Bunnies Not So Cute Anymore
 

Hi All,

We recently moved to a new house in an area near Sacramento, CA where
jackrabbits and bunnies are common. At first, we thought they were cute,
hopping around our dirt yard and munching on the wild grass. We have just
finished landscaping the yard at considerable expense, and the bunnies have
already eaten dozens of the 1-gallon plants and groundcover, probably
several hundred dollars worth in a few days. We've done a web search on the
many "remedies" to keep rabbits away, including planting marigolds (they ate
every bit of them). Pepper sprinkled on the plants doesn't phase them--the
other day, a bunny knocked on the door and asked if we had any salt to go
along with the pepper. Many of the so-called bunny-resistant plants aren't
suitable in our climate. We don't have an outdoor dog or cat to chase them
away.

Our latest idea is to install chicken wire at the perimeter fencing, which
is the ornamental iron style with 4-inch spaces between bars. How high
should the wire be? I was thinking around 12-18" high, with a few inches
buried below dirt level. To jump the wire, they would have to jump between
the bars of the fence. I don't want to put up anything too elaborate or
conspicuous, since our homeowners association might frown upon it. Ideas?

Thanx,
Keybored

Key Bored wrote:
Hi All,

We recently moved to a new house in an area near Sacramento, CA where
jackrabbits and bunnies are common. At first, we thought they were cute,
hopping around our dirt yard and munching on the wild grass. We have just
finished landscaping the yard at considerable expense, and the bunnies have
already eaten dozens of the 1-gallon plants and groundcover, probably
several hundred dollars worth in a few days. We've done a web search on the
many "remedies" to keep rabbits away, including planting marigolds (they ate
every bit of them). Pepper sprinkled on the plants doesn't phase them--the
other day, a bunny knocked on the door and asked if we had any salt to go
along with the pepper. Many of the so-called bunny-resistant plants aren't
suitable in our climate. We don't have an outdoor dog or cat to chase them
away.

Our latest idea is to install chicken wire at the perimeter fencing, which
is the ornamental iron style with 4-inch spaces between bars. How high
should the wire be? I was thinking around 12-18" high, with a few inches
buried below dirt level. To jump the wire, they would have to jump between
the bars of the fence. I don't want to put up anything too elaborate or
conspicuous, since our homeowners association might frown upon it. Ideas?

Thanx,
Keybored



I made the mistake of not killing the cute lit'l bunny I saw in my yard
early this spring. He wasn't hurting anything, so I left him alone. A
month later, Bunny ate my garden. Eventually I managed to shoot him
with my pellet gun. That's probably what you'll have to do too.

A pitchfork would work if you don't have a pellet gun, but it's not that
easy to get close enough.

HOA's tend to frown on .22's, but if you use CB's they might not hear it.

Or maybe you can rent a little terrier dog or a 15 pound tomcat for a
week or so...

Bob

You can Havaheart trap them and transplant them to more upscale
neighborhoods.

Or spray Hot Pepper Wax on the plants now and then. That doesn't
prevent the first bite, of course. http://www.hotpepperwax.com/


--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Larry Blanchard expounded:

The second alternative is an air rifle. I thought my neighbors might
object to my shooting the "cute little bunnies" but they cheer me on
instead :-).

There is a third alternative. Get a basset hound. French rabbit
hunters! G I had one for years, and never had any bunnies in my
garden. She didn't do much hunting, her scent was apparently enough
to keep them away. I'm sure any dog would work, but bassets are so
cute! My wonderful four legged daughter isn't with us anymore, so I'm
sure I'll start having problems now :o(
--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

Janet Baraclough.. wrote:

...Rabbits can easily hop over 12 " and between bars. If you get winter
snow, it will lift them up higher, so you need taller fence wire.

For 20 years I've used 3ft high chicken wire, with the bottom 6 "
turned at right angles and pegged down. This prevents burrowing and
wriggling under....



I've had rabbits jump over 4' fences without any apparent effort.

I might suggest that you plant clover in your lawn somewhere away from
the plants you want to protect. That in conjunction with a reasonable
fence might help since the clover will be there (eventually) for the
rabbit to eat, eliminating the temptation of negotiating the fence to
get to the other plants. It takes a couple of months to establish
clover, but if you get the right clover it's a perennial. Something like
Dutch White clover fits into lawns fairly well without looking weedy.

In article , Key Bored
wrote:

Hi All,

We recently moved to a new house in an area near Sacramento, CA where
jackrabbits and bunnies are common. At first, we thought they were cute,
hopping around our dirt yard and munching on the wild grass. We have just
finished landscaping the yard at considerable expense, and the bunnies have
already eaten dozens of the 1-gallon plants and groundcover, probably
several hundred dollars worth in a few days. We've done a web search on the
many "remedies" to keep rabbits away, including planting marigolds (they ate
every bit of them). Pepper sprinkled on the plants doesn't phase them--the
other day, a bunny knocked on the door and asked if we had any salt to go
along with the pepper. Many of the so-called bunny-resistant plants aren't
suitable in our climate. We don't have an outdoor dog or cat to chase them
away.

Our latest idea is to install chicken wire at the perimeter fencing, which
is the ornamental iron style with 4-inch spaces between bars. How high
should the wire be? I was thinking around 12-18" high, with a few inches
buried below dirt level. To jump the wire, they would have to jump between
the bars of the fence. I don't want to put up anything too elaborate or
conspicuous, since our homeowners association might frown upon it. Ideas?

Thanx,
Keybored

'
I had the same problem. I bought fox urine and put it in plastic
containers for "predator pee." The scent scared the bunnies, and they
were gone.

dd wrote in message t...
'
I had the same problem. I bought fox urine and put it in plastic
containers for "predator pee." The scent scared the bunnies, and they
were gone.

I am getting ready to use this for nightly visits from skunks. It's
fairly costly so it's encouraging to get some report that it works on
small animals.