Rabbits!

Please could somebody help/advise? In our new raised bed at the front, approx 2ft high, we had something digging in it. We have soil, weedproof membrane and green slate over the top. We have planted mahonias and hostas (it's north facing). We cut an X shape in the weedproof to plant them. A rabbit (we assume, but the security light has been set off at night and we've spied him) has now started to burrow into this bed. Amazingly he found one of the gaps in the weedproof where we planted the hosta (which has now gone). Yesterday I spent a couple of hourse laying chicken wire down and this morning the cheeky little thing has chewed through the wire and has commenced his burrowing, in exactly the same spot! Should I put the chicken wire around as a fence rather than putting it flat on the ground? Any other suggestions would be welcomed. Thank you.

 

Sorry, meant to attach an image.

 

Our whole garden is surrounded by rabbit proof fence. A few get in each year, sometimes they just chew a hole straight through the chicken wire (its actually Rabbit wire ... bit smaller holes than for Chickens)

Very frustrating.

Colditz machine gun emplacement maybe?

 

Sprinkle some Jeyes fluid in the area, that might help to deter him.

 

Sorry. I mustn't comment.

 

Are you sure it is the rabbit who is doing the damage? Apparently bunnies don't like the smell of black pepper and white vinegar, so they may possibly help as a deterrent. You could grow something the buns like to eat more than the hostas . I get wildies in the garden occasionally - 8 babies last year , adorable - but I don't mind what they eat. Things that move and make noises around the plants may discourage buns maybe, like, tin cans tied to wire with stones in, anything that makes loud noises and moves around a lot. Even something like flashing lights and a radio might work. The scent of a fox or stoat would likely deter them but don't know how you could procure such scents . Please remember the bunny doesn't know he/she is not supposed to eat your plants, it's not done with any malice afore thought, he's just trying to make a living like everyone else. The gaps in the chicken wire are too large, rabbits can push their faces through enough to nibble things in reach. You could try overlapping several pieces of chicken wire so the gaps are much smaller. You can also buy rigid wire panels which bun would struggle to chew through. Even something like a indoor pet cage could work, something with narrow bar spacing suitable for baby rats or hamsters, etc. I would make a fence around the plants with a top rather than laying flat.

 

:bigthumb:With you on this @luciusmaximus

 

Forgot to say its a good idea to sink any fencing/ barrier into the ground as far as possible without affecting plant growth to discourage digging. Also a line or two of bricks/ tiles laid around the inside and outside will also help with deterring digging. Bunnies can be amazing diggers.

 

Bunnies don't like the smell of ferrets either.

 

As an alternative mine has the netting at the bottom bent out at the bottom and laid on the grass (on the outside) until it grew through. I have never had one burrow in, but they do come right up to the fence and have a go there.

 

I'll tempt fate and say I've not had a problem with those recently, but mole hills appeared in the two fields that meet my back and side boundaries over the winter. If they stay there I'll ignore their existence.