Rabbits are very cute animals, but that doesn’t mean that you should underestimate them. These small creatures are actually capable of destroying gardens faster than you might realize.
You might think that building a fence to protect your yard will be enough, but rabbits are skilled at digging under fences. Even a fence that is intended to protect gardens won’t always be enough to keep them at bay.
How can you keep rabbits from going under your fences, though? Keep reading to learn about your best options.
Install a Barricade Made of Chicken Wire
The simplest way to keep rabbits from going under fences is to install a barricade made of chicken wire. You see, rabbits are capable of chewing through materials such as wood, but they can’t chew through metal.
You’re going to be able to keep them from being able to go under the fence if you have a chicken wire barrier in place. This will do a good job of deterring them from getting too close to the bottom of the fence, and most rabbits will be smart enough not to try to go under when something like this is in place.
Take the time to measure your fence so that you can determine exactly how much chicken wire you’ll need. You want to use chicken wire that is at least 48 inches wide to get the intended results here.
It’s also crucial to ensure that the mesh size of the chicken wire is not larger than one inch. Essentially, if the mesh size is too large, it’s possible that a rabbit could try to worm its way through.
How to Install a Chicken Wire Barrier
Once you have the right chicken wire for the job, it’s going to be time to roll it out. Roll out your length of chicken wire and then cut the excess bits off with wire cutters.
Depending on how long your fence is, it might be easier to install a chicken wire barrier in sections. If you’re just installing it along a short fence, it’ll be fine to do it in one go.
It’s just not going to be easy to try to roll out 20 feet of chicken wire at once, and you can use your best judgment about how to proceed. Next, you should dig a trench that is about eight inches wide and ten inches deep for it.
You want this trench to be on the outer side of the fence and it should be fairly close to the fence without being directly on it. Bend the chicken wire to make an “L” shape before placing it in the trench.
After this, you’re going to fill the trench with soil and then pack it down tight. You can make this chicken wire barrier stronger by placing stakes in the ground every four feet, and the stakes should be about four feet tall so that they can sink pretty deep into the ground.
You want to tie these stakes to the chicken wire using steel wire to get the best results. With this done, you should be able to feel confident that rabbits won’t be able to dig under your fences any longer.
Advice for Keeping Rabbits at Bay
Just having a chicken wire barrier under your fence is going to help a lot. It’ll make it so that rabbits can’t just dig under your fence any longer, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible for them to get into your yard.
There are other things that you can do that will help to protect your yard from rabbits. Look at the following tips to figure out what you should be doing to deter them from sticking around on your property.
Keep Your Yard Tidy
It might sound simple, but just tidying your yard will make it a lot less appealing to rabbits in the area. Rabbits like it when your yard has tall grass and there are things for them to munch on.
You can help to keep them away by taking the time to mow your lawn regularly. Try not to let the grass get too tall, and don’t leave your grass clippings in the yard when you’re down mowing.
Rabbits will be drawn to grass clippings if you leave them there, and this is why you really need to dispose of them properly. If you’re planning to compost your grass clippings, ensure that you have a secure compost bin to utilize.
It’s going to be wise to take the time to pull weeds in your gardens as well. You don’t want to give rabbits extra things that they will want to come and munch on.
Next, it’s going to be ideal to try to get rid of places that rabbits can hide in your yard. Old piles of wood and rocks will be areas that you should pay close attention to.
Remove brush, rocks, and piles of logs to ensure that they won’t have hiding spots in your yard. If you find any burrows in your yard, it’s going to be best to fill them with dirt so that they can’t keep using them.
Plant Different Things
Planting different things might help you to keep rabbits from wanting to come around too much. Rabbits are going to be attracted to various types of vegetables and plants, but they don’t like certain things as much as others.
For example, rabbits don’t generally eat plants such as daffodils, cacti, geraniums, and marigolds. There are even some vegetables that they will be less likely to eat such as onions, tomatoes, leeks, potatoes, and asparagus.
Changing up the plants that you’re growing will likely make your yard a lot less attractive to the local rabbit population. This could be a good way to protect your yard, but it won’t be ideal for everyone.
You might want to grow vegetables and plants that rabbits like in your yard because those are the ones you’re interested in growing. You don’t have to shy away from specific types of plants, but if you aren’t married to the idea of planting specific things, changing it up can make your life a bit easier.
Some People Trap Rabbits
Some people decide to trap rabbits to get them away from the property. Honestly, it’s probably not the best idea, and it might not even be legal in your area.
There are places that have very specific laws about trapping animals, and you don’t want to get into trouble. Before you think about trapping them, it’s going to be best to look at your local laws to see how things are.
If it is legal to trap rabbits in your area, you can buy simple traps and try to capture them. Once they’ve been captured, you’re going to be able to drive them somewhere to release them safely into the woods.
When setting traps, it’s best to use gloves to try to avoid getting your scent on the traps. If rabbits smell human scents on the trap, they might be too wary to go for the bait.
Generally, lettuce and carrots will work fantastically well as bait for these traps. When you go to release the rabbits back into the wild, try to drive about 10 miles away so they won’t find their way back to your house.
Rabbit Repellents
Rabbit repellents will be an option that you can turn to as well. This might even be able to help keep them away from your fences if you spray it on or near the fences.
These repellents change the scents of things to something that rabbits will find to be repugnant. Some of them will also change the taste of the things that they are sprayed on.
There are actually many different types of rabbit repellents on the market, and many of the popular ones are simple to use. You can buy repellents that can be sprayed on things without much effort, and they work pretty well for the most part.
You just need to consider the other factors that go into choosing an appropriate repellent. For example, some might not be safe to use when you have pets that will be playing in the yard.
Others might not be safe to use around children, and you’ll want to research a repellent a bit to know that it’s safe for your situation. It’s even wise to consider whether a repellent is safe to use on plants or crops so that you don’t encounter unexpected issues.
Water-soluble repellents are going to be the easiest ones to use because you can essentially just spray them on things. However, they’re going to wash away faster due to rain or even irrigation.
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a good rabbit repellent, and you should take your time to think about what you need. Once you’ve done the research, you’ll be able to choose a great one that will get the job done.
Ultrasonic Devices
Ultrasonic devices can be used to keep rabbits away from your yard. These little devices are capable of emitting sounds that humans can’t hear, and rabbits are going to be very afraid of them.
You can buy devices like this that play predator sounds at ultrasonic frequencies, and it should do a good job of keeping rabbits from wanting to come near. These devices are very easy to install, and some of them will be powered by the sun so that you won’t need to concern yourself with batteries.
If you want to try to keep rabbits out of a specific area, buying an ultrasonic rabbit repellent device is a strong choice. It won’t take long to set it up, and you should start seeing good results fast.
Those who have large yards might need to place multiple ultrasonic devices to get the coverage that they need. For example, having a device that is too far away from the far side of the yard might mean that rabbits will still be active in that spot of the yard.
Thankfully, these ultrasonic devices aren’t super expensive. It shouldn’t be difficult to buy a few of them if you need to cover a larger area.
Dogs Might Help
A very simple but effective idea is to just have a dog in your yard. Rabbits are going to be very scared of them because dogs will naturally want to chase them.
If you have a dog in the yard, a rabbit should be quite wary of even wanting to get near the yard. A desperate rabbit might still attempt to enter the yard in search of food, but it will quickly be scared away by a barking dog.
Having an outdoor dog might be just the thing that you need to keep rabbits from destroying your garden. If you have a nice little dog house and a fenced-in yard, this should work out well.
Of course, the dog will be a more effective rabbit deterrent if it isn’t on a leash, and this means that having a fenced-in yard is going to be a must. The only downside to this is that many people don’t like to leave their dogs outside due to concerns about the weather or even predators.
You can decide whether it’s safe enough for a dog to live outside of your house. Even having a dog outside sometimes could be effective when it comes to scaring rabbits, though.
Final Thoughts
After reading all of the information above, you have plenty of ways to deal with rabbits. You should be able to keep them from getting under your fences now, and you also know about methods for keeping them away from your yard no matter what.
Just do your best to keep them from destroying your crops by utilizing the advice above. Rabbits might be adorable, but they aren’t to be taken lightly.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
--
If you want more backyard tips including recipes, how-tos and more, make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel