Hopping Mad Over Rabbits?
Question: Rabbits are destroying my landscaping. What can I do to stop them from feeding on my plants?
L.K., Orange Park Acres
Answer: Three of the eight species of rabbits found in California are responsible for most of the damage in our yards.
They are the blacktailed hare or jack rabbit, the desert cottontail and the brush rabbit. In urban situations, the cottontails are the most likely culprits.
For a detailed description of each of these three rabbits (identification, breeding and typical behavior), see the University of California Pest Note No. 7447 on rabbits at https://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu.
For the sake of this discussion, we are going to assume you are dealing with cottontail rabbits. To implement proper control measures, it is important to be aware of the cottontail’s preferred habitat, diet and typical behavior.
Desert cottontails seek areas with dense vegetation such as those provided by thick brush, wooded locales with some underbrush, and places with piles of rocks and debris. Fields and abandoned structures are other possible choices. They tend to seek dense cover during the day and open areas at night.
Desert cottontails maintain a home range of no more than 10 to 15 acres and routinely use certain travel lanes within this range. On average, one rabbit per acre is the norm, and they do not tend to be territorial. You may see an increase in their numbers during the breeding season, which starts in December and ends in June.
Time of year as well as location will determine their eating habits. Cottontails feed on grasses, sedges, herbaceous plants, willows, oaks, blackberries and wild roses. If you live in an area with lush landscaping that borders on a wild or uncultivated zone, you have the ideal habitat for rabbits. They have plenty of cover during the day to rest and hide, and at night they can quickly hop to a smorgasbord of irrigated food sources.
The Rabbit Diet
The following is a partial list of crops and plants that rabbits favor:
* Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peas, beans and beets;
* Herbs such as parsley and cilantro;
* Ornamentals such as various flowers, turf, and young trees and shrubs.
Rabbits have been known to eat young tree and berry crops such as almond, citrus, pistachio, apple, cherry, plum, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry, but only when other sources of food are not available.
Experts have tried to compile lists of plants that rabbits are unlikely to eat, but rabbits will switch to new food sources after being excluded from an existing site.
Rabbit damage is usually near the ground, and in the case of young trees, they can chew through the bark and completely girdle them.
The California Department of Fish and Game has regulations on dealing with rabbits. Check out its Web site at https://www.dfg.ca.gov.
Solutions
The following are some suggestions to consider for managing a rabbit problem:
* Exclusion
Fencing is probably the most long-term and effective way to control rabbit damage. If you are dealing with cottontail or brush rabbits, you will need to construct a wire fence that stands at least 3 to 3 1/2 feet high and extends at least 6 to 10 inches into the ground. It should be made of mesh no larger than 1 inch. If jack rabbits are present, the fence will need to be 4 feet high. To prevent rabbits from digging under the fence, bend the bottom portion outward.
Choose a tight-fitting gate with sills to prevent them from digging below the bottom rails. Keep the gates closed as much as possible and regularly inspect the fencing for breaches.
* Trunk guards
If you wish to protect trunks of young trees, vines or shrubs, use 1-inch chicken wire mesh, 18 to 24 inches wide cut into strips 18 to 20 inches long, formed into cylinders. Bury the bottom 2 to 3 inches in the ground around the specimen and brace it away from the trunk so the rabbits cannot press through the barrier and nibble through the mesh.
Check these barriers frequently and keep them clear of leaves, weeds and other debris, which attract small rodents. You may also want to consider commercial tree trunk protectors.
* More mature plants
To have more luck with plants, consider planting larger, more established plants such as 5-gallon sizes, which can survive minor foraging. When placing small, tender plants, protect with chicken wire.
* Habitat modification
Survey your property and remove brambles, piles of brush, stones or other debris that rabbits use as escape cover. They love hiding under dense shrubs such as juniper and thick vegetation along ditch banks and fences.
* Behavior modification
There are chemical repellents that can help reduce or prevent rabbit damage when applied to trees, vines or ornamentals. They repel by smell (odor), taste, or contact (sticky).
They must be applied at frequent intervals before damage occurs (after a rain, heavy dew, sprinkler irrigation or when new growth appears).
Avoid using repellents in a vegetable garden and follow all directions carefully. Most cannot be used on plants or plant parts destined for human consumption. The effectiveness of repellents is variable depending on food availability; a starving rabbit will probably not be deterred by them.
* Trapping
Although box traps (live traps only) are available for purchase, they are not the ideal solution. A dilemma arises over what to do with the rabbits once they are caught. They usually injure themselves when confined in a trap; they carry diseases that make them a hazard to handle, and it is illegal to transport them off your property. Another drawback is that even when some are removed, other rabbits will move in and repopulate the area.
Have a problem in your yard? University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners are here to help. These trained and certified horticultural volunteers are dedicated to extending research-based, scientifically accurate information to the public about home horticulture and pest management. They are involved with a variety of outreach programs, including the UCCE Master Garden hotline, which provides answers to specific questions. You can reach the hotline at (714) 708-1646 or send e-mail to ucmastergardeners@yahoo.com.
The UC Master Gardeners will hold a School Garden Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 2. The workshop is designed for teachers, parents and volunteers who work with children to enhance elementary school projects and integrate them into curriculum. It will be held at Mission Viejo High School Farm, 25029 Chrisanta Drive. Call (714) 708-1647 and register by Monday.
