So Many Rabbits

March 12, 2021 5:49 AM

How might I reduce the rabbit activity in my yard?

I live on the edge of a wooded area, and my yard is becoming overrun with rabbits. I'm not necessarily looking to get rid of them, but I also want to get rid of some of them? I have a veg garden, but that is all fenced in and is protected. What's most annoying is that my yard is filled with rabbit droppings, which my dogs think are snacks. I enjoy seeing them running around in the yard and my dogs get a kick out of chasing them back into the woods, but how do I discourage them from coming in my yard? I don't know what they might be eating as I don't see any damage on my plants. Last year they were nesting and breeding in my flower beds so at least they moved up into the woods but I can tell their warren is right on the edge where the woods meet my yard.

I don't want to hurt them and I don't want to use chemical repellents in my lawn, but l also want them to have a safe place to live. I just want to encourage them to frolick on the woods rather than my yard.

posted by archimago to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Really the only thing you can do is put up rabbit netting/fencing and maintain it. Repellents don't reliably work (at all), killling/trapping doesn't change the source, and your environment is (apparently) a choice native habitat. I grew up on a farm and the received wisdom is always, more or less, if you're not willing to maintain fencing you're not going to have a space that's remotely clear of (insert local happy critters here). Depending on the species, they're still likely to burrow under, but there will be fewer, perhaps far fewer, who do so than the current situation.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 6:00 AM on March 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

Agree that fencing is the only way to approach rabbit proofing. Rabbits don't jump very high, so you don't need a tall fence (2-3 feet high should work). If you sink the fence 10" into the ground, you'll have less trouble with potential burrowing. They will chew through everything, so be sure to use a fence intended for rabbits.

Also, if the only bothersome aspect of your rabbits is your that your dogs enjoy very tasty bunny butt bonbons, you could always attempt to train your dogs to leave the poop on command. Obviously, this would involve some work, but so would installing rabbit fencing.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 6:49 AM on March 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Just wait a year or two. Rabbits go through incredibly booms and busts in their population. Rabbits boom for a year or two, foxes, owls and hawks eat great and make lots of babies. Lots of owls/hawks/foxes go nuts on the rabbits for a year or two until you hardly see a rabbit anymore. Repeat every 4-7 years. So if you like watching the rabbits, enjoy it now. It won't last.
posted by Patapsco Mike at 7:03 AM on March 12, 2021 [6 favorites]

This is going to sound counter intuitive, but leave the dog in the backyard more, but during dawn and dusk. That is when they're most active, that is when they're coming into your yard to poop. Keep the dog out there chasing them back to the woods to do their business there.

You can get spray rabbit and deer repellents which might help, my in laws use one with varying degrees of success, it slows them down if not stops them.
posted by wwax at 7:57 AM on March 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

You could also get another dog, maybe a terrier or something that can actually get rabbits, but any additional dog will be additional deterrent.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:05 AM on March 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

You can apply Milorganite to your lawn. Milorganite is treated public sewage sludge from Milwaukee, processed into little granules. It's commercially available as a fertilizer and it repels rabbits.
posted by Ostara at 9:03 AM on March 12, 2021