Rabbit Pest Problems: Is Prevention Better Than Cure?

Prevention is always going to be better than getting to grips with a problem once it establishes itself. This applies just as readily to rabbits appearing in your garden as it does to any other pest you might encounter.

Adult rabbits can make a nuisance of themselves during the winter months, especially if they need to resort to eating the bark off trees, since there is little else to eat. When much of Scotland is under snow, the trees represent their only food source.

However, come March and beyond, it’s the baby rabbits that can become a greater nuisance. You shouldn’t be too surprised to see the baby rabbits in your garden from March onwards. Equally, if they do appear, there is a high likelihood of them causing mayhem in your garden. Plants and grass can soon become damaged as they make themselves at home.

Can you prevent them gaining access to your garden?

You can install rabbit-proof fencing to help keep them out. Rabbits won’t just wander into your garden, they will burrow under your lawn and pop out just where you don’t want them to. To avoid this, make sure your fencing or netting is buried at least a foot under the surface of your lawn or garden. This way, if a rabbit burrows under the ground to try and get through, it will come up against the fence and won’t be able to gain access.

In extreme situations, you can install such fencing around the perimeter of your garden. Alternatively, you could simply use it to protect your vegetable plot. Consider how and where to best use it to make sure rabbits don’t cause a problem in your garden.

What if you already have baby rabbits causing problems?

Garden plants and vegetables can easily disappear, seemingly within seconds, when there are baby rabbits in your garden. They do damage to lawns too, scratching and digging once they get access.

The best course of action is to call in the professionals to deal with them. They can be difficult to cope with once they establish themselves, so the sooner you call in the experts, the better. Since rabbits can be problematic throughout the spring and summer months, a problem left untreated will only get worse in the months to come. Fortunately, help is not far away if you’re faced with this issue.