   Preventing Rabbit Damage - July 19, 2000 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Cottontail rabbits can be viewed in one of two ways: as friendly, observable, backyard wildlife or as destructive garden/landscape pests. I would venture to guess that most of see rabbits as being in between these two extremes and our opinions vary with our most recent encounter. When damage reaches an intolerable level, rabbit population control may become necessary. There are several methods that can be employed to minimize the effects of cottontail rabbits on your cherished garden plants. As we go down the list of damage control strategies, remember: damage prevention is long-term - population control is short-term. Typically, cottontails live only 12 to 15 months and it is rare for them to live longer than two full years in the wild. They often raise two to three litters per year and can have as many as five or six. A female rabbit can be bred within hours of giving birth to her litter. In our area, each litter often consists of only two or three young. The young leave the nest in two to three weeks. The average pair of rabbits could produce up to 18 young per year. Fortunately, this potential is rarely reached. Weather, disease, predators, and encounters with cars help keep rabbit populations in check. As with any pest, damage must be correctly identified before control efforts can be effective. We often can observe rabbits, so this makes identification much simpler. In general, rabbits eat vegetables and flowers in spring and summer and cause damage to woody plants in fall and winter. Rabbit damage appears as cleanly clipped stems on tender shoots and small, chiseled, gnaw marks on woody plants. Cottontails seem to prefer plants in the rose family: apples, raspberries, blackberries, etc. Vegetables and annual flowers are favorites. Conversely, corn, squash, tomatoes, potatoes and some peppers seem to be immune from attack. To reduce rabbit populations in a given area, start by assessing rabbit habitat in your landscape or garden area. Rabbits generally spend their entire lives in an area of 10 acres or less, so if there is suitable habitat within this distance, you are likely to encounter rabbits. During cold weather, they use natural cavities and burrows of other animal for their dens. Otherwise, rabbits seek cover and protection in brush piles, brushy hedgerows, debris filled gullies, and landscaped backyards with suitable cover. Water or moist areas also act as an attractant. Removal/modification of any of these features will change the area's suitability for rabbit habitat. The best way to prevent rabbit damage is to simply exclude them. This can be most effectively done with a two foot-tall chicken wire fence with the bottom tight to the ground or buried one or two inches. Chicken wire should have holes one inch or smaller. To protect young trees, use cylinders of ¼" wire hardware cloth (heavy duty galvanized wire screen) wrapped around the tree trunk. It should be spaced one or two inches away from the trunk, buried two inches deep, and be tall enough to extend beyond a cottontail's reach (20+ inches). Commercial tree guards are also an alternative for trunk protection. Repellents are also available. These substances either render the plant parts distasteful or smell bad to rabbits. Commercially available products may not be locally available, but can be mail ordered and restrictions may apply. Hot pepper products can be used as taste repellents, but new growth will not be protected. Blood meal is a widely available odor repellent. It has been reported to be effective, but does not last long in wet weather. Effectiveness of repellents are variable and may have limited success when wild food sources are limited. Trapping may be a viable control option in residential areas. Live traps are available or can be built inexpensively. Before trapping, by law you must have an approved release area from Arizona Game and Fish Department. Bear in mind that releasing an animal in an unfamiliar area or unfamiliar habitat type can result in death by predation or starvation. Additionally, if no habitat modifications have been done, rabbits will continue to use the area. Toxicants (poisons) should not be used in residential settings due to their potential to affect non-target organisms. Likewise, shooting them is often not an option. Cottontails are a game species so a permit is required to hunt them and discharging of firearms is illegal within city or town limits. In rural areas, check with Arizona Game and Fish Department for permitting and season. Overall, habitat modification and exclusion will be the most effective tools against rabbit damage. Otherwise, selection of resistant plant species and tolerating some plant damage decrease losses and lower your gardening stress level. Finally, visit or call the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office and request the publication: "Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plants". If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@kachina.net and be sure to include your address and phone number. The Yavapai County Cooperative Extension web site is http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/. |