Rabbits are a nuisance pest in many areas of the world. You can often get rid of them with homemade ingredients that smell or have a pungent taste, but it may take a few tries to find a way that works. In difficult situations, it is quite easy to build a rabbit repellent fence.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Homemade Antidote
Step 1. Fill water into a large container
Milk bottles with a volume of 4 liters are good to use. Warm water will help the antidote to mix faster, but cold water can also be used.
Step 2. Add a little dish soap
Add a little dish soap, about 1 tablespoon (15 mL). This will help the mixture stick to your plants. This will also allow the antidote to mix with the water, rather than just floating on top.
Step 3. Beat with a spoonful of hot sauce
If you are using a 4 liter bottle, mix it with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) hot sauce. If your bottle is smaller, 1 liter in size, add just 1 teaspoon (5 mL). Put the lid on and shake to mix.
Leave the bottle out in the sun so it mixes faster
Step 4. Transfer to a spray bottle
If you have a large garden, you may need to purchase a large garden sprayer from a hardware store or gardening store. Otherwise, any spray bottle can be used.
Be careful when using spray bottles that previously contained commercial cleaning products. If there is a warning on the label not to reuse the bottle, it may harm the rabbit, the plant, or the person eating the plant
Step 5. Spray in the afternoon
Most rabbits forage at night, so spray your plants just before sunset. Spray any plants the rabbit has eaten. When the rabbit feels an unpleasant substance, the rabbit will stop eating it.
- If you know the path the rabbits take to enter the garden, you can spray the plants on the border. The rabbit might give up and turn around.
- Some plants may get "marks" on their leaves from this spray. If this happens, just spray the soil around the plant.
Step 6. Apply regularly
Spray the plant again every two or three days. Spray again whenever rain or heavy dew rinses the mixture away. When the bite marks on the plant have disappeared, the rabbit has understood and you can stop spraying the plant. This may take a few weeks, but in the meantime, rabbits usually won't eat large amounts that cause problems.
Method 2 of 3: Other Organic Antidotes
Step 1. Use other spicy ingredients
Any spicy ingredient can keep rabbits away from your plants. Always dissolve in soapy water to minimize harm, and to stick to plants. Here's the right amount to add to 4 liters of water:
- 5-8 crushed garlic cloves.
- 1-2 tablespoons (5-10 mL) crushed red pepper.
- A little ground black pepper
- A mix of the two will probably work best.
Step 2. Consider using raw eggs
Rabbits don't like the smell of raw eggs, although they can get used to it over time. Beat an egg in a spray bottle and spray it on the plants or around the borders of your garden.
This may attract other pests, such as ants
Step 3. Try dried blood or crushed animal bones
These are available at garden supply stores, to spread on the soil around plants. Since it is made from ground animal organs, it can keep rabbits away from your plants. It breaks down quickly when wet, so it's more effective when it's dry.
- Dried blood will add nitrogen to the soil, thereby increasing the growth of green leaves. Apply only in the growing season, and never on beans.
- Milled bone will add phosphorus to the soil, thereby improving the health of plant roots. This is usually not necessary in home garden soils, and can have a detrimental effect if the phosphorus content is already high. Do not apply to Protea plants.
Step 4. Purchase predatory animal urine
Spraying predatory animal urine around the garden can keep rabbits and other prey animals away. Its effectiveness is highly dependent on the predator species, the rabbit species, the predator's diet, and other variables that are difficult to determine. Unfortunately, research on this topic is still limited, but coyote and ferret urine are the most widely used options.
You can check with the manufacturer before buying the product, to see if the animal that excretes urine is being treated well
Step 5. Try commercial organic products
Most of these products use ingredients similar to those described above. Check the label for information on its weather resistance, as this is an advantage over homemade solutions.
Step 6. Grow rabbit repellent plants
This is usually an unreliable solution, and there is a need to replace succulent plants or build borders around the garden. Some plants can still be eaten by young rabbits, or certain species of rabbits.
- Ideally, seek advice from your local university representative, to find plants that grow according to the climate and can keep rabbit species away in your area.
- Millinia, digitalis, lilac, sambucus, and yucca have been described as rabbit repellent plants - but again, this is no guarantee.
Method 3 of 3: Fences and Traps
Step 1. Make a chicken wire fence
Any mesh fence with an opening of 2.5 cm or smaller will keep rabbits out of the garden. Place a fence around tree trunks or where flowers grow, or around the garden. Follow these instructions to make sure your rabbit can't jump over it or dig under it:
- Install the fence 10-15 cm deep below the ground. Not all rabbit species can dig, but it's best to just be careful.
- Bend the base of the fence. Bending the end of the driven fence 90º outward will make digging more difficult.
- Leave the fence 0.6 m above the surface, or 0.9 m if your home is in the vicinity of hare habitat.
Step 2. Find out about the laws in your area before setting a trap
Even live traps can often cause injury to rabbits, and can cause health and legal problems. Because rabbit disease is contagious, it may be illegal to handle or release wild rabbits in your area. Talk to your county representative, farm office, or local government center before setting traps.
Step 3. Choose a trap based on the rabbit species
Traps are usually ineffective for hares. For cotton-tailed or cottontail rabbits (the most common species of small rabbit), you will need a trap with a door that is 18 cm high. Bait the trap with cabbage, dried fruit, or flowers.
- Traps work best in winter or early spring, when food is scarce.
- If you are using a lethal trap with the intention of reducing the rabbit population, hunting is usually the more effective solution. Check with the laws in your area to find out if rabbits are a hunting species.
Tips
- Plastic-coated chicken wire may be more attractive and safer than plain metal wire, as it won't rust.
- Scarecrows, hanging cake tins, and other "scary" antidotes usually don't produce results that are worth the effort. This only protects a small part, and rabbits are likely to get used to these items over time.
- Some gardeners plant a pinch of clover or alfalfa to feed the rabbits, hoping that the rabbit will be content to eat it and avoid other less tasty plants. This will usually attract more rabbits in the long run, making it an unsustainable act.
Warning
- Do not add more spicy ingredients than recommended. The solution in higher concentrations can cause injury or injury to rabbits, or to children and pets playing in the garden.
- Spicy solutions may sting on the face and eyes. Do not spray it anywhere other than in the garden.
