Advice

RHS Help & Advice

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Plants affected

Rabbits feed on a very wide range of garden plants. New plantings and soft growth in spring may be eaten, even on plants that are not susceptible at other times. The image shows damaged hosta shoots.

Symptoms

New shoots on herbaceous plants can be grazed down to ground level. Foliage and soft shoots of woody plants can be grazed up to a height of 50cm (20in) by rabbits standing up on their hind legs.

Bark may be gnawed away from the base of trunks, especially in winter when snow or frost makes other vegetation unavailable. This can kill the tree if bark is removed all the way around the trunk. Partly gnawed trunks should be wrapped in black polythene to encourage the damaged area to callus over. Bridge grafting can sometimes save badly damaged trees, for example on apples. Rabbits also dig holes and scrapes in lawns and flower beds.

Damage prevention

Place a wire mesh fence 1.2-1.4m (4-4.5ft) high and 30cm (1ft) below ground level around gardens or flower beds; the bottom 30cm should be angled outwards to deter rabbits from burrowing underneath. The maximum mesh size should be 25-30mm (1in) to prevent young rabbits squeezing through.

For individual plants netting 90cm (3ft) high can be put up, without the need to bury part underground. Wire netting or spiral tree guards can be put around the base of young trees to prevent bark feeding.

An animal repellent, such as Vitax Stay Off or Growing Success Wild Animal Repellent, can be applied to plants. This may not give complete protection, particularly during wet weather or when plants are growing actively. The product called Renardine no longer has approval for use as an animal repellent and is no longer on sale.

It may be possible to discover feeding preferences in the local rabbit population by looking at other nearby gardens. Avoid planting particularly susceptible plants and select those that survive.
List of plants that are less palatable to rabbits

Andrew Halstead