Okay, not really, but there are rabbits all over the place around here and the horny little critters are getting into my garden, damn it! While I admire their horniness, I still don’t want them to eat my veggies. They’ve been nipping at my spinach and lettuces, and I’m just not willing to share. Any suggestions as to how to keep rabbits away without having to put in a fence? I really would prefer not to buy an air gun and go hunting. Besides, my friend Melanie would never forgive me were I to start shooting rabbits.
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April 24, 2009 at 2:41 am
Hey LS,
Luckily we don’t have rabbits, but the squirrels are digging up our veg. Regardless, I’ve been thinking about following this website’s instructions for making a pepper spray which is supposed to keep critters away.
http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Rabbits-out-of-Your-Garden-Organically
April 24, 2009 at 5:37 am
I’m afraid that a fence would be it. Why poison bunnies? I love the Elaine reference.
Oh, wait! A raptor post. Or Gromit could stand guard.
April 24, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I’ve heard good things about the fox/bobcat urine-based repelling granules or sprays. A friend uses pellets with some kind of blood and bone mixture in them and says they work like a charm. So I would look in to something like that instead of a fence.
April 24, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Why not a fence? You don’t have to make anything fancy. From the look of your picture from a previous post, you could get a way with 4-5 1 meter posts and some chicken wire. Pounding these in the ground and tacking these to the posts might take you an hour—and cost you $20. You’d want to leave a gap between one edge of the barrier and your already-existing fence and put a board for a door of sorts. If that’s not enough for you, you could electrify the fence with an old car-battery.
April 24, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Harsh interrogation techniques are also supposed to be effective, according to past CIA directors with rabbit problems.
April 24, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Have you considered the moat option? Becoming an avid falconer could solve your problem without shooting wabbits as well.
April 24, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Ha! Some great (and amusing) suggestions here folks! I got a nice chuckle out of Joe’s electrified fence and Falcor’s suggestion of becoming a falconer. I must confess that I like the image of myself as a falconer… I could even take the bird to class! Nonetheless, I spread some blood meal today which is both rich in nitrogen and a natural repellent. We’ll see how that works.
April 25, 2009 at 3:13 am
Contra Joe, a rabbit proof fence is far from simple. You have to go DOWN as well as up. At least two feet. They burrow, remember.
Better to try the blood meal and urine/pepper sprays and what have you.
You can also meditate and send good-will and good-wishes to the rabbits, respectfully requesting them not to disturb the order of your garden – some people swear by it, though on second thoughts, if Zizek’s theological turn gets to you, the meditative approach probably won’t be your cup of tea . . .
Last resort, if all else fails, buy frozen vegetables and serve with rabbit stew.
Good luck!
April 26, 2009 at 4:04 am
Cats. A cat in the yard.