This means WAR!

Holy Crap (pardon my french)! I got quite the shock in the garden today! I happened to notice that a couple of my potato stems were looking a bit wilty... well, I thought this was a bit strange, but when I pulled the plants aside to investigate, look at what I found...



(yes, yes, I know, I know! My potatoes NEED to be backfilled... they are BEGGING to be backfilled, and I plan on making the risers and mix and backfilling today when DH gets home from work.)

This is the new hole I just discovered today... I covered the OTHER HOLE with a brick a couple of days ago, so the dang rabbits just made a new hole, which is now covered, but obviously I need to do something much more substantial and permanent! Apparently, not only am I an all-you-can-eat salad bar, I'm also a bunny-boarding-house!



I put on some gloves and cleaned out the nest... didn't find any baby bunnies (THANK GOODNESS!!! ). All I have to say is this....

THIS MEANS WAR!!!

awe heck. can you replace with wire fencing instead?

what else have you tried?

I know the pain *cringe*

I know how you feel... I lost all my broccoli to rabbits. My lady friend said that she saw 7 little thiefs at one time near the garden. They haven't breached my fence yet, but it looks like a lighter guage plastic than yours. so it's probably a matter of time until they do.

Anybody have a good recipe for rabbit and onion stew?

Not having seen a rabbits nest before, it took me a moment to figure out what you were talking about. I thought you just had a big weed growing.

I am very sorry you are battling with the bunnies. Was the fence they ate through made of coated wire or just plastic? I thought that poultry netting would keep them out. Can rabbits chew through chicken wire. If not, maybe you need a stronger fence system around the garden.

Now you have me worried. Although I have never yet seen a rabbit in my yard, I am concerned that ones
from the wild part of our yard may be able to squeeze through the chain
link fence. Can they fit through chain link? Would they climb into my 11" high beds?

Shoda wrote:
Now you have me worried. Although I have never yet seen a rabbit in my yard, I am concerned that ones
from the wild part of our yard may be able to squeeze through the chain
link fence. Can they fit through chain link? Would they climb into my 11" high beds?

The juveniles might come through a chain link fence, but the adults won't -- they'll just burrow under it. No, they won't climb your 11" sides, they will hop over them. (sorry, couldn't resist)

Hop... yes, got it! They are bunnies aren't they!

Will they chew through poultry netting?

OH NO! We have all become the mean ol' farmer in Peter Rabbit?

Bummer.

Yes, I know what you mean about the darling "bunnies".

I found "baby bunnies" living in my wave petunias in my front lawn - at the time cute..but now not!

Today found at least 2 in my pumpkin garden next to my SFG garden!

Talk about WAR!

Luckily I had my water hose in hand and squirted them away. This part of the yard is not fenced in (side of house). Other than standing there day/night with the water hose, I need ideas.

Any suggestions?

Tks.

Happy Gardening Everyone (except for the bunnies!)....

sounds like a fence is in order now. I don't know how you keep bunnies out otherwise.

Bonnie

I had several gardens wrapped with netting and didn't even see the slits they made to get in. I would just come out to fewer plants each day. I finally broke down and made box covers with chicken wire. That seemed to stop them. The wire and of course my dog found a nest - in my hop garden. I think the reason they breed like rabbits is because they aren't very smart, and lose a lot of offspring to various rabbit blunders or pillagers as is my case.

The nests aren't to difficult to find. poke around your yard and look for small areas that look like you left a little bit of cut grass lying on your lawn. They don't care what part of the lawn. Also if you see an adult around dusk and dawn sitting nibbling on your grass, it is possible that it is sitting just over the nest and actually visiting the young ones.
The nest starts of very, very small and as the bunnies grow it is excavated a little deeper. Always just deep enough to keep their ears just below grass level. If you find or disturb a nest, they are actually ready to be on their own when they are the size of an adults fist - still pretty small. But be warned, letting them hang around because they are cute could be a big mistake - read on about their reproductive rates OUCH!!!

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit

Rabbits have a very fast reproductive rate. The breeding season for most
rabbits lasts 9 months, from February to October. Normal gestation is
about 30 days. The average size of the litter varies but is usually
between 4 and 12 babies, with larger breeds having larger litters. A kit
(baby rabbit) can be weaned at about 4 to 5 weeks of age. This means in
one season a single female rabbit can produce as many as 800 children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

I have to laugh at this because every time I let my dogs out in my yard I tell them to get that rabbit. Well yesterday they got one. My German Shepherd was carrying what looked like a stuffed toy around in her mouth. She was very gentle with it but would not let me or the other dog close enough to take it. I finally convinced her to drop it before she could come in the house. Then I was able to dispose of it. That's one down! They still have not done as much damage as the rats we had in the garden last year.

My neighbor said when she had chicken wire up around her garden she actually saw them squeeze through the tiny holes in the chicken wire

Have you tried liberally sprinkling Cayenne Pepper all over everything?? Knock on wood that is so far keeping the squirrels out of my garden. I buy it in the big canisters at Sam's Club. Evidently cats don't like it either..