Advice for Saratoga Residents: How to Deter Rabbits

SARATOGA, CA -- Due to the city's semi-rural location in the foothills, residents and wildlife coexist in some areas of Saratoga. This means that some furry creatures can wind up becoming nuisances, as evidenced by occasional reports of yards and gardens damaged by rabbits.

To deter wild bunnies from your property, here are a few tips on how to make your yard less rabbit-friendly.

• Habitat management: Control vegetation and remove brambles, brush, stones, or other debris where rabbits can hide. Construct a mesh barrier around the bottom of buildings on even slightly raised platforms. Install drought-tolerant landscaping that is less appealing to rabbits.
• Physical exclusion: Buy rabbit guard fencing or make your own using stakes to install chicken wire that is 48 inches tall with mesh openings no larger than one inch. Bury the bottom of the fencing at least six to 10 inches underground and bend the bottom outward to deter rabbits from digging underneath. This approach can be effective when used around your entire property or only sensitive areas of your property, such as gardens.
• Protect individual plants: Buy commercial trunk protectors or build your own using chicken wire with the same dimensions mentioned before. Cut the chicken wire into strips 18 to 20 inches long. Form the strips into cylinders and bury the bottom two to three inches underground around the trunks of young trees, shrubs, or vines.
• Repellent: Chemical repellents can be applied to trees, vines, or ornamentals to create an unpleasant odor, taste, or stickiness. They must be reapplied frequently, especially after rain or watering. Be sure to read labels and warnings to determine if repellents are safe for humans and other animals.
• Trapping: Trapping can be effective when performed by professional pest control companies, but we do not recommend homeowners trap rabbits themselves. Rabbits can carry diseases, so handling rabbits after trapping poses the risk of disease transmission. Permits or licenses to trap may be required and restrictions on trapping may apply. Check with the local Game Warden or the California Fish and Game code for further details.
• Other Prevention/Control Methods: Encase plastic irrigation lines -- especially small tubes -- in ¾-inch PVC pipe. Consider fencing around gardens and new plantings before damage occurs. The presence of dogs or cats within the area may also be a deterrent. Generally, frightening devices have been found not to be effective.

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