Cottontail rabbits

[Mattemma]

My dogs found a nest of 5 babies last week right in the middle of my fenced yard. Eyes just starting to open.

How long before I can shoo the babies out of my yard into the neighboring woods? I think the mum gets through the fence holes(chainlink) or crawls under my gate.

They are VERY cute,but I don't want them eating my seedlings. I put out some rabbit pellets to keep rabbits from eating my plants.I keep the dogs and cats locked up-for now. I hate the sound of rabbits being killed.

http://unluahomestead.blogspot.com/2010/06/cottontails-are-growing.html

 

[digitS']

They can go thru a chain-link fence, Mattemma. The Mountain Cottontails here can almost do that at full stride.

I found the stares of the Horned Owls a little off-putting as they would watch the garden from the neighbor's haybarn, a couple of years ago. They wouldn't come out of the barn to hunt during mid-day, however. The rabbits were sometimes close and in full view. Still, the rabbit population steadily declined. And, that took a great deal of pressure off my efforts to grow peas and beans.

I could measure out from a raspberry patch by both feet from the patch and millimeters chewed off the plants. The further out, the taller the plants; close to those raspberries and the beans or peas would be chewed to the ground and even dug up.

The guy down the road with domestic rabbits running around his yard has only 2 this year. It looks like he has bluegrass, juniper and a spruce tree in his yard. That may be a successful landscape with rabbits.

Cute? Years ago, I had to train myself NOT to bat at the lacewing bugs that hang around the backdoor light. Those things might even bite ! But apparently, they bite aphids by the dozens. Have you ever noticed that a ladybug larva looks like some kind of little monster?!

Steve

 

[patandchickens]

Probably the most effective solution would be to get a roll of chickenwire (if you can find the stuff with the extra-small, 1/2" holes that is ideal, but even the normal 1" chickenwire will "mostly" keep out baby rabbits) and fence in your garden. Not that they *can't* go under it, but it will discourage them from learning that they *want to*.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

Maybe with the wire, bury it a few inches under the ground, that's what I do around my fenced garden, raised beds and chicken runs. It discourages digging!

 

[hoodat]

They can go thru a chain-link fence, Mattemma. The Mountain Cottontails here can almost do that at full stride.

I found the stares of the Horned Owls a little off-putting as they would watch the garden from the neighbor's haybarn, a couple of years ago. They wouldn't come out of the barn to hunt during mid-day, however. The rabbits were sometimes close and in full view. Still, the rabbit population steadily declined. And, that took a great deal of pressure off my efforts to grow peas and beans.

I could measure out from a raspberry patch by both feet from the patch and millimeters chewed off the plants. The further out, the taller the plants; close to those raspberries and the beans or peas would be chewed to the ground and even dug up.

The guy down the road with domestic rabbits running around his yard has only 2 this year. It looks like he has bluegrass, juniper and a spruce tree in his yard. That may be a successful landscape with rabbits.

Cute? Years ago, I had to train myself NOT to bat at the lacewing bugs that hang around the backdoor light. Those things might even bite ! But apparently, they bite aphids by the dozens. Have you ever noticed that a ladybug larva looks like some kind of little monster?!

Steve

Funny you should mention lady bug larvae. I've often been struck by their resemblance to miniature Gila Monster lizards.

 

[Mattemma]

Thanks for the posts! I checked the hole yesterday afternoon and the bunnies have moved out. I may let the dogs loose today and keep close so I can get any they catch,and toss them over the fence.

Normally the wildlife seems to avoid my yard due to the dogs,but some like the rabbit who made the nest....don't know what the heck it was thinking.

I plan to let my cats out for the very first time this summer after checking the fence for holes large enough for them.

I have a hard time knowing which bugs are good.I think a laminated flip card would be useful for the yard.

Animals walk a *fine line* in my yard when it comes to being a pest.Dh is still shaking his head over the 2 mice I caught living in our old car.I kill a lot of mice,but those 2 lucked out for some reason.

 

[ducks4you]

My 2 dogs and 2 cats take care of any rabbits that are near the house and gardens. It sounds brutal, but they will dig holes in my pastures that my horses could trip in while we ride, so we encourage it.