What to do with invading rabbits

[Annpan]

A ever so cute fluffy bunny was hoping around our garden this morning..... hmmmmmm.... Now I know wher my courgette plant and half the basil mysteriously disappeared to

So... what to do???

I'm not a shoot it skin it, eat it kind of a person (not right at this stage of my life anyway). Though if someone else wanted to I'd be happy to let them.

Can I block up it's burrow, I think I found it... with the hope it will dig it's way out into the neighbours garden

Can I trap it and keep it in a rabbit tractor to save me from buying a new lawn mower?


Answers on a postcard.

[fruitcake]

get a cat like ours

[Annpan]

Yup... that would do.

We have a wonderful mouser of a cat but she is small and I don't know if she would tackle the rabbit.... TBH I think she is feeling quite henpecked from all the new chickens just now, so she may well have a pop at something weaker than herself.

[John Headstrong]

yer, my one does that too !




not as good as my Lurcher was, she would collect them all for you and place them at your feet.


fence what you can. if they get bad then call in the dogs

[Annpan]

Trouble is John, the burrow (or at least the hole I saw the bunny hop into) was under the hedge in the allotment part of the garden... The only place I could fence would be right beside it's burrow.. and that would only serve to cage it in... Which brings me back to the idea of just blocking up the hole

I'll have a word with my jack russel owning neighbour tomorrow to see if she would be able to catch a rabbit - she catches rats and fights with ferrets apparently so it is worth a go.

I don't want to wait for the thing to have babies and eat all my cabbages at winter time before I do something about it.... but with a toddler around an ever so cute bunny is a nice addition to the wildlife.

bumped with Suzie... maybe I need to borrow someones cat???

[red]

yup - Susie is right.. rabbits come in groups. You can buy rabbit proof fencing.. no idea if it works..

[frozenthunderbolt]

Try extensive hot pepper. I personaly would pop them and eat them though.

[TheGoodEarth]

I have a huge rabbit problem and have shot 30-40 in the last couple of months. Last year they destroyed our garden when we went on holiday. I can covertly shoot them (.22 rifle) from my bathroom and bedroom windows. We are surrounded by fields so no chance of accidently shooting people.

Disposal isn't a problem either, any rabbits I shoot in the evening are gone by the morning as they are picked up by birds and taken away for a feast. Just as nature intended.

[Annpan]

I would rather kill and eat them.... but..... I have never killed an animal, nor have I witnessed it, nor have I skinned or gutted an animal, nor have I witnessed it. You grow up in a city, (not even the suburbs, actually in the centre of the city) there just isn't much of that going on. Remember guys, I didn't even know what a non-pickled beetroot looked like till last year.

I have tasted rabbit before and I didn't like it, I remember it being really chewy and kind of weird.


So yeah, I'd rather kill and eat it, only I don't want to kill it or eat it really.... ...... ....... I am a walking talking oxymoron





Anyone fancy coming over and having a pop at it is welcome, I'd like to see it done.... just not doing it myself that's all. I'd even cook it but killing, skinning and gutting isn't something I am ready for right now.

[Derry]

if i could deal with the killing and skinning, id have me a nice stew and a new pair of gloves

as it happens, a cat, dog or rifle is probably your best bet.

[fruitcake]

My neighbour shot me one last year and i skinned an gutted it - never done it before or seen it done - was left with rabbit (dripping blood on the doorstop from its ear) and some verbal instructions - it was ok. Then I just chopped it into 4 and stuffed it in a cast iron pot with lots of red wine, some veg etc and shoved it in the over for a few hours. It was good - would recomend you try it again.

we've got a massive rabbit problem here too - am going to get round to fencing round my raised beds (once I finish building them - am 1/2 way), the cat takes loads but I'm wondering if i need to learn to shoot as well - really dont fancy that - i dont want to be able to use a gun, but if its that or my veggies and plants then ...........

[sunflower]

get yourself a ferret and a few nets,

[Annpan]

When I saw the rabbit it was just a few feet from me and it didn't hurry to hop away as I approached, I don't know how long it had just been sitting watching me actually.

I am sure I could trap it easily enough... but then what do I do with it???

We seriously do have a grass growing too fast problem (especially in this wet weather) can I cage it over the grass or is that really mad/ stupid?

[clare]

We too have hundreds of bunnies many more than our 2 previous years here and our resident stoat is clearly not keeping up!We have the patch fenced off with a mesh floor and black weed matting on top with big gravel on top of that with raised beds in the middle and so far it is bunny free but we are starting to shoot them with an air rifle as they are creating a village of warrens around our land and as we have sandy soil I am scared one of the children will disappear on day down a rabbit hole!!So far the few we have got have been left in the neighbouring woods and have gone in the morning,I am hopeing Mr Fox is taking them instead of my chickens.I have never skinned/drawn and eaten them but do like the idea if someone showed me what to do, the throw in a pot with red wine sounds yummy but I would need to know I'd done it right in case I ate a bit I shouldn't........

[ADG]

let me come around lol