Rabbit fencing

[Jang]

I’m currently growing in a section of meadow kindly lent by our neighbour. It’s main disadvantages have been weeds as expected but also rabbits. About three weeks ago I lifted the netting designed to keep rabbits out of the onion and garlic beds only to find that netting clearly wasn’t adequate. There was a complete rabbit warren cleverly constructed under the bed by burrowing in from one side where the netting had lifted slightly. As well as three or four burrow entrances, the over-wintered Senshyu onions I’d grown from seed had been grazed to the ground and some of the garlic had had a hair-cut.

Earlier in February I found that rabbits had also chewed the mature leeks (caught in the act on my trail camera!) though they had left the shafts mainly intact.
Then the next attack was to strip the stalks of the PSB so that they slowly wilted and drooped.


Drastic action was clearly called for, so the last three days have been ones of intensive activity, constructing 100m of very basic chicken wire fencing. Just a simple gateway to construct now. Although it’s only buried about three inches, I’m hoping that rabbits will at least be put off making the effort to dig underneath. It will be a great relief if it works!

[Galina]

Fingers crossed this is the solution to the problem. Rabbits can be so destructive as we know from a 'visiting' pet rabbit where the owners don't take responsibility.

[Jang]

I hope there can be some solution to your pesky rabbit - or pesky owners more like. It's not so easy to fence a garden boundary where there are probably other things growing - and I imagine you have lots of other priorities.

Do the owners know what damage is being caused by their rabbit?

[Galina]

Know yes, care - not so much. Anyway it seems to have gone and I noticed that the small hutch which housed 3 of them now only houses kid's toys. Guess all the rabbits have escaped and gone. Hope yours got the stay out message and you are rabbit free now. Guess when there are crops growing in the fields, they will lose interest in your garden anyway.

[Silverleaf]

As a rabbit owner this makes me sad and mad in equal parts. Those escaped rabbits are most likely dead now, killed by predators or dogs because they just don’t have the instincts to survive in the wild.

And I hate hutches with a passion if that’s all the poor things have got. It’s like sensory deprivation - rabbits need space to run and things to do.

One of my rabbits either escaped or was dumped, she turned up in my garden and I couldn’t find an owner so they clearly didn’t bother to look for her. She’s such a sweet girl, it’s definitely their loss, but honestly two years later I’m still cross about it. She’s so chill she’d have just let a fox walk right up to her and that would be the end of her. :,(

[Jang]

Very pleased to hear your troubles might be over. Fingers crossed.

And yes, the damage here always seems to be worst in spring when they seem to have a strong urge to create burrows in nice soft earth, in order to produce broods of young. Two years ago a brood of baby rabbits was produced under a brassica bed, and another attempted in the polytunnel. That was when I started to take fencing seriously!