Rabbit Repellent

How Rabbit Repellents Work

Rabbit repellents contain ingredients that irritate rabbits or cause the food source to taste very unpleasant. Generally, most rabbit repellent products contain putrescent egg solids, garlic powder or garlic oil, and capsaicin or other hot pepper ingredients. They are harmless to the animals, but can be very effective in keeping them from eating your garden. Repellents are a great tool for rabbit control and they work by either contact, meaning the animal must touch or taste the repellent, or by scent, which deters the animal from getting close to the treated area. Repellents take some dedication to use, and repeated, regular use brings more success than casual application.

How To Use Rabbit Repellents

While applying rabbit repellents is fairly simple and strait forward, using them correctly and successfully takes a bit more work and commitment to ensure that rabbits and other critters stay off your prized plants. Here are some important tips to keep in mind when you are using a rabbit repellent.

• Try to apply a repellent product as soon as possible on all vulnerable plants. It is important to be very consistent with the application of repellents; if you continue to apply throughout the season, you will train the rabbits, deer, and other nuisance animals, to stay away from your garden.
• If you are using a repellent that sprayed directly on the plants, only the parts of the plants that the product has come in contact with are protected. If you miss a section of the plants, or a few leaves remain untreated, they are vulnerable to damage.
• Some rabbit repellents should not be used on edible plants and vegetables so make sure you read the label carefully.
• Remember that new growth is not protected and plants with new growth must be retreated.
• Reapply after harsh weather and rain.
• Apply rabbit repellents in the evening, as rabbits do the majority of their feeding at night.
• Treat all plants in the area you want to protect, as well as the surrounding area up to ten feet. 
• Most repellent products allow you to treat all potentially vulnerable surfaces, not only plants. Use the repellents to treat anything that could become damaged from rabbit gnawing.
• Remember that you should not solely rely on repellents to mitigate rabbit damage. Use other methods, such as exclusion, to boost the success of your efforts.

See also: Animal Repellents, Animal Control