Try sprinkling dried sulfur around or on your plants. Rabbits also dislike the smell of onions, so try planting these around your garden to further deter the furry creatures. To discourage pesky rabbits, try dusting your plants with plain talcum powder.
Any fast or sudden movements, loud noises, unfamiliar smells or larger creatures – including their owners – can trigger a fear response. 'We're predators from a rabbit's point of view,' explains clinical animal behaviourist Rosie Bescoby, who runs animal behaviour consultancy Pet Sense.
Rabbits have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find accessible food sources. You can take advantage of this trait by using scents they dislike, such as garlic, vinegar, chili powder, predator urine, sulfur, blood meal, chives, lavender, geraniums, and wax begonias.
Rabbit Repellents
Home gardeners often recommend vinegar or hot chili pepper sprays as bitter substances that will discourage rabbits and other pests. These can dissipate pretty quickly on their own, so methods of helping them stick to grass or fencing are the best.
To make this rabbit repellent, first fill a one gallon container, such as a milk jug, with water. Crush 5 garlic cloves and add then to the water. Add a teaspoon of crushed red peppers and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Shake the container very well and then place in outdoors in the direct sun for two days.
Arm & Hammer TM Baking Soda will help keep rabbits away from your plants. “Sprinkle baking soda around your vegetable garden. Make a thin but visible ring of baking soda around each plant. This will dissuade rabbits from nibbling on them.
Cayenne pepper has been shown to repel rabbits, squirrels, and deer. It is sprayed onto plants to prevent animals from eating them. Furthermore, a spicy scent keeps stray dogs and cats from eating the plants.
Irish Spring soap
I was surprised to learn that Irish Spring bar soap is an inexpensive rabbit repellent. Apparently unlike myself who finds the scent of Irish Spring to be pleasant, to rabbits, it has a terrible stench that drives them away.
The egg shells sprinkled around them do wonders for preventing those cute furry fuzzballs from munching on the leaves. Rabbits dislike the smell of eggshells so they will avoid the area.
Common natural repellents include anything from coyote urine, to soapy water, vinegar, and cayenne pepper; but these need to be applied frequently, and it's often reported that rabbits eventually become used to the smell and taste of these things.
Exclusion. Fencing is the most effective way to keep rabbits out. Install a 2-foot tall fence of 1-inch chicken wire, held up by sturdy stakes every 4 to 6 feet apart. Rabbits will try to go under a fence, so bury it 6 inches deep, line the bottom with bricks or rocks, or bend it down in an “L” on the animal side.
But don't run to the store for repellant just yet—vinegar is an easy way to deter rabbits from stealing your veggies! Simply soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and place it in a small jar or canister with holes poked in the lid. Place these around the garden, and the vinegar scent will help to keep the rabbits at bay.
Small pieces of apple, banana, bell pepper, and carrot are often good treats to try. It's sure to make them super happy. To really tell your rabbit you love them, you do need to keep the treats to a minimum though.
Whimpering and thumping (a sharp stomp of the hind feet) are often associated with fear. The final, most worrisome sound a rabbit makes is screaming.
Rabbits are not afraid of the dark in and of itself. If they cannot see and things are happening around them, though, they'll naturally become skittish. An outdoor bunny will smell and hear wild animals. These could be foxes patrolling your yard, neighborhood cats, or owls and bats.
Let her explore you first, and learn that you are not a threat. Give a few small treats as you are getting to know each other. Eating is a social activity for rabbits and eating together builds trust. Small portions of carrot, apple, herbs, or oats are offerings a rabbit will appreciate.
If you care about your rabbit, please don't release her into the wild! One option would be to contact your local shelter to see if they will take your rabbit. Some shelters charge a surrender fee, and some shelters have waiting lists. You should also find out about your local shelter's screening policy.
"Sodium bicarbonate is used as an emetic (to induce vomiting) because it produces tremendous amounts of gas when it hits the acidic stomach. Humans can vomit, but rabbits cannot. So there is the very real risk of stomach rupture if the bunny ingests enough to generate too much for the volume of the stomach.
Compound 1080 is one of the most common poisons used for this purpose. However in some areas it is not suitable to use Compound 1080 as a rabbit control method because of the danger to other animals, particularly domestic dogs and cats. In these areas a poison called pindone can be used.
A homemade mixture made with hot peppers sprayed on your garden plants will repel the rabbits because the peppers contain capsaicin. This chemical is responsible for the spiciness of the peppers, says the National Pesticide Information Center, and it keeps away rabbits without causing damage to your plants.
Most rabbits absolutely hate being held. The experience of having all four feet off the ground and being trapped in someone's arms can make a rabbit really scared. If your primary way of interacting with a rabbit is to pick them up, then they will start to run away from you whenever you come near, to avoid being held.
Plant onions and garlic around the perimeter of your garden to discourage rabbits and deer from entering. Rabbits generally know better than to eat garlic or onions, which can trigger severe anaphylactic reactions, and even deer seem to find these powerfully potent plants less than appealing.