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Category: Rabbit

Rabbit evidence of intrusion is mostly based on their love of your garden vegetables and landscaping. In some cases it may be as simple as catching them in the act, however, this may not be the case for all. As many of us have found, if one (1) animal finds your yard and gardens irresistible, so, too, may other hungry animals. Try these tips below to establish if a rabbit is intruding in your yard.

Rabbit Evidence of Intrusion- Tracks

Rabbit tracks are most certainly a sure sign of intrusion. Rear tracks of a cottontail and a jackrabbit are paired together as can be seen in the drawing below. Look for tracks in soft soils like you find in your garden beds, wet dirt, sandy areas or in snow.

 

Rabbit Evidence of Intrusion-Visual

If you want to see for yourself if rabbits are indeed the culprits you’ve been looking for have no fear, you do not have to wake in the middle of night to catch them gnawing on your saplings. Despite the fact that rabbits are nocturnal, they spend most of their feeding time during the hours just after daybreak and just before. Try to view your garden and orchard areas during these hours to see if you can visual observation of rabbits in your yard and gardens.

Rabbit Evidence of Intrusion-Scat

Whatever you prefer to call it, the excrement of rabbits is a sure sign of intrusion. Rabbit scat is more pellet shaped. They are fairly dry, black and small. They are circular or spherical with the actual size depending on the type of rabbit. For instance, jackrabbits are larger animals therefore their scat is larger than cottontail droppings. Look for a scattering of one-half inch sized scat in jackrabbit territories and smaller, one-quarter inch droppings in cottontail habitats.

  

Rabbit Evidence of Intrusion-Gnawing

The most undeniable evidence of intrusion will be on the plants that the rabbits eat. Rabbits gnaw with very large front incisors. They make a clean clip at about a 45 degree angle. Look for this damage close to ground (not to be confused with deer browsing which is normally two (2) feet or so above the ground and jaggedly cut). In areas where snow is prevalent damage may appear higher on the plants.

Look for gnaw marks on younger trees more often than older trees. Tooth marks will run horizontally on younger trees because the animal must turn its head to get into the perfect feeding position.

Rabbit Evidence of Intrusion-Plants not Eaten

Perhaps the best evidence of intrusion of the rabbit is in the plants that they DON’T eat! If you are finding that your beans and lettuce are being chewed up but your cucumbers are not touched, you may have a rabbit problem. Other foods that rabbits will not partake in are arugula, squash, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes and asparagus. You find them nibbling at your daylilies either.

From gnaw marks to leaving your tomato plants untouched while your leaf lettuce has been wiped out, there many ways to determine rabbit evidence of intrusion.