How to Keep Rabbits From Eating Plants?

[nicholst55]

My housing area is overrun by cottontail rabbits since there are essentially no predators to control their numbers. My darling wife tries to grow small quantities of veggies that the rabbits find simply delicious. So, I'm looking for a legal means of thwarting them. We are within the city limits and have a pool in the back yard and neighbors on both sides, so a suppressed .22 is a No-Go. If I put a hole in the pool or it's plumbing, I would be living outdoors, eating the wife's veggies to stay alive!

Suggestions?

[farmbif]

pellet gun. if can't use that then cats and dogs are good option. most cats raised outside will eat rabbits all gone.
ive heard people say they hang stuff around garden and yard those dryer anti static aroma things os smelly soap like Irish SPRINGS. or 3 top 4 ' tall chicken fence around garden buried at least 6"

[jonp]

Air gun and fried rabbit.

They do make stuff to spray on plants that are a deterrent. That plus rabbit fencing would also do the trick. Our late Valley Bulldog Ralph was not a long distance runner but under 100yrds her 0-30mph while barking was frightening. She hated rabbits and Blue Herons flying over the house for some reason. Geese, ducks, crows didnt care. Heron she would chase halfway across the field.

[farmerjim]

Put a fence around the garden. Chicken wire has small enough holes to keep them out and is cheep.

[ddeck22]

Look for something like this fencing and use the t posts to hold it in place. The little rabbits can't fit through the bottom since the holes are smaller there:

https://www.amazon.com/YARDGARD-3083.../dp/B002LSYTZQ

It's pvc coated so no rusting and lasts forever.

[lavenatti]

I use liquid fence on the wife's flowers, works pretty good and seems to last for a couple of rains. It does smell bad and I'm not sure I'd spray it directly on anything I wanted to eat any time soon.
In my younger days I made a short electric fence for groundhogs and ran it off a microwave oven transformer. It's effective but I don't recommend it as the groundhogs would often be on fire when I came home.

[kerplode]

Most cities will frown on your use of a pellet gun as equally as a 22. Where I lived on the Front Range of CO, the city's law stated that it was illegal to "Discharge, or cause to be discharged, a projectile by any means." =>
22 = Jail
Pellet Gun = Jail
Slingshot = Jail
Bow and Arrow = Jail
Hand-thrown rock = Jail

Between all the cameras on everyone's houses these days and nosy busybodies working from home, you'll eventually have the cops called on you. Plus, rabbits are game animals in most jurisdictions so you would probably run afoul of the game wardens if you got caught.

Best bet in this circumstance, even though it's a pain in the butt, is probably fencing. Bend the bottom into an L shape and bury it 6-12 inches with the little leg facing out. They'll go to somebody else's yard. Then, eventually, some sickness will kill them all off and you'll get a few years before they start slowly coming back. At least that's what happened in my old neighborhood...

[NyFirefighter357]

sss

[Winger Ed.]

If you can't or won't trap or shoot them, the fence thing is about all you have left to pick from.

[barnabus]

air pellet thump to the noggin at night

[HWooldridge]

Put a fence around the garden. Chicken wire has small enough holes to keep them out and is cheep.

+1 - I put up T-posts and cattle panel then covered that with chicken wire. Keeps out deer and rabbits…

[rockrat]

Get some rat traps. Just like the old fashioned mouse traps, but a lot bigger. Bait with a chunk of carrot or lettuce or something.

[Geezer in NH]

JRT security................Jack Russel Terrier , ours however eats cherry tomatoes, snow peas and small cucumbers. She figures it is her pay.

[Buzz Krumhunger]

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...n-rabbit-traps

[375supermag]

Raised bed gardens...

[Bmi48219]

… I made a short electric fence for groundhogs and ran it off a microwave oven transformer. It's effective but I don't recommend it as the groundhogs would often be on fire when I came home.

Please tell us you hung the charred remains on posts as a warning to other groundhogs.

[varmintpopper]

My housing area is overrun by cottontail rabbits since there are essentially no predators to control their numbers. My darling wife tries to grow small quantities of veggies that the rabbits find simply delicious. So, I'm looking for a legal means of thwarting them. We are within the city limits and have a pool in the back yard and neighbors on both sides, so a suppressed .22 is a No-Go. If I put a hole in the pool or it's plumbing, I would be living outdoors, eating the wife's veggies to stay alive!

Suggestions?

If You live near a Zoo, Inquire if the Zoo sells or gives away "ZOO DO" and if You can acquire some just sprinkle it around the perimeter of the garden. Rabbits do not like to be around the smell of tigers, lions and such. They will leave Your garden alone !

Good Shooting

Lindy

[gc45]

my wife has a little dog called a King Charles and an absolute killer of rabbits..Since getting him I seldom see any in her garden or around the yard, live ones that is..I get to pick up the kills and through them out in the field for the eagles and crows..

[TyGuy]

You mention you have a pool. Some would say it’s cold blooded but a live trap and a pool makes for fairly quick kills with little to no mess… if you have a Hassenpfeffer recipe, all the better!

[MarkP]

I used to spray my daffodils and crocuses with water and sprinkle cyan pepper on them. Just becarful when windy I got some in my eyes.