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Posted: 4/20/2015 10:25:36 PM EDT
Building my daughter her first raised vegetable garden and I have a question. I used two 2x10 pressure treated boards for the sides adding up to 19" of height. Is that height alone enough to stop the rabbits? I have steel chicken wire if needed but I'd rather not need to go to that extreme since she will have a hard time tending the garden of her own if I put up the chicken wire (she's just 3). Deer are not a concern right now just rabbits.
Thanks. Update below. They got in despite my efforts. 
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Posted: 4/20/2015 10:46:15 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:
Building my daughter her first raised vegetable garden and I have a question. I used two 2x10 pressure treated boards for the sides adding up to 19" of height. Is that height alone enough to stop the rabbits? I have steel chicken wire if needed but I'd rather not need to go to that extreme since she will have a hard time tending the garden of her own if I put up the chicken wire (she's just 3). Deer are not a concern right now just rabbits. Thanks. No. Unfortunately that will not stop the rabbits. There are a lot of methods for stopping them... One of them that might fit your situation is to use chicken wire and form it into a bottomless "cube"--basically a top and sides--to go over your raised bed. The rabbits can't get through the chicken wire (get it with fairly small openings--not the largest) and it's very light and easy to move. Not to say your little girl can move that on her own, but I"m guessing you will be out there with her while she gardens. Lots of ways to set up a little "attachment" method for each side of the wire "top" to anchor it to the board sides of the raised bed. If this is not clear, let me know and I"ll find some photos. Way better to do this than to whack the bunnies, IMO, because she'll know. Gardening should be fun for her at this age, not spoiled by having to go to war against the cute fuzzies. 
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Posted: 4/20/2015 10:48:09 PM EDT
[#2]
OH, and thank you for your service.
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Posted: 4/20/2015 10:50:02 PM EDT
[#3]
Bird netting has worked for me over the years. MY cedar beds are only 11" and I run bird netting over the tops using post in the corners with a slit in the side for me to get into it. I have never had a problem with pest.
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Posted: 4/20/2015 11:43:21 PM EDT
[#4]
The top too? Shit.
I've used plastic chicken wire before for other barrier needs and the rabbits just chew right through it. I'd just hate to have to explain to her that rabbits ate all of her vegetables. Shes so proud of the sprouts shes grown so far. Crud--I did it again. I edited your post instead of quoting you. I apologize. 
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Posted: 4/20/2015 11:44:33 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Way better to do this than to whack the bunnies, IMO, because she'll know. Gardening should be fun for her at this age, not spoiled by having to go to war against the cute fuzzies. Yeah I'd never be forgiven it it was known I killed Peter Cottontail! |
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Posted: 4/20/2015 11:45:26 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
OH, and thank you for your service. Thanks! Navy dog here... 
<--REMF |
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Posted: 4/21/2015 12:09:44 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The top too? Shit. I've used plastic chicken wire before for other barrier needs and the rabbits just chew right through it. I'd just hate to have to explain to her that rabbits ate all of her vegetables. Shes so proud of the sprouts shes grown so far. Maybe not....my "chicken wire box" is the square foot gardening method of protecting sprouts. You may not need the top, depending on where you are... The top protects against everything...birds, things that climb, etc. If it's just bunnies you're trying to fence out, you may not need that. BUT...Making the "boxes" takes time, and the "top" lends them a bit of structural integrity, so they're a unit you can just pick up, set off the bed, then set back on and fasten down. IN some ways, it's easier. Especially if you think she'll want to garden next year too. These covers are good for more than one year, and take an afternoon to put together. FYI--she can't really build these, because it involves cutting the wire, then wrapping the ends around other wire to hold it together. Sharp and pointy. Three seems a little small to do that (I don't have kids, but still...that seems a tad small). So it'll be all you. |
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Posted: 4/21/2015 2:35:51 PM EDT
[#8]
I need to worry about rabbits too, I got repellant but I'm betting that wont do anything.
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Posted: 4/21/2015 8:15:55 PM EDT
[#9]
I will put this here.
For anybody working with raised beds, the Square Foot Gardening books and site have a lot of good information, even if you aren't using his exact methods. Here's the 4' X 4' wire cage made of chicken wire. cage |
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Posted: 4/21/2015 11:00:30 PM EDT
[#10]
Our little ol' cat regulates, with extreme prejudice--the rabbits, rats, squirrels, and all the other conniver bullshit.
Dogs hammer the coons, possum, and deer. 6920 w/ ezetta or surefire ventilates the rest. I firmly believe Genesis 3: 17 - 19; as well as Genesis 9:1- 3. Take control |
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Posted: 4/21/2015 11:06:59 PM EDT
[#11]
Now that I think about it, there haven't been any rabbits around this year, I wonder if it has to do with the stray cat I've fed and stays around.
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Posted: 4/21/2015 11:08:30 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Our little ol' cat regulates, with extreme prejudice--the rabbits, rats, squirrels, and all the other conniver bullshit. Dogs hammer the coons, possum, and deer. 6920 w/ ezetta or surefire ventilates the rest. I firmly believe Genesis 3: 17 - 19; as well as Genesis 9:1- 3. Take control Did y'all miss that the garden in the OP belongs to a three-year-old girl? 
I'm thinking she won't particularly care what scripture gets quoted to her in these instances. |
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Posted: 4/21/2015 11:21:07 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Did y'all miss that the garden in the OP belongs to a three-year-old girl?
I'm thinking she won't particularly care what scripture gets quoted to her in these instances. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Our little ol' cat regulates, with extreme prejudice--the rabbits, rats, squirrels, and all the other conniver bullshit. Dogs hammer the coons, possum, and deer. 6920 w/ ezetta or surefire ventilates the rest. I firmly believe Genesis 3: 17 - 19; as well as Genesis 9:1- 3. Take control Did y'all miss that the garden in the OP belongs to a three-year-old girl?
I'm thinking she won't particularly care what scripture gets quoted to her in these instances. Maybe not, but she should get them quoted to her, anyway. Perspective beyond Aristotle, at least. It worked with me.
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Posted: 4/21/2015 11:26:20 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Maybe not, but she should get them quoted to her, anyway. Perspective beyond Aristotle, at least. It worked with me. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Our little ol' cat regulates, with extreme prejudice--the rabbits, rats, squirrels, and all the other conniver bullshit. Dogs hammer the coons, possum, and deer. 6920 w/ ezetta or surefire ventilates the rest. I firmly believe Genesis 3: 17 - 19; as well as Genesis 9:1- 3. Take control Did y'all miss that the garden in the OP belongs to a three-year-old girl?
I'm thinking she won't particularly care what scripture gets quoted to her in these instances. Maybe not, but she should get them quoted to her, anyway. Perspective beyond Aristotle, at least. It worked with me. Well, if she were your daughter, you would have say in that. But this is about the OP's daughter, and how to keep bunnies out of her garden so she enjoys it.
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Posted: 4/22/2015 12:15:20 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Building my daughter her first raised vegetable garden and I have a question. I used two 2x10 pressure treated boards for the sides adding up to 19" of height. Is that height alone enough to stop the rabbits? I have steel chicken wire if needed but I'd rather not need to go to that extreme since she will have a hard time tending the garden of her own if I put up the chicken wire (she's just 3). Deer are not a concern right now just rabbits. Thanks. Do you have two of the 10" boards on top of each other? Rabbits can jump but not very high. They could likely get up 19" though. I'd put chicken wire and rig up some kind of door she can open for access. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 5/1/2015 2:55:57 PM EDT
[#16]
Well FML.
I built it and planted with my daughter. The final design was a 19" tall box with 25" chicken wire on all sides. The little fuckers got in anyway. They destroyed about half of her precious little sprouts. I stapled the wire to the vertical support arms and the bottom of the wire to the box edge. The one place I couldn't get the stable gun and air hose was the back that was against the fence. It was still 19" off the ground and <1" from the fence. So they would have to squeeze up that tight space between the fence and box and then slide up under the chicken wire. Can the little sombitches actually do that? The only alternative is that they were able to jump up over a barrier that was effectively 44" high. I'll post pictures later. I stuffed a couple of towels in the un-stapled area and soaked them with water to keep them heavy; hopefully that will last until I can figure out how to secure the bottom edge of the wire.
I know where they live and I have authorized a search and destroy mission. Lethal force has been authorized. They have a nest under my patio that I am going to fill in tonight. I'll put some paving stones over the dirt to make sure they cant dig out. A week should do it I figure. ETA: Don't worry my heart wasn't cold enough to actually do this it was just a statement in frustration. Question 2: Do I level with her and explain that rabbits ate her sprouts (she will be devastated) or do I replace them with store bought sprouts and move along. My gut tells me to make this a teaching moment but I can already see her face.  
So sorry...the damn edit button for me is RIGHT where the quote button used to be. Apologies for editing your post. I am taking it out and putting it in its own post where it belongs. --Kitties
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Posted: 5/1/2015 3:08:36 PM EDT
[#17]
I'd tell my 3 year old what happened, you have to make your own choice. You can then present her the options of what to do about it and let her pick. Good luck with the rabbits. I've been meaning to start something similar in my yard, need to put up a fence first - I've seen everything native in my yard up to and including bear.
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Posted: 5/1/2015 5:23:18 PM EDT
[#18]
With the truth she will understand more about the fencing.
It will also start her on the very long road of always planning to keep what is hers protected and in her possession. I don't know what rabbits can and can't do but after owning a couple pups with a strong hunting drive, from plastic bags to semi trucks they want to run it down, I am impressed with what animals can accomplish if they honestly believe they just need to catch that thing they want. |
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Posted: 5/1/2015 10:28:09 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well FML. I built it and planted with my daughter. The final design was a 19" tall box with 25" chicken wire on all sides. The little fuckers got in anyway. They destroyed about half of her precious little sprouts. I stapled the wire to the vertical support arms and the bottom of the wire to the box edge. The one place I couldn't get the stable gun and air hose was the back that was against the fence. It was still 19" off the ground and <1" from the fence. So they would have to squeeze up that tight space between the fence and box and then slide up under the chicken wire. Can the little sombitches actually do that? The only alternative is that they were able to jump up over a barrier that was effectively 44" high. I'll post pictures later. I stuffed a couple of towels in the un-stapled area and soaked them with water to keep them heavy; hopefully that will last until I can figure out how to secure the bottom edge of the wire.
I know where they live and I have authorized a search and destroy mission. Lethal force has been authorized. They have a nest under my patio that I am going to fill in tonight. I'll put some paving stones over the dirt to make sure they cant dig out. A week should do it I figure. Question 2: Do I level with her and explain that rabbits ate her sprouts (she will be devastated) or do I replace them with store bought sprouts and move along. My gut tells me to make this a teaching moment but I can already see her face.
So sorry...the damn edit button for me is RIGHT where the quote button used to be. Apologies for editing your post. I am taking it out and putting it in its own post where it belongs. --KittiesOkay here's what I meant to type in answer...and instead edited your post.
Yes, they are like mice and can get through much smaller holes/spaces than you think. I would tell her. Rabbits eat plants. We want the plants. Sometimes we have to do away with the rabbits to keep our plants. Same as the pretty hawks and owls also catch rabbits as food, sometimes we do too. It is the way nature works. Some animals eat other animals, some animals eat plants, etc. Because lying to her likely will not end well in the long run. But ...why not just shoot the rabbits? Letting them die trapped in their holes...I don't get that. So...don't let her know you're doing that. No little girl's soul can take that without suffering. Hell...it bothers me. But I'm not your problem. So don't tell her you're doing that. |
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Posted: 5/1/2015 11:22:36 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Okay here's what I meant to type in answer...and instead edited your post.
Yes, they are like mice and can get through much smaller holes/spaces than you think. I would tell her. Rabbits eat plants. We want the plants. Sometimes we have to do away with the rabbits to keep our plants. Same as the pretty hawks and owls also catch rabbits as food, sometimes we do too. It is the way nature works. Some animals eat other animals, some animals eat plants, etc. Because lying to her likely will not end well in the long run. But ...why not just shoot the rabbits? Letting them die trapped in their holes...I don't get that. So...don't let her know you're doing that. No little girl's soul can take that without suffering. Hell...it bothers me. But I'm not your problem. So don't tell her you're doing that. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Well FML. I built it and planted with my daughter. The final design was a 19" tall box with 25" chicken wire on all sides. The little fuckers got in anyway. They destroyed about half of her precious little sprouts. I stapled the wire to the vertical support arms and the bottom of the wire to the box edge. The one place I couldn't get the stable gun and air hose was the back that was against the fence. It was still 19" off the ground and <1" from the fence. So they would have to squeeze up that tight space between the fence and box and then slide up under the chicken wire. Can the little sombitches actually do that? The only alternative is that they were able to jump up over a barrier that was effectively 44" high. I'll post pictures later. I stuffed a couple of towels in the un-stapled area and soaked them with water to keep them heavy; hopefully that will last until I can figure out how to secure the bottom edge of the wire.
I know where they live and I have authorized a search and destroy mission. Lethal force has been authorized. They have a nest under my patio that I am going to fill in tonight. I'll put some paving stones over the dirt to make sure they cant dig out. A week should do it I figure. Question 2: Do I level with her and explain that rabbits ate her sprouts (she will be devastated) or do I replace them with store bought sprouts and move along. My gut tells me to make this a teaching moment but I can already see her face.
So sorry...the damn edit button for me is RIGHT where the quote button used to be. Apologies for editing your post. I am taking it out and putting it in its own post where it belongs. --KittiesOkay here's what I meant to type in answer...and instead edited your post.
Yes, they are like mice and can get through much smaller holes/spaces than you think. I would tell her. Rabbits eat plants. We want the plants. Sometimes we have to do away with the rabbits to keep our plants. Same as the pretty hawks and owls also catch rabbits as food, sometimes we do too. It is the way nature works. Some animals eat other animals, some animals eat plants, etc. Because lying to her likely will not end well in the long run. But ...why not just shoot the rabbits? Letting them die trapped in their holes...I don't get that. So...don't let her know you're doing that. No little girl's soul can take that without suffering. Hell...it bothers me. But I'm not your problem. So don't tell her you're doing that. Yeah the wife and I have pretty much decided to go with this. This is just how nature works and we have to put up a better fence if we want our vegetables to be safe. Oh and don't worry about me covering up the holes I decided my heart wasn't that cold. It was a statement in pure frustration. I don't know what I'll do though, shooting isn't an option since I live in the burbs right now (admittedly on the edge of the country and burbs). I'm not a hunter though either and the only animal I've ever killer is a pheasant roster that flew in front of my truck.
I think what I'd really like to do is wait until the spring nesting season is passed and they've moved out of the nest before I cover it up and encourage them to build next years nest somewhere else. Will the nest ever be unoccupied later in the summer and before they hibernate? Dammit, I did it again. Grrrr... I'm sorry.~~Kitties |
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Posted: 5/1/2015 11:43:17 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yeah the wife and I have pretty much decided to go with this. This is just how nature works and we have to put up a better fence if we want our vegetables to be safe. Oh and don't worry about me covering up the holes I decided my heart wasn't that cold. It was a statement in pure frustration. I don't know what I'll do though, shooting isn't an option since I live in the burbs right now (admittedly on the edge of the country and burbs). I'm not a hunter though either and the only animal I've ever killer is a pheasant roster that flew in front of my truck.
I think what I'd really like to do is wait until the spring nesting season is passed and they've moved out of the nest before I cover it up and encourage them to build next years nest somewhere else. Will the nest ever be unoccupied later in the summer and before they hibernate? Dammit, I did it again. Grrrr... I'm sorry.~~Kitties Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Well FML. I built it and planted with my daughter. The final design was a 19" tall box with 25" chicken wire on all sides. The little fuckers got in anyway. They destroyed about half of her precious little sprouts. I stapled the wire to the vertical support arms and the bottom of the wire to the box edge. The one place I couldn't get the stable gun and air hose was the back that was against the fence. It was still 19" off the ground and <1" from the fence. So they would have to squeeze up that tight space between the fence and box and then slide up under the chicken wire. Can the little sombitches actually do that? The only alternative is that they were able to jump up over a barrier that was effectively 44" high. I'll post pictures later. I stuffed a couple of towels in the un-stapled area and soaked them with water to keep them heavy; hopefully that will last until I can figure out how to secure the bottom edge of the wire.
I know where they live and I have authorized a search and destroy mission. Lethal force has been authorized. They have a nest under my patio that I am going to fill in tonight. I'll put some paving stones over the dirt to make sure they cant dig out. A week should do it I figure. Question 2: Do I level with her and explain that rabbits ate her sprouts (she will be devastated) or do I replace them with store bought sprouts and move along. My gut tells me to make this a teaching moment but I can already see her face.
So sorry...the damn edit button for me is RIGHT where the quote button used to be. Apologies for editing your post. I am taking it out and putting it in its own post where it belongs. --KittiesOkay here's what I meant to type in answer...and instead edited your post.
Yes, they are like mice and can get through much smaller holes/spaces than you think. I would tell her. Rabbits eat plants. We want the plants. Sometimes we have to do away with the rabbits to keep our plants. Same as the pretty hawks and owls also catch rabbits as food, sometimes we do too. It is the way nature works. Some animals eat other animals, some animals eat plants, etc. Because lying to her likely will not end well in the long run. But ...why not just shoot the rabbits? Letting them die trapped in their holes...I don't get that. So...don't let her know you're doing that. No little girl's soul can take that without suffering. Hell...it bothers me. But I'm not your problem. So don't tell her you're doing that. Yeah the wife and I have pretty much decided to go with this. This is just how nature works and we have to put up a better fence if we want our vegetables to be safe. Oh and don't worry about me covering up the holes I decided my heart wasn't that cold. It was a statement in pure frustration. I don't know what I'll do though, shooting isn't an option since I live in the burbs right now (admittedly on the edge of the country and burbs). I'm not a hunter though either and the only animal I've ever killer is a pheasant roster that flew in front of my truck.
I think what I'd really like to do is wait until the spring nesting season is passed and they've moved out of the nest before I cover it up and encourage them to build next years nest somewhere else. Will the nest ever be unoccupied later in the summer and before they hibernate? Dammit, I did it again. Grrrr... I'm sorry.~~Kitties Yes, but not for long. If you watch it until you see the little ones out and about, you could fill it then. But mama will just find another spot to build her nest. Learning to fence them out is the only non-violent way. Don't be discouraged. Mr. McGregor might be the most famous of the farmers who were frustrated with rabbits, but he's not the only one. There's a learning curve. Same with keeping chickens. Predators are good at their jobs, same as rabbits. You can win the war without whacking the rabbits if you want to go that way, but most first-time gardeners underestimate rabbits, deer, and groundhogs. |
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Posted: 5/2/2015 3:18:21 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yes, but not for long. If you watch it until you see the little ones out and about, you could fill it then. But mama will just find another spot to build her nest. Learning to fence them out is the only non-violent way. Don't be discouraged. Mr. McGregor might be the most famous of the farmers who were frustrated with rabbits, but he's not the only one. There's a learning curve. Same with keeping chickens. Predators are good at their jobs, same as rabbits. You can win the war without whacking the rabbits if you want to go that way, but most first-time gardeners underestimate rabbits, deer, and groundhogs. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Well FML. I built it and planted with my daughter. The final design was a 19" tall box with 25" chicken wire on all sides. The little fuckers got in anyway. They destroyed about half of her precious little sprouts. I stapled the wire to the vertical support arms and the bottom of the wire to the box edge. The one place I couldn't get the stable gun and air hose was the back that was against the fence. It was still 19" off the ground and <1" from the fence. So they would have to squeeze up that tight space between the fence and box and then slide up under the chicken wire. Can the little sombitches actually do that? The only alternative is that they were able to jump up over a barrier that was effectively 44" high. I'll post pictures later. I stuffed a couple of towels in the un-stapled area and soaked them with water to keep them heavy; hopefully that will last until I can figure out how to secure the bottom edge of the wire.
I know where they live and I have authorized a search and destroy mission. Lethal force has been authorized. They have a nest under my patio that I am going to fill in tonight. I'll put some paving stones over the dirt to make sure they cant dig out. A week should do it I figure. Question 2: Do I level with her and explain that rabbits ate her sprouts (she will be devastated) or do I replace them with store bought sprouts and move along. My gut tells me to make this a teaching moment but I can already see her face.
So sorry...the damn edit button for me is RIGHT where the quote button used to be. Apologies for editing your post. I am taking it out and putting it in its own post where it belongs. --KittiesOkay here's what I meant to type in answer...and instead edited your post.
Yes, they are like mice and can get through much smaller holes/spaces than you think. I would tell her. Rabbits eat plants. We want the plants. Sometimes we have to do away with the rabbits to keep our plants. Same as the pretty hawks and owls also catch rabbits as food, sometimes we do too. It is the way nature works. Some animals eat other animals, some animals eat plants, etc. Because lying to her likely will not end well in the long run. But ...why not just shoot the rabbits? Letting them die trapped in their holes...I don't get that. So...don't let her know you're doing that. No little girl's soul can take that without suffering. Hell...it bothers me. But I'm not your problem. So don't tell her you're doing that. Yeah the wife and I have pretty much decided to go with this. This is just how nature works and we have to put up a better fence if we want our vegetables to be safe. Oh and don't worry about me covering up the holes I decided my heart wasn't that cold. It was a statement in pure frustration. I don't know what I'll do though, shooting isn't an option since I live in the burbs right now (admittedly on the edge of the country and burbs). I'm not a hunter though either and the only animal I've ever killer is a pheasant roster that flew in front of my truck.
I think what I'd really like to do is wait until the spring nesting season is passed and they've moved out of the nest before I cover it up and encourage them to build next years nest somewhere else. Will the nest ever be unoccupied later in the summer and before they hibernate? Dammit, I did it again. Grrrr... I'm sorry.~~Kitties Yes, but not for long. If you watch it until you see the little ones out and about, you could fill it then. But mama will just find another spot to build her nest. Learning to fence them out is the only non-violent way. Don't be discouraged. Mr. McGregor might be the most famous of the farmers who were frustrated with rabbits, but he's not the only one. There's a learning curve. Same with keeping chickens. Predators are good at their jobs, same as rabbits. You can win the war without whacking the rabbits if you want to go that way, but most first-time gardeners underestimate rabbits, deer, and groundhogs. I'm going to try and go the non-violent route if possible. I have two dogs running around there all the time you would have thought that just the presence of the dogs would be enough to get them to move out. Each year my smaller dog (~35lbs?) who is a small German short haired pointer kills at least two or three of the juveniles each year along with any young birds learning to fly despite my best efforts. My other dog (black lab) is too slow to catch them so I let her out first to give the rabbits a head start. 
I leveled with my kid this morning, she was surprisingly accepting of it especially when I showed her the new seeds I bought. I've asked her to keep a sharp eye out for bunnies and shes posted herself at the window or by her garden when shes outside. |
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Posted: 5/2/2015 7:32:57 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm going to try and go the non-violent route if possible. I have two dogs running around there all the time you would have thought that just the presence of the dogs would be enough to get them to move out. Each year my smaller dog (~35lbs?) who is a small German short haired pointer kills at least two or three of the juveniles each year along with any young birds learning to fly despite my best efforts. My other dog (black lab) is too slow to catch them so I let her out first to give the rabbits a head start.
I leveled with my kid this morning, she was surprisingly accepting of it especially when I showed her the new seeds I bought. I've asked her to keep a sharp eye out for bunnies and shes posted herself at the window or by her garden when shes outside. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Quoted:
Quoted:
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Well FML. I built it and planted with my daughter. The final design was a 19" tall box with 25" chicken wire on all sides. The little fuckers got in anyway. They destroyed about half of her precious little sprouts. I stapled the wire to the vertical support arms and the bottom of the wire to the box edge. The one place I couldn't get the stable gun and air hose was the back that was against the fence. It was still 19" off the ground and <1" from the fence. So they would have to squeeze up that tight space between the fence and box and then slide up under the chicken wire. Can the little sombitches actually do that? The only alternative is that they were able to jump up over a barrier that was effectively 44" high. I'll post pictures later. I stuffed a couple of towels in the un-stapled area and soaked them with water to keep them heavy; hopefully that will last until I can figure out how to secure the bottom edge of the wire.
I know where they live and I have authorized a search and destroy mission. Lethal force has been authorized. They have a nest under my patio that I am going to fill in tonight. I'll put some paving stones over the dirt to make sure they cant dig out. A week should do it I figure. Question 2: Do I level with her and explain that rabbits ate her sprouts (she will be devastated) or do I replace them with store bought sprouts and move along. My gut tells me to make this a teaching moment but I can already see her face.
So sorry...the damn edit button for me is RIGHT where the quote button used to be. Apologies for editing your post. I am taking it out and putting it in its own post where it belongs. --KittiesOkay here's what I meant to type in answer...and instead edited your post.
Yes, they are like mice and can get through much smaller holes/spaces than you think. I would tell her. Rabbits eat plants. We want the plants. Sometimes we have to do away with the rabbits to keep our plants. Same as the pretty hawks and owls also catch rabbits as food, sometimes we do too. It is the way nature works. Some animals eat other animals, some animals eat plants, etc. Because lying to her likely will not end well in the long run. But ...why not just shoot the rabbits? Letting them die trapped in their holes...I don't get that. So...don't let her know you're doing that. No little girl's soul can take that without suffering. Hell...it bothers me. But I'm not your problem. So don't tell her you're doing that. Yeah the wife and I have pretty much decided to go with this. This is just how nature works and we have to put up a better fence if we want our vegetables to be safe. Oh and don't worry about me covering up the holes I decided my heart wasn't that cold. It was a statement in pure frustration. I don't know what I'll do though, shooting isn't an option since I live in the burbs right now (admittedly on the edge of the country and burbs). I'm not a hunter though either and the only animal I've ever killer is a pheasant roster that flew in front of my truck.
I think what I'd really like to do is wait until the spring nesting season is passed and they've moved out of the nest before I cover it up and encourage them to build next years nest somewhere else. Will the nest ever be unoccupied later in the summer and before they hibernate? Dammit, I did it again. Grrrr... I'm sorry.~~Kitties Yes, but not for long. If you watch it until you see the little ones out and about, you could fill it then. But mama will just find another spot to build her nest. Learning to fence them out is the only non-violent way. Don't be discouraged. Mr. McGregor might be the most famous of the farmers who were frustrated with rabbits, but he's not the only one. There's a learning curve. Same with keeping chickens. Predators are good at their jobs, same as rabbits. You can win the war without whacking the rabbits if you want to go that way, but most first-time gardeners underestimate rabbits, deer, and groundhogs. I'm going to try and go the non-violent route if possible. I have two dogs running around there all the time you would have thought that just the presence of the dogs would be enough to get them to move out. Each year my smaller dog (~35lbs?) who is a small German short haired pointer kills at least two or three of the juveniles each year along with any young birds learning to fly despite my best efforts. My other dog (black lab) is too slow to catch them so I let her out first to give the rabbits a head start.
I leveled with my kid this morning, she was surprisingly accepting of it especially when I showed her the new seeds I bought. I've asked her to keep a sharp eye out for bunnies and shes posted herself at the window or by her garden when shes outside. Really glad she's okay with it. Especially now that she's seen you trying hard to make it work, if the time comes that you have to thin the bunny population, she'll at least understand why. I grew up eating game my dad hunted, and a rifle was the way we got rid of the issues most of the time, but if a kid doesn't grow up that way, it's a lot harder to find that line to walk to help them appreciate nature and still understand that it's a tough world out there. Can I just say, I admire you for caring enough to spend the time, both with the garden and with figuring out the right approach for you and her. 
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Posted: 5/3/2015 7:45:56 PM EDT
[#24]
Have you considered a Scarecrow sprinkler? I don't know if it is effective for rabbits, but it's awesome for deer.
Good on ya' - it's a lot of fun to see your little ones munching on stuff they helped plant and pick themselves. |
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Posted: 5/3/2015 9:19:07 PM EDT
[#25]
I am having good luck with Fox urine keeping rodents, coons, cats etc. from getting to my gardens. I just put a few drops into a small cap at two locations every several days. A 16oz. bottle will probably last several years. YMMV...
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