Last year my beautiful garden bed of salad greens was decimated in one night by a gang of rabbits. All of the spinach, romaine, and arugula was chewed down to little nubs overnight. They didn’t touch the Swiss Chard for some reason, so we ate a lot of that last summer. Got pretty tired of Swiss Chard.
This year I was determined to not let a rabbit attack happen again. In March I built a rabbit fence from 3-foot-high metal fencing with 2-inch mesh, supported by metal T-stakes to support it. The rabbit fence was buried one foot below ground and folded outwards beneath the ground so rabbits couldn’t dig under it to gain access to my always delightful smorgasbord. Sylvilagus floridanus would pillage no more.
Did the rabbit fence work?
A few days ago while checking my tomato seedlings, I thought I saw a rabbit run past me. It happened so fast, in the blink of an eye, that it was one of those did that just happen? moments. In March I had worked my ass off putting that rabbit fence in and felt confident that no rabbit would be able to breach it. Magically, the rabbit disappeared from the corner I tracked him to, instilling great doubt in me. Had he dematerialized?
I was confused. It was very early in the morning, I was fresh out of bed and I only saw the “rabbit” in my peripheral vision, so I wasn’t exactly sure it had actually happened. But since my trusty dog Belle was all excited, jumping up and down and staring off into the distance at something, I figured it probably was true.
I checked every inch of the rabbit fence that afternoon and everything was intact. Just to be safe, I re-wired some possible but unlikely entry points. I must have imagined it, I thought. Maybe I was hallucinating without my first cup of caffeine. I must have mistaken a squirrel for a rabbit because he couldn’t just disappear like that.
Rabbit, Dog, and Man trapped in a battle of wills
Today I was eating my lunch, staring out the kitchen window when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a big, fat rabbit walking slowly through my garden like he was the Garden King. I wasn’t having any of it.
Throwing down my plate and fork, I rallied my trusty mutt Belle, slipped on a pair of old sneakers (untied) near the door and we went bounding down the yard and into the garden. “A bunny Belle, catch the bunny!” When I say this her ears stand up and her legs move twice as fast as her canine eyes scan the perimeter.
I jumped over into the garden fence, Belle ran to the far side. I started clapping my hands and making loud sounds to flush the rabbit out from behind the thick raspberry brambles. Rabbit appeared, ran to the far end to make his escape, saw Belle, did a one-eighty, ran back towards me, saw me, stopped dead in his tracks, considering his options. His nose twitched and his evil, beady little black eyes locked on me.
I started walking towards him, stalking the prey which had eluded me these many years. Belle began to slowly close the gap. Rabbit, the bane of my gardening existence, was finally within my grasp. Oh, what I’d do to Rabbit when I picked him up by his fat scruffy neck, fattened on my greens. Our epic struggle was about to end. He was cornered like Steve McQueen on his motorcycle in The Great Escape. One minute to theme music and credits.
As if launched from a cannon, Rabbit turned ninety degrees and bounded down the path between the two longest raised garden beds. I gave chase, Belle followed on the far side. Rabbit turned hard right down the next path, then hard left to the front of the rabbit fence and JUMPED THE FENCE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING, LIKE HE USED A TRAMPOLINE TO GO OVER IT! Rabbit kept running, impossibly fast for Belle to catch, although she tried…for about seven seconds. I almost wept. The struggle is real.
rabbits need 1” poultry wire. Its quite possible that they can get through 2” easily, as well as over.
Sprinkle dog hair in our garden. It keeps away the rabbits and the deer. A pet groomers’ shop will give it away….
Hello there, thank you for a truly informative article, I really don’t as a rule attach responses but appreciated your post thus felt I would personally say thank you – – Orla
Rabbits getting into gardens can be quite a nuisance indeed. I work for fencing installers in North London and many customers complain about their existing fence not being high enough… the rabbits seem to have fun just jumping over it.
Johnny: Indeed! I’ve noticed that it depends on the type of rabbit. Some can hop my fence pretty easily and some cannot (yes, I stare out my window and watch sometimes..). Don’t know what kind/how large rabbits are in London, but here we have many types, so it’s trial and error to find a system that works.
While I enjoyed the amusing style you used to relate your story, I totally understand your frustration. I,too, have become Elmer Fudd in my hunt for the wascally wabbit. I’ve been told that “liquid fence” may help. I am buying a bottle today.
Cathy:
Liquid Fence works very well and I use it frequently. However, it has to be applied again after a rainstorm, so if it’s a wet spring, you can go through quite a bit of it. Also, be careful of wind direction when applying it – if it blows on to you, you’re going to smell pretty bad.
I raised meat rabbits in the Yukon for years. They were penned in a large banked area and ran freely on the ground. They made their own burrows for their litters and for winter warmth. My stucco sire fencing was 4 feet high and lined with chicken wire to try to keep the babies inside. The herd of rabbits would jump a 3 foot partition chicken wire fence as a group to get fresh greens tossed into the second pen..I called them my “steeplechasing bunnies”. They can & do jump rather high as well as dig up to 4 feet down. They are difficult to keep safely penned, especially the tiny weaned youngsters. The loose ones always headed for my sleddog kennel to tease the dogs and drove the dogs crazy, quite deliberately! If you actually catch a wild rabbit (a fish landing net with a long handle will give you an advantage as the rabbit doesn’t notice the net until he’s inside it), best to wear gloves. Grasp the skin over the withers and get your other hand around his hind legs (the flippers with those claws). Only then is he safe to pick up. Those hind legs can & do kill dogs or other predators who grab the rabbit. Those claws can rip open the throat of the dog and open the jugular vein. They are not as sweet as they look or that baby books claim!
Isa:
Thanks for that very thorough explanation. Yes indeed, rabbits are “less cute” than they appear, and I’m sure they are very good at defending themselves or there wouldn’t be so darn many of them!
I had an ugly wire fence up that I took down and used some organic repellant instead. The rabbits have left my lettuce untouched.
I have a bunch of Swiss chard out as well which I sprayed and they’ve not touched that either. I hope I remain as lucky here.
I must have stupid rabbits. They can’t seem to get over the tiny fence I put up. Its the deer that are making me crazy.
Ha, It sounds like you need a higher fence!
Gee, that hadn’t crossed my mind (sorry I’m sarcastic, but I’m still angry…) I’d put up a deer fence, but I don’t want the back of my yard to look like a prison camp!