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Rabbits

updated Feb 20, 2009 by Nick Thorp

Topic editor

Nick Thorp
Lead author: Deborah Lyon

Species

The three most prevalent species of rabbit in Washington are Nuttall's cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii), Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), and Domestic rabbit/European Rabbit/Belgian Hare (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Washington is also home to three species of hares: the snowshoe hare and two others, called "jackrabbits."

Host/Site

Rabbits can live and thrive in a variety of areas including forests, suburban zones, and urban zones. They live in dens together called warrens which are generally located in areas with lots of brush and places they can hide. Their dens are commonly found close to gardens due to the easy access to their food source.

Identification

Appearance
Rabbits and hares have distinctively long ears, up to 4 inches long. Their soft fur may be shades of gray, tan, and brown. Their small tail fur puff may be brown or white in cottontails.


Photo by Jo-Ann Ordano, Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife


Indicators
Evidence of rabbits' destruction may be seen year round. With their characteristic incisors, rabbits will cleanly clip off branches, bud heads and shoots at a distinctive 45° slant. Look for damage to young plant matter such as tulips, garden vegetables, herbs, tree and berry crops, ornamental plantings (trees, shrubs, flowers), and grass. During the winter, rabbits will gnaw away at the bark on young trees and bushes in an effort to get at the tender green layers underneath. Damage caused by rabbits generally occurs within 2 feet off the ground, although they can walk on snow cover so damage may be higher up in the winter. Plastic irrigation lines may also be gnawed and cut by rabbits.

Damage from rabbits may be confused with deer damage. Generally speaking, you can differentiate by looking at how high off the ground the damage is. Deer browsing occurs higher than 2 feet off the ground. Deer will also gnaw at branches with their teeth, whereas rabbits will clip off branches and buds at a neat angle.


Drawing by Jenifer Rees, Washington State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife


Life Cycle

Female rabbits begin breeding in February and will continue to do so until late summer, giving birth to several litters throughout that period. They will remain in their burrow for five weeks before coming outside to feed on their own. Rabbits in the wild generally live 1-2 years.

Natural Enemies

Natural predators include hawks, owls, stoats, foxes, coyotes, skunks, badgers, lynx, wolves, buzzards, bobcats, mink, long-tailed weasels, and gopher snakes. In urban and suburban settings, the rabbit's biggest enemies are dogs and cats, though rabbits in these locations usually maintain their population in spite of these threats.

Monitoring

Monitoring for the presence of rabbits can be done by looking for their feces, which appear as small round balls, normally dark brown to black in color, between 1/4-1/2 inch in diameter. You can also look for evidence of their presence by looking at damage or gnawing of branches in your yard and garden. See the Indicators section.

Action Threshold

The action threshold for rabbits varies on the garden, owner, and value of plants. If the rabbits are not harming your garden or your valuable plants then their presence may be tolerated. On the other hand if rabbits are attacking and destroying cash crops or valuable plants tolerance will drop dramatically. It is generally at the discretion of the owner.

Physical/Mechanical Controls

Rabbits are curious and may figure out how to get around a bad smell barrier or how to get under your fence. Controlling rabbits in your garden requires combining several approaches and seeing what works.

A fence is the most efficient way to protect against rabbit damage. A 2-3 foot tall fence constructed around the perimeter of the planting area or around the base of a tree should assist in preventing rabbit entry and damage. Construct the fence with 1 inch mesh chicken wire and support with sturdy stakes or posts every 4 to 6 feet. If there is an existing fence, you can augment it by attaching chicken wire to the lower 2-3 feet. If deep snow is common, the fence height will need to be adjusted accordingly in order to exclude rabbits during winter. It is important to bury and stake the bottom of the fence 6 inches in to the ground to prevent underground tunneling.

There are plants that rabbits will not eat. A best approach is to put a fence around your garden and plant less palatable species elsewhere, which will make your yard less attractive to rabbits overall. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website contains a table displaying the flowers, herbs, covers, and shrubs that are generally avoided by rabbits.

Visit the table.

Biological Controls

People commonly introduce their outdoor cat into rabbit infested areas to serve as a defender for their garden.

Chemical Controls

There is one product called Plantskydd which is a certified organic repellant for deer, elk, moose, and rabbits. The product is sprayed onto the plants in danger of being chewed on. The spray emits an odor that animals associate with predators, causing them to flee before feeding on the plants.

References

Link, Russell. Living with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007. 15 Oct 2008.
< http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/rabbits.htm>.

"Rabbits Management Guidelines." 2004. The University of California Statewide IPM Program. 10 Aug 2008.
<http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7447.html>.

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