "Bye, Bye Bunny"

First Step: Install a three to four foot rabbit fence. Small mesh fencing or pest netting keeps out the rabbits and other small animals, who can slip between wide-mesh fencing. Don’t be surprised though to find a few small and energetic bunnies who learn to jump up and through the wider spacing towards the top. Rabbits are both determined and stealthy.

Step Two: Frequently check the bottom of the fence for spots where rabbits can crawl under. Fortify these weak points. Consider rimming the fence with boards or bricks, to deter rabbits from digging under the fence.

Step Three: There are a variety of products at your local garden store that produce varying degrees of success. These include concentrated urine from fox and other carnivore animals that are natural predators to garden munching bunnies. Hot pepper sprays can also deter pests.

Step Four: Set out “Have-a-heart” or “Live Traps”. These traps capture rabbits and small animals without harming them. They then can be transferred to another location and released far from your garden. If you pursue this option, you must check local rules and regulations for trapping, transporting, and release of wild animals. Some communities allow homeowners to trap the animals but insist upon removal and release by an animal control agent.

Step Five: Consider a cat. They do a great job keeping rabbits and other small animals away.