If you have a pet rabbit, you will know that there is nothing more delightful than watching your floppy eared friend bouncing about in the backyard with glee.
However, more often than not, their mischievous ways can often spell disaster for your beloved garden and quickly destroy all your hard work in a moments nibble- especially if you are a keen veggie gardener!
Do not despair, with a few small amendments to your backyard, your garden and bunny can co-exist peacefully. So the only time your rabbit will be chewing on your crunchy carrots is when you have picked them for your pretty pet yourself!
Fencing
If you would like your garden to be more gorgeous than gnawed on, it's important to invest in some ‘rabbit-proof’ fencing or barriers. Here are some fencing options for keeping rabbits out of your gardens or vegetable patches:
- Install 1m above ground high chicken wire with sturdy stakes extended into the soil at least 20cm to discourage burrowing.
- Using portable electric fencing will help prevent your rabbits invading your garden and deter pests like possums, feral deer, wild goats, feral pigs or wallabies from getting to your plants.
- Invest in a secure garden enclosure with mesh flooring to prevent burrowing bunnies. Bonus! This will also help prevent birds from attacking your veggie patch!
Repellents
Another great way to keep your garden from being under attack by your bouncing buddy is by using a repellent spray. Just like humans and other animals, there are certain smells and tastes that rabbits will turn their nose up at and avoid, so apply these certain aromas and tastes to your plants, and your bunny will be sure to bounce off in the opposite direction quick smart!
As these delightful little animals are herbivores, they only really enjoy mild smells- strong and intense smells are repulsive to them, and unnatural tastes cause them great disgust.
Of course you don’t want to harm your pretty pet or growing plants with harsh chemicals, so we suggest having a go at making your own home-made natural repellent.
As mentioned previously, rabbits are not particularly fond of strong smells, so leave intense smelling foods in the problem area such as cloves of garlic and chilli flakes. You could also try planting strong smelling herbs such as lavender and mint to ward off your curious little pet.
If smell alone is not enough to repel your rabbit, you can make many different mixtures that will be sure to leave a bad taste in your bunnies mouth, enough to ensure they keep their distance in the future. Just mix your chosen ingredients together, place them in a spray bottle and spray over your bunnies usual victims. It is important to take into account whether the mixture will be harmful towards your plant, so only use sparingly and be sure to dilute with water. Below are a few mixtures you could try out to see which works best!
Lavender + Mint + Vinegar + WaterCrushed Garlic + Chilli Powder + Water
Chilli Powder + Raw Eggs + Black Pepper + Water
Be sure to spray the mixture onto the plant as well as the soil around it to ward off your little Peter Rabbit.
These are both incredibly cost-effective and simple ways to keep both your pet rabbit happy and your garden healthy, so that you can enjoy the two together!
Another great option is to let your bunny enjoy the fresh air in the safety of a rabbit hutch and enclosure - they can still bound around in the grass and admire your precious plants, without actually being able to do any damage! Our Hoppy Hotel, The Wiggle Den and The Rabbit Den would be the perfect home for your floppy eared friends.
