An Overview Of the Wondering Rabbits and Your Yard
By Tom Seest
Why Do Rabbits Keep Coming In My Yard?
There are several things you can do to prevent rabbits from coming into your yard. Foraging rabbits will eat grass, flowers, and even bark off trees. They will also leave round droppings, which look like cocoa puffs. This is a sure sign that a rabbit is actively foraging in your yard.
This photo was taken by Gerlie Ramis and is available on Pexels at https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-rabbit-6853011/.
Table Of Contents
What Are Natural Rabbit Repellents?
One of the easiest ways to deter rabbits is to use a natural repellent. These substances are available commercially, or you can make them yourself at home. They work by causing a strong odor that rabbits dislike and preventing them from chewing on plants and other things around them. You can also spray repellents around your garden or around your favorite plants. These products need to be reapplied every few days or more often if you experience heavy rains.
Other natural repellents for rabbits include sulfur and Irish Spring soap shavings. You can also sprinkle these on your plants or shrubs. Rabbits are known to dislike hot and spicy food, so you can sprinkle some of these around your garden shrubs. If you can’t get rid of rabbits with these methods, you can also sprinkle plants with red pepper flakes or plain talcum powder.
Another natural repellent for rabbits is garlic. You can create a homemade repellent by mixing garlic powder, hot pepper, and tabasco sauce. You can also add Elmer’s glue and dishwashing soap to the mixture. These repellents will keep rabbits away from your plants for two weeks.
Some people use dog or human hair as a natural repellent. You can mix some of these items with straw and sprinkle them around your garden. Pet hair may also work as a natural repellent, and home gardeners may be able to ask their pets to give you extra hair when they groom them. You can also set up motion detector sprinklers to send rabbits running when they come near the area.
Rabbits have extremely sensitive noses. They can detect unpleasant smells, but they won’t stay in an area with these smells. If your garden smells like rotten eggs or rotting eggs, bunnies won’t be able to tolerate it and may decide to go elsewhere.
This photo was taken by Mohammad Alayyan and is available on Pexels at https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-brown-rabbit-on-green-grass-6602655/.
What Are the Feeding Habits Of Rabbits?
The feeding habits of rabbits are unique compared to other mammals. This unique feeding strategy is characterized by caecotrophy, an intermediate digestive physiology characteristic of herbivores. In contrast to ruminants, which retain food particles in the rumen until they are reduced in size, rabbits preferentially retain fine digesta particles in the fermentative segment of their intestines and quickly eliminate coarse particles in their feces.
To prevent blockages in the digestive tract, rabbits should be fed fresh grass or hay. However, it is important not to feed them roadside grass or lawn mower clippings as they may contain metal slivers and oil. Inappropriate diets can result in weight gain and health problems. For example, too much carrot can cause teeth and gut problems in rabbits. Only use carrot tops or a small piece. Fruits should also be fed in limited quantities, as they are high in sugar.
Although rabbits are nocturnal creatures, their feeding habits are fairly consistent during the day. They feed in the morning and late at night and should be fed at least twice a day. The morning meal should consist of fresh hay and water. A second meal of grass or veggies can be offered in the afternoon.
Rabbits are herbivorous and feed most of their food on leafy vegetation. They graze voraciously during the first half hour of eating and then become more selective and picky about their food. They spend between six and eight hours a day eating and then spend the rest of the day under the earth digesting their food.
In addition to their pellet diet, rabbits require fresh vegetables and high-quality hay. It is also important to remember that pregnant and nursing female rabbits need more food than normal. They need three times as much food during lactation, while a non-lactating female rabbit needs around 150g a day.
This photo was taken by Ashford Marx and is available on Pexels at https://www.pexels.com/photo/fluffy-rabbit-lying-on-ground-6694409/.
How to Control the Rabbit Population?
In the United States, there are a variety of approaches to controlling rabbit populations. These strategies include warren ripping and poisoning programs. Myxomatosis, RHDV, and harbor destruction are also viable solutions. The goal of any rabbit control program is to reduce the population so it no longer poses a problem.
One effective way to control rabbit populations is by shooting them. However, this method requires a permit and must be used safely. In the state of Minnesota, the DNR regulates the process of shooting rabbits. This regulation helps keep the rabbit population in balance with the environment. Alternatively, trapping can be used to control rabbit populations. Live traps can be purchased from garden centers, hardware stores, and seed catalogs. Live traps are usually made of wire and can last for years if properly maintained. They can also be rented from animal control offices or pest control companies.
The use of repellents is another method. Dog and human hair are known to repel rabbits. Research is ongoing to develop a more effective repellent. Despite the numerous alternatives, exclusion and fencing remain the most effective methods for controlling rabbit populations. Exclusion is not always possible or desirable, but it may be necessary to control rabbit populations to reduce their damage.
Another method of controlling rabbit populations is by introducing new virus strains into the wild. This method has been successful in reducing European rabbit populations in Australia. But it is still far from perfect, and researchers are working on introducing more dangerous strains of the virus.
This photo was taken by Ashford Marx and is available on Pexels at https://www.pexels.com/photo/cute-rabbit-on-grassy-ground-6694410/.
