24 Best Tips to Keep Rabbits out of Garden and Yard: An Ultimate Guide

Rabbits have the ability to consume almost 20 percent of their body weight in food each day. That is why it is vital to check their population in your yard and garden if you don’t want it to become a barren property. In this article, we will tell you about the best rabbit-trap reviews available on the market.

Are you tired of rabbits, gophers, squirrels, and other animals digging holes in your yard? Then read this post to find out how to keep rabbits out of your yard and garden. There are several ways to deter rabbits from entering your lawn. These include repellents, barriers, fencing, scaring tactics, and predation.

Before we jump into ways to keep rabbits away from your garden, let’s look at the reasons why rabbits could be a problem in your garden.

Why should you keep rabbits out of garden?

Anyone who tills the soil immediately realizes that the rabbit is one of the most dangerous animals around. There are several well-known reasons for this understanding:

• The rabbit’s voracious appetite
• Its ability to dig up and destroy gardens
• Its ability to hop over rabbit fence for garden

Some people also say that rabbits are omnivores, but this is not true; they are essentially predatory.

Rabbits are domesticated animal that is equally common in the world. With their excellent reproductive ability, they can rapidly increase and cause an entire garden infestation.

They typically have three litters per year with almost six babies. In the south, rabbits usually have one litter each year. First littering generally occurs in late March in the north and is year-round elsewhere. The growth period is 29-30 days but may be as short as 25 days.

Your rabbit is like the “Petunias” of the animal world. It is sweet and easy to deal with, but its food stock is restricted. This little rabbit’s primary fear is to eat without being eaten — a challenging task given that it has many predators. While dining on the lawn petunias, the rabbit is indeed at risk of being eaten by these same predators (and it could be even you).

There are many ways to keep your plants from being eaten by rabbits, but remember that Beatrix Potter saw the same things differently. She wanted a peaceful, pastoral landscape and did not want to kill the bunnies that she saw as part of it.

How do you find out if you have rabbits in your garden?

There are about 21 species of rabbits in North America. The eastern cottontail is the most abundant and annoying rabbit because it eats a wide variety of food, including clipped cosmos, vegetables, bulbs, flowers, and bark.

Although it’s called a bunny rabbit, the eastern cottontail is a hare, not a rabbit. The long type’s ears and short tail make it look like a bunny. Despite its cute looks, however, eastern cottontails are dangerous pests to gardens, lawns, and yards.

The native rabbit weighs from 2 to 4 pounds, measures 1.25 to 1.5 feet in length, and lives for 1-1.5 years. A bunny primarily eats grasses, leaves, and other plants. It is known to eat insects and their larvae, seeds, bulbs, fruits, nuts, and roots in the wild.

The eastern cottontail is a shy, elusive creature that hides in thick brush piles, holes, and wild buildings. You won’t see those digging complex holes or warrens, but they do take advantage of whatever they notice, not like their European friends.

Rabbits are nocturnal animals, preferring the dark hours of the night. As daylight approached, they retreat to their dens or cage for warmth and safety from predators.

What does rabbit damage look like?

Rabbits are omnivorous animals that eat a wide variety of foods. They can be found in almost all areas, including the suburbs. If you see a rabbit with green shoots, it could indicate that there are rabbits in your area.

When planning your garden, always look for rabbit burrows before deciding to eradicate rabbit food. Young plants will be safe from rabbit damage once they have passed the seedling stage. Rabbits often damage trees, greeneries, and plants that grow in close proximity to the ground.

Even though spring is a time of new growth, springtime is also a time of danger. Rabbits are notorious for eating fresh leaves of plants. There’s no point in trying to protect plants that have already been nibbled on. In the early spring, when rabbits are quick to show their teeth, I often wonder how much damage they are doing to my garden.

You can invest in some owl food and make up a unique bunny mix that will encourage the bunnies to move on so you can get to gardening again. First things first, make sure you have a comprehensive rabbit-proofing strategy in place, including a rabbit-proof fence or other barriers around your garden.

10 Successful Ways to Keep Rabbits Out Of Your Garden

The most effective way to control rabbit damage in your garden or yard is by removing their existence and making it difficult for them to reach plants. Expert pest management firms are also available to support you with nuisance wildlife control.

Chicken Wire Rabbit Fence for Garden: how to keep rabbits out of the fenced yard

Rabbit proof garden fence is the best idea for you. When trying to keep rabbits away from your yard or garden, chicken wire fencing is a good alternative. The wire rabbit garden fence would be no less than 2 feet high and about 4 feet wide to keep rabbits from jumping over it. You can use less than 0.025 meters of mesh to produce a good chicken wire rabbit fence for the garden.

Barriers that are 6 inches below ground level or secured to the ground are best for preventing rabbits from burrowing under them. Fencing with electric netting can also be used to protect the garden from rabbits during the winter months.

Separate Plant Guard to keep rabbits from eating plants

Build a trench around new trees, shrubs, or vines to protect them from digging animals like rabbits. To prevent burrowing, place fencing at least 6 inches deep.

Put a barrier of some kind around the plant to prevent rabbits from nibbling on it. If the rabbit fencing for a garden is weak, you may need to add extra support to make the barrier durable and long-lasting.

Environmental Adjustment: Keeping rabbits out of the yard

If you notice any signs of rabbit activity inside your garden or yard, remove the rabbit holes in the yard right away. Remove plant life that protects bunnies and close off any parts where they can move in your garden or yard through entrances, holes, cracks, or fleabags in the grounds. Don’t forget to reduce rabbit nests in yard areas near the fencing. You need to seal access points to crawl spaces to keep rabbits out.

Trapping: How to trap a rabbit in your yard

Trapping rabbits can be problematic. Wild rabbits may carry disease, and releasing them into the wild is illegal in many states. Trapping a wild rabbit is usually not advised because it can be challenging to deal with, and you’re dealing with a pest.

To trap a rabbit, try planting a carrot in your vegetable garden. Other common vegetables that work well to lure rabbits include lettuce, Brussel sprouts, and apples. You can also sprinkle crushed cheese on the trap.

Chemical Repellents: What is the most effective natural rabbit repellent?

A chemical repellent is a substance that kills or repels insects or other pests. Repellents can be used on some plants to repel rabbits, so they leave the plant alone. However, many repellents are toxic and will kill a plant if it is eaten. So while chemical repellents can be used on certain plants, they should not be used on produce because of toxicity.

Many repellents only work for a while, so it’s essential to reapply them on a regular basis. It’s also necessary to read and follow all label guidelines before using them.

Wild Predators

Wherever rabbits are found, wild predators such as hawks, snakes, owls, and foxes recognize them as a food source. That is especially true in urban areas where people raise them for food or hobby pets.

Foxes and hawks are smart, social animals and rarely pose any danger to people. As a result, the existence of these animals in your garden or yard is a great way out for a rabbit issue.

When you’ve got a raised dog to hunt, rabbits will be less of a danger to your garden or yard. If your cat is friendly and doesn’t mind living indoors, it can be an excellent rabbit deterrent for the lawn to other animals attempting to eat your plants.

Never Shoot

If you hunt before now or have a gun in your house, are you thinking of using it to execute the rabbit infestation? I never support that technique. For one thing, you run the danger of hurting other animals or worrying the neighbors.

And if you want to make your garden flourish, it’s essential to keep up with the expanding population of hungry rabbits.

The number of rabbits that can be killed in this manner would be a drop in the bucket compared to the number that will ultimately be established in your garden. For this reason, I’d encourage you to focus on other options for rabbit control that will work for any rabbits that have found themselves in your lawn or yard.

Raised Beds:

While rabbits might seem like nervous creatures, they are not that jumpy at all. When they want to get out of harm’s way, they can reach heights of around two feet. Jackrabbits, on the other hand, can jump as high as three feet when they feel threatened.

That’s a good idea. A raised bed garden is the most effective defense against rabbits. It is ideal for extensive vegetable gardens and gardens with bunnies as well. A raised bed garden can increase your garden’s crop by up to 150% by eliminating rabbits! Choosing a raised bed design that’s big enough for your needs can help prevent rabbits from digging up vegetable plants.

Landscape and Clear Up

We can make a protected accommodation for rabbits where they can eat without abolishing the lawn’s plants. As prey creatures, rabbits search for spaces to shelter with food within spitting distance. It’s only regular for them to settle close to brush piles or fallen leaves.

Discouraging them is an easy technique. Primarily, get rid of all the places in your lawn or garden where they’d like to hide or nest. That technique includes underbrush, unwanted plant, and brush piles. Second, ensure that they’ve one or two yards of space open on the property edges or nonetheless distant from the flower plants and blooms you need to keep.

A cover of clover in your garden, yard, or lawn may seem like an easy trap to keep bunnies from nibbling on the grass. Conversely, you can create out of the ordinary to do a similar job. Such as, you may plant a patch of lettuce, which would act as a trap crop to keep rabbits away.

Growing plants that rabbits do not eat

Aside from the apparent fact that rabbits won’t eat anything that doesn’t look tasty, some plants and vegetables are toxic. Go ahead and try planting carrots, broccoli, and beets. Or try planting cherry tomatoes and sunflowers.

If you want to go through less trouble with your plants, here are several plants that rabbits usually avoid.

• Rabbits dislike fruits like grapes and vegetables like onion, tomato, and potatoes.
• Woody plants such as black walnut, butternut, and tulip tree are safe from rabbits.
• Different herbs, including mint, basil, and parsley, are also safe for planting.

Use your dog as a rabbit guard:

If you already own a dog, why not train it to help protect your garden? Not only will this make your garden safer, but you’ll also save money by not having to pay for a guard dog. Plus, if you’re a dog owner and have more than one dog, you can create an army of doggie guards to keep your garden safe.

Using various devices to scare the rabbits away:

Using scarecrows and fake animals to keep rabbits away is not nearly as effective as lifelike owls. The rabbits eventually figure out that the counterfeit owls are not lifelike and stop being afraid. That is also an inefficient method of keeping the rabbits out of your garden.

Rabbit repellent: how to use and where to buy

Rabbits are pretty destructive and can cause a lot of harm to your property. So how do you keep them out of your garden or crops? By using rabbit repellent and here the best ways to keep rabbits out of the lawn.

The repellents can last for up to 6 months, and they are also non-toxic. It is an easy way to keep the rabbits out of your home and help keep the deer away from your garden. The product lasts for a long time and is a cost-effective way to keep the pests away.

Home Remedies to keep rabbits away from flowers

Apart from all these different and somewhat affordable ways to keep rabbits away, few home remedies work well at keeping rabbits far away from your garden.

These home remedies do not destroy your plants as long as you follow these steps:

You either make a spray using pepper, or you can dust it all over the garden. Here is how you can make red pepper spray:

• Take a pan and add water and pepper.
• Heat the mixture for about 15 minutes in medium heat to release and mix the red peppers’ oils.
• Let it sit for a day. Filter the red peppers out and add 5ml of olive oil.

Human hair

Using hair to deter a rabbit from an area is a bit humorous, but it works. The idea is that by throwing your hair in a region, the rabbit will think that there is a human present. Who would have ever thought that the hairs that fell from the head could be helpful!

Blood meal

A blood or bone meal (a powder that remains in the stomach of a dead rabbit) is best used to keep rabbits away from your garden. These meals scare rabbits as they are herbivores, ensuring they stay far away from the area.

How to keep rabbits out of your garden with ivory soap?

The cleaning agent has been used for cleaning cloth and body for more than a century, since 1879. Ivory soap is an excellent way to discourage rabbits from eating your garden plants. The smell of the soap is unpleasant for them, and they will leave your garden alone.

We came across a few questions about ivory soap, whether it can be used to keep rabbits away, and how exactly you can do this. What is ivory soap, and why does ivory soap help keep rabbits away? These questions may be piling up inside your head; do not worry. Here is what you need to know about ivory soap:

Many companies produce ivory soap, which is a bar soap that is also known as a soap bar. When you first purchase it, you may think it is just an ordinary bar of soap, but ivory soap can be used to repel rabbits. The reason for this is the odor of ivory soap affects rabbits.

Does ivory soap keep rabbits away?

I have been looking into this question for some time now, and the short answer is no. Ivory soap does not keep rabbits away. The long answer is that it is somewhat effective as a barrier against rabbits, but it does not repel them.

How to use ivory soap to get rid of rabbits?

There are two ways to do this; by hanging the soaps or cutting the soap bar into small pieces and sprinkling it around your garden.

1. Hang the bars using strings, unwrap the soaps first, just like putting up fences, place the ivory soaps about 15 feet apart.
2. Or you can use a cheese grater to grate the soap bar and sprinkle it around the entire garden.

Sprinkling Sulfur:

Like many animals, rabbits are drawn to certain scents. Try sprinkling a little sulfur around the garden for added security. Rabbits hate the smell of onions, so plant them near your flowers to keep them away.

Peppers, Onion, and Garlic Mixture:

The addition of hot peppers, 3-4 onion, and little garlic to a rabbit’s water can cause it to taste like a spicy rabbit stew. Commercial products that contain aromatic garlic oil can be added directly to plants to repel bugs and attract beneficial insects.

Apply Can-like Collars:

Some people have been put on separate “collars” of tin cans or screening to look after plants from rabbit damage. The can-like collars work well to prevent damage from rabbits, but the tin affects the plant and should be avoided.

Deer Repellents:

There are many different methods of repelling rabbits from gardens. Commercially available deer repellents can be used to keep rabbits away. These products contain a mixture of dried bovine blood and garlic, just like the deer repellents that deer are used against rabbits.

Reflective Objects:

Rabbits seem to be terrified of their reflections and are often seen running away from mirrors. If you have trouble with rabbits eating your lawn, try putting reflective objects around the garden. You can also use reflective tape or roll up a sheet, stick it on the ground, and let the reflection fool the little rodents into thinking it’s something else.

You can also use rabbit lawn ornaments. Here are some models that are the best in their respective categories:

Building Own Traps:

Humane traps are the easiest way to catch and humanely dispose of nuisance rabbits. They’re also inexpensive and can be made in a variety of designs for different situations. If you don’t want to purchase any traps, consider making one on your own. Set your trap where you’ve seen bunnies nourishing or sleeping. Then cover the setup with a canvas piece. Cabbage, carrots, apples, and additional fresh green vegans make outstanding lures.

Rabbit Repellent Plants

Everyone knows that rabbits like to eat lettuce and carrots. There are certain plants that rabbits don’t like, however. Some rabbits, for example, have a distaste for parsley. So, if a rabbit doesn’t like your plant, try planting something else nearby.

To keep rabbits away from your garden, plant plants that deer and Japanese beetles don’t like. Flowers such as lavender, lilac bush, forsythia, marigolds, daffodils, zinnias, and snapdragons help keep rabbits away from your garden.

These plants can deter rabbits from digging and eating up your garden. It will take a while, but your garden will no longer be attractive to them if you plant these.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does blood meal keep rabbits away?

Yes, blood meals do keep rabbits away. The smell of blood meal or bone meal is enough to get rid of rabbits as they are herbivores, leading the rabbits to find food elsewhere. Keeping a cat or a dog makes sure that there isn’t any rabbit around.

How to keep rabbits out of flower beds?

Since rabbits dig their way up from the ground, you will make a rabbit garden fence using chicken wire. You will have to dig down about six inches into the ground and place the chicken wire underground. Check the wire fence regularly for rabbit holes in the yard.

How to keep rabbits away from your garden without a fence?

If you’re looking for a way to keep rabbits away from your garden without having to confine them to a fence, there are a few options you can try.

• Sprinkle red pepper powder around a specific plant or your garden. The smell of red pepper will keep the rabbits away.
• The ivory soap will also help clear out rabbits from your garden. Just like the red pepper, dust the grated soap over the lawn.
• Using sprays that keep away rabbits is another good option. Spraying it over the entire garden will keep the rabbits far away.

Do Cottontails rabbits carry any diseases?

The most common disease carried and spread by cottontail rabbits is tularemia. It can be passed from infected rabbits to humans via contaminated food or water and biting insects, such as mosquitoes.

Is it secure to use insect repellent to keep rabbits away from the yard?

There are no such EPA-registered pesticides or noxious baits for proper rabbit control. In addition, there is no easy way to exclude rabbits from your yard. Even if it was possible, I don’t think it is to choose one over the other to control rabbits.

Do fake owls or scarecrows scare away rabbits?

Scarecrows or fake owls are ineffective for rabbits as they are intended to scare away larger animals such as raccoons, coyotes, and occasionally dogs.

Do sounds keep rabbits away from the garden or yard?

A device that is expected to scare away rabbits would be heading for the eyes or ears. These are the most sensitive parts of the bunny’s face. They will flawlessly acquire to pay no attention to such strategies in just one or two hours and carry on pleasingly feeding on the garden.

How can you keep rabbits out of garden mothballs?

Trying to keep rabbits away from your garden by using mothballs is a bad idea. The chemicals in mothballs are toxic and can harm both you and the wildlife around your home.

How to deter rabbits from the yard in winter?

Rabbits are often found in suburban yards. If you live in a snowy climate, you should consider clearing the snow from your yard and removing branches and other debris from your yard regularly to make it less attractive to rabbits.

Make sure your yard fence tightly to keep your rabbits in and predators out. It’s also a good idea to regularly clear fallen branches from your garden to keep it free of potential hiding spots.

What attracts rabbits to the lawn?

Rabbits are very territorial and will defend their garden from other rabbits. To keep your garden rabbits-free, do not mow the grassy areas. Provide food for them to eat, such as lettuce, carrots, and other high-carbohydrate vegetables.

Is rabbit content indoor or outdoor in the winter?

Don’t forget that rabbits can quickly burrow through snow and under the ground. An easy way to prevent rabbits from seeking shelter in your yard is to keep it well-maintained. Also, remove any clutter from around your home and yard so that a rabbit can’t hide in the piles of debris.

How high can garden rabbits jump?

Some say that rabbits can fly as high as 2 feet, and others claim to jump up to 4 feet. Rabbits are fantastic jumpers, reaching heights of over 4 feet when they leap vertically and 15 feet when they jump horizontally.

In general, the height of your fence shouldn’t be more than 2 feet off the ground. If your pet rabbit does manage to jump over a fence, it’s unlikely it will be able to climb a 4-foot barrier or even a 3-foot-high one.

What scents do pet rabbits hate?

Rabbits hate the smell of garlic. So, you can make a mixture of garlic, milk, Tabasco sauce, and dishwashing soap to protect your garden from rabbits.

Does coffee deter rabbits from the garden?

Coffee is an environmentally friendly way to keep pests away from your garden. It also smells great and repels rabbits and ants. You can also use coffee grounds as a repellent for deer, cats, and other mammals.

Is rabbit poop good for the yard or lawns?

You’re right. Rabbit poop is an excellent fertilizer for improving soil structure, drainage, and moisture retention. It’s better for lawns than cow, horse, or chicken manure.

Is rabbit poop toxic to humans?

Rabbits can indeed spread bugs like roundworm and tapeworm. However, their feces are not well-known to carry any viruses to a human being. Nevertheless, an individual bunny rabbit can produce more than 100-120 pellets on a daily basis. So it’s best to avoid contact with their feces if possible.

Why does rabbit poop kill grass?

Rabbit poops are acidic like a dog and will kill grass in spots wherever it occurs. Rabbits often visit the garden, so you should take steps to get rid of their droppings, which are harmful to plants.

How does a rabbit kill grass in your garden?

Rabbits don’t only chew lawn grass down to the plant’s root, but they also deposit their urine over long periods of time, creating a cocktail of toxins that kills the grass. When winter rolls around and the grass is inactive, there’s not any chance for regaining – meaning the bunnies’ feeding and eliminations can kill regions of your garden and yard.

How can you keep rabbits from nesting in your yard?

One way to keep rabbits away from a garden is by using motion-activated sprinklers. A mesh bag filled with pet fur and human hair can be hung near the entrance of your lawn. Be innovative and find ways to keep the rabbits away from the yard!

Why do domestic and wild rabbits dig holes in the garden?

Both domestic and wild rabbits will dig holes to escape from extreme heat or cold. However, it is more common for rabbits to dig holes when they feel anxious and bored.

Why is there a headless rabbit in my yard?

If you find a spate of headless bunnies around the lawn or garden, the natural world experts think a red-tailed hawk or an owl is guilty of that issue. Owls can’t transport an entire bunny rabbit. Their claws aren’t necessarily strong to lift something that heavyweight. So, as an alternate, they just take the head off. The easiest way to eat a bunny’s head is to rip it off. It’s actually pretty easy.

How can you stop bunnies from digging holes in the lawn or yard?

If you want to stop rabbits from digging holes in the lawn, you can use flowers that contain a long-lasting scent to keep away rabbits. Here are some plants and flowers that can be used to fight against annoying bunnies: lavender, marigolds, garlic, and onions. These plants are so intense that they will quickly drive those pesky creatures away from your garden!

Do bunnies dig holes in the garden to have children?

Rabbits typically build their nests underground under trees and shrubs. The female rabbit will lay its eggs in the nest, where they will be tended to by the female rabbit until they are large enough to fend for themselves.

Final Words:

Defending your garden against rabbits requires proper steps. Check your plants weekly, and don’t wait to act if you suspect rabbits are on your property. This article has helped many, and I hope this article was helpful, and let us know which method worked best for you.

Happy gardening!