Rabbits and squirrels are delicate nibblers, but this is not to mean they do not cause any considerable damage to your garden.
In any case, these Leporidae will feast on the tender growth on the newly emerging plants during spring and in summer; they will eat on the broad-leaves, fruits, berries, and shoots.
And given that both squirrels and rabbits are masters at camouflage and reproduce quickly, they can quickly destroy your garden.
Though they pose a nuisance, there’re various methods to get rid of rabbits and squirrels from your garden.
And in this article, we shall explore the various means, suggestions, and home remedies available to control the rabbits and squirrels from your garden.
However, understand that your preferred method will depend on your lifestyle, finances, and personal preferences.
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Remove What Attracts Them
There are certain things or rather food elements that are known to attract rabbits and squirrels.
For instance, the sight and smell of fallen nuts, fruits, and seeds are great attractants to the rabbits.
Squirrels, on the other hand, are more inquisitive and daring, and will even rummage through your trash cans.
Therefore, if you are to keep these animals from your garden, you’ll need to ensure that you close the lids to your trash can, clean your environment, and free it from any attractants.
Use a Distraction
Using a distraction will not actually keep rabbits away from your garden, but will divert their interest from your specific crops, flower bed, or veggies.
To distract the rabbits, you’ll need to set up decoy food stations and fill them with treats that squirrels and rabbits love (sunflower seed, peanuts, and feed corn).
The ideal location for the food station should be at an isolated location in your yard, well away from your crops and planting beds. While at it, ensure that include water pit-stop.
A caveat of using this method is that it may well attract other critters when food and water are readily available, and so, you’ll need to carefully weigh on the pro and cons of such a move.
Keeping a Dog in Your Yard
Having a dog patrol your yard is sufficient to keep the rabbits and squirrels away.
Dogs are a natural predator to the rabbits, and so, these creatures would not want to get near your garden if you’ve a dog standing by.
However, similar to the distraction method, you need to factor the expenses and maintenance needed to keep your dog chained in your garden.
Scare Them
If you’re like me, who is not a fan of dogs, having a dog for chasing rabbits can be quite a long call.
The good news is you can purchase vials of their predator’s pee such as those of wolf, dog or tiger, and place them in your garden.The smell of urine from the prey is a sufficient reason to scare away the rabbits.
Another way of scaring these nuances is by using motion-activated sprinklers. Despite their efficiency, we recommend not over-relying on the motion sensors for scaring away the squirrels.
Use Repellent
If you perform a quick online search, you’ll realize that they’re plenty of recipes and commercial products ideal for repelling squirrels and rabbits.
A majority of these repellents feature capsaicin as their primary ingredient.
Whatever product you chose to go with, understand that you might experience varied success, and it’s, therefore, necessary to try different products before putting them off all at once.
Again, some of these repellents are not ideal for human consumption, so don’t spray on the edible plants or rather crops you intend to consume.
Add a Fencing Barrier to Your Plants
Surrounding your young plants with a fence or a collar is a good way to steer away from the rabbits. While at it, ensure that the fence is over 2-3 feet above the ground, and should equally be buried approximately 6 inches to prevent the squirrels from burrowing into your garden.
Now you have a list of the top 7 ways to keep rabbits and squirrels away from your garden. Whatever method you choose to go with, understand that you’ll experience maximum success if you use all the above methods collectively. Don’t expect that a single method will help to get the rabbits away from your life.
Create a Less-Inviting Environment
Rabbits and squirrels are at the lower end of the food chain and hence are preyed by many animals.
For this reason, they love to live in areas that will provide cover from predators.
In most cases, you’ll find them living in brush piles, in tall grasses, and under porches.
Therefore, if you’re to get rid of these animals, your first step would to clean up brush piles, keep the grass mowed and restrict access under structures.
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