Rabbits! 😡

[tatty_v]

Gardeners of HHO, I need your help!

For some reason we have suddenly become overrun with rabbits. They are everywhere and whilst I have tried to be tolerant, they are destroying my garden, eating everything I plant, digging holes everywhere and generally being a total menace

Any tips on how to deal with this?! We’ve got the humane scarer things that emit a high frequency noise, but they don’t seem to care!

 

[Goldie's mum]

Get one of these. Once he has rid you of all the rabbits he will destroy your garden, eat everything, dig holes everywhere and be a total menace but you won't mind because you will love him.

 

[Goldie's mum]

Sorry!

Serious answers will follow I'm sure.

 

[ponyparty]

Sorry!

Serious answers will follow I'm sure.

I thought it was sound advice, to be honest

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Friends of mine resorted to rabbit netting round the whole of their very large veg patch. Needs sinking into the ground as well I think.

 

[Rumtytum]

Friends of mine resorted to rabbit netting round the whole of their very large veg patch. Needs sinking into the ground as well I think.

We have rabbit netting. Yes, it does need sinking and deep too - they tunnelled underneath it in one spot

 

[Clodagh]

Electric rabbit netting fence. But make sure the battery has charge or they eat the fence itself.

 

[YourValentine]

Ferrets? Then fill up all the holes/runs.

 

[Irish-Only]

Find someone with ferrets to come and deal with them.

 

[Orangina]

A good hunting cat will also do the job!

 

[rextherobber]

As above, get a cat and / or a dog, feed the local fox, rabbit fencing....look upon what they've done so far as a Chelsea Chop

 

[tatty_v]

Thank you for all the recommendations - sadly no time to add a dog to our lives and we have various cats that frequent the yard and garden but they do not seem to be putting them off! I shall look into some electric netting…

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We have just been recommended to fill in the rabbit holes in our fields/garden with wood chip which apparently falls in on them when they start digging and puts them off. As for keeping them off the garden, they don't like strong scents, so if you have things like lavender round the edges they might stay away. (No guarantees)

 

[I'm Dun]

Get one of these. Once he has rid you of all the rabbits he will destroy your garden, eat everything, dig holes everywhere and be a total menace but you won't mind because you will love him.
View attachment 139564

What you want is one of these. Will anihlate every rabbit then go home to bed leaving no trace. I've never known anything kill so quick and cleanly as this boy.

Do you know anyone locally who has a dog that likes to hunt rabbits and more importantly, does it quickly and cleanly?

 

[Lois Lame]

He sounds impressive, I'm Dun. Is he a Whippet?

 

[I'm Dun]

He sounds impressive, I'm Dun. Is he a Whippet?

I call him a whoppet. Hes about 23/24 inches and 20kgs of solid muscle. The smartest dog I have ever met in my life. His line do throw some taller dogs leggy and delicate usually, so no one is quite sure where he came from! Hes huge, spotty, ears are wrong, bum is enormous etc, etc. He lacks the whippet princess gene as well, he is tough and very much paddles his own canoe. He was the naughtiest adolescent I have ever known. Jumped off a 20ft high canal bridge, jumped out of a moving car twice, nearly drowned in the canal, he's been through 8 of his 9 lives last time I counted! I posted the other day about how he had his name read out in court after inadvertently causing my old neighbours to have a punch up, something that I am still mortified about. He is stock broken, fine with sheep, ponies, cattle etc, and knows he is not to bother cats. But squirrels, rabbits, foxes and deer stand no chance. I am very, very, very careful where I walk him as he's caught and killed a roe deer stag, single handed and would like to do the same again and I'd rather he didn't! I was torn between being impressed how quickly and cleanly he did it and horrified he'd killed bambi.

His dad is KC registered and his mum isn't, although she is a whippet and has had 2 litters of whippets, and the whoppet. I think further back she has something crossed into the line and he just got all the genes from that. I keep meaning to get a DNA test done to see what comes up. I'd have another in a heart beat, even remembering how naughty he was.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Love the collar @I'm Dun

We luckily dont have a rabbit issue here because the ground is way too hard for them to burrow. Friends were over run though and had success with some guys with ferrets.

 

[gunnergundog]

I am very, very, very careful where I walk him as he's caught and killed a roe deer stag, single handed and would like to do the same again and I'd rather he didn't! I was torn between being impressed how quickly and cleanly he did it and horrified he'd killed bambi.

. I keep meaning to get a DNA test done to see what comes up.

Assuming it was fully mature and healthy that is pretty damned impressive! Am guessing it would have been about twice his weight. Would love to know the outcome of the DNA test if you ever get it done. Are they accurate out of interest? Not something I've ever looked into.

 

[I'm Dun]

Yup, looked about twice his height. He put it up in long grass, caught up in about 8 bounds, launched on its hindquarters to bring it down and then despatched it at the neck. Myself and the other dog just looked at each other jaws agape, I didn't even have time to process it. He wiped out the munjac along the canal before I cottoned on to what he was doing. He was going through a hedge into a little patch of rough ground and I thought he was rabbiting, till I went in one day to check it out and saw him despatch one and found bodies.

I don't want him hunting deer, its too dangerous for him, so I'm super careful now, but in Oxfordshire it's a huge issue. All the building work is displacing the deer and they are wandering into places you just don't expect them. I did try muzzling even though I was told not to bother, and yeah, shouldn't have bothered. It doesn't stop them, just makes it cruel and violent. It's a little bit sad as he would have made someone the most amazing working dog, I'm always torn between horror and absolute pride and amazement at what an athlete he is.

Hes 2 next month so he can start lure racing at the track and hopefully that will fulfil some of his prey drive.

I don't think the DNA tests are super accurate, but they have improved a lot from the early days.

 

[Parrotperson]

ferrets. we have a guy who comes and does it. all does the rats. blocks up all the holes except one. puts ferrets down. job done. Of course you then have to stop the next lot moving in.........

 

[Gloi]

A good hunting cat will also do the job!

Oh yes. Our yard cat fetches in rabbits constantly.

 

[Lois Lame]

I call him a whoppet. Hes about 23/24 inches and 20kgs of solid muscle. The smartest dog I have ever met in my life. His line do throw some taller dogs leggy and delicate usually, so no one is quite sure where he came from! Hes huge, spotty, ears are wrong, bum is enormous etc, etc. He lacks the whippet princess gene as well, he is tough and very much paddles his own canoe. He was the naughtiest adolescent I have ever known. Jumped off a 20ft high canal bridge, jumped out of a moving car twice, nearly drowned in the canal, he's been through 8 of his 9 lives last time I counted! I posted the other day about how he had his name read out in court after inadvertently causing my old neighbours to have a punch up, something that I am still mortified about. He is stock broken, fine with sheep, ponies, cattle etc, and knows he is not to bother cats. But squirrels, rabbits, foxes and deer stand no chance. I am very, very, very careful where I walk him as he's caught and killed a roe deer stag, single handed and would like to do the same again and I'd rather he didn't! I was torn between being impressed how quickly and cleanly he did it and horrified he'd killed bambi.

His dad is KC registered and his mum isn't, although she is a whippet and has had 2 litters of whippets, and the whoppet. I think further back she has something crossed into the line and he just got all the genes from that. I keep meaning to get a DNA test done to see what comes up. I'd have another in a heart beat, even remembering how naughty he was.

Wonderful post. Many emojis needed.

 

[Lois Lame]

Yup, looked about twice his height. He put it up in long grass, caught up in about 8 bounds, launched on its hindquarters to bring it down and then despatched it at the neck. Myself and the other dog just looked at each other jaws agape, I didn't even have time to process it. He wiped out the munjac along the canal before I cottoned on to what he was doing. He was going through a hedge into a little patch of rough ground and I thought he was rabbiting, till I went in one day to check it out and saw him despatch one and found bodies.

I don't want him hunting deer, its too dangerous for him, so I'm super careful now, but in Oxfordshire it's a huge issue. All the building work is displacing the deer and they are wandering into places you just don't expect them. I did try muzzling even though I was told not to bother, and yeah, shouldn't have bothered. It doesn't stop them, just makes it cruel and violent. It's a little bit sad as he would have made someone the most amazing working dog, I'm always torn between horror and absolute pride and amazement at what an athlete he is.

Hes 2 next month so he can start lure racing at the track and hopefully that will fulfil some of his prey drive.

I don't think the DNA tests are super accurate, but they have improved a lot from the early days.

Beautifully written

 

[Lady Jane]

Feral cats if you can't have a jack russell.

 

[Muddy unicorn]

We have a rabbit hunting cat but he couldn’t possibly keep up with the numbers we get here - there are hundreds despite a healthy fox, raptor and feral cat population as well.

 

[Fencefacts]

To deal with the rabbit problem in your garden, consider installing a fence with buried wire mesh to prevent digging, using repellents like predator urine (especially fox, although it's not that easy and practical but works as per old farmers) or strong-smelling plants like Lavender, Alliums, and adding physical barriers like chicken wire around individual plants. You might also consider humane traps to relocate the rabbits if local regulations allow.

Gardeners of HHO, I need your help!

For some reason we have suddenly become overrun with rabbits. They are everywhere and whilst I have tried to be tolerant, they are destroying my garden, eating everything I plant, digging holes everywhere and generally being a total menace

Any tips on how to deal with this?! We’ve got the humane scarer things that emit a high frequency noise, but they don’t seem to care!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Gardeners of HHO, I need your help!

For some reason we have suddenly become overrun with rabbits. They are everywhere and whilst I have tried to be tolerant, they are destroying my garden, eating everything I plant, digging holes everywhere and generally being a total menace

Any tips on how to deal with this?! We’ve got the humane scarer things that emit a high frequency noise, but they don’t seem to care!

Get a pest controller in

 

[suestowford]

Rabbit numbers round here tend to go in cycles of loads of rabbits around, then they all get myxamatosis and most of them die. Takes about ten years for numbers to go up again, then more sickness, and so on. We're in a 'loads of rabbits' year here too, but that will hopefully mean a good year for the buzzards as there will be plenty to feed their chicks.

 

[Moomintrude]

Get one of these. Once he has rid you of all the rabbits he will destroy your garden, eat everything, dig holes everywhere and be a total menace but you won't mind because you will love him.
View attachment 139564

Got me giggling wayyyy too hard but yes good answer .cutest pest control ever

 

[HopOnTrot]

Raised beds, 2x terriers and a cat who may or may not actually live with us anymore