Although rabbits are one of the cutest animals, they too can cause a lot of damage. Having one caged and controlled rabbit doesn’t seem like a bad idea, but having an uncontrollable number around your home is something that you might not want especially if you live in the forest areas.
Rabbits will most definitely come in their numbers if you have crops and food that they love around your home. Research has shown that rabbits are not as destructive as deers and raccoons, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do some harm to your beloved crops.
This article lists a couple of homemade rabbit repellent ideas that will help you drive rabbits away from your yard for good. All the repellents listed in this article will simply drive them away and not kill or cause harm to the rabbits, after all, they are still adorable creatures, but we just don’t want them to destroy our stuff.
Sometimes, you might not see a rabbit in the act, those creatures can be pretty fast when it comes to going into hiding. However, certain signs of rabbit activity are enough to know if you have them around or not.
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Why do rabbits keep coming into my yard?
The reason why you have a rabbit problem might be due to certain factors. One of the most common reasons being food! When there’s nothing left to feed off in the wild, they’ll definitely come searching for food in your precious garden.
If you have carrots planted in your garden, that’s more than enough reason for them to come around. They are also attracted to tall grass and weedy areas which provide the perfect hiding spot while doing their thing. Getting rid of weeds and tall grass in your garden can help reduce the number of rabbits that visit your garden.
Can I kill rabbits in my yard?
Yes, some states in the U.S would permit you to shoot a rabbit. However, before doing this, make sure there are no laws restricting you from doing so. However, I think it is inhumane to kill a rabbit, while some people would agree with me, others won’t, in fact, some people find rabbit meat to be the best.
A better option would be to drive them away and doing this can be frustrating sometimes, because some rabbits are stubborn and would always come back. But, I can guarantee that constantly using the tips below would help fix your rabbit problem, just give it some time.
14 Homemade Rabbit Repellent Ideas
1. Liquid Detergent & Milk Recipe
Here’s the first recipe on our list, I would recommend this for people who have larger gardens. Also, you might need a plant pump sprayer for this. If you can’t get one, feel free to use a regular spray bottle, however, using a small spray bottle might be very stressful.
Supplies
- 1 Gallon of water
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent
- ½ cup of milk
Mix all the ingredients together in a bucket or deep bowl and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spritz the solution on your plants and it should keep the rabbits away.
2. Whole Egg & Water
My sister told me about this recipe, even though I haven’t tried it, she said it works like a charm. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe;
Supplies
- 1 Whole egg
- A quarter cup of water
Thoroughly mix the whole egg and water together, pour the entire mixture into a spray bottle and apply to your plants to repel rabbits. Also, the rain doesn’t affect this recipe much because the whole egg is used.
3. Hot Sauce & Liquid Soap
Hot sauce is one of the many household ingredients that can be used to get rid of rabbits in your garden. When they eventually come to feed off your crops, they’ll have no other choice than to leave it be.
Supples
- Liquid detergent
- One ounce hot sauce
- One quart water
Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle and apply to your crops. It will ward off rabbits and deers too.
4. Rabbit Repel Fencing
This is one of the most basic and easy ways to keep rabbits off your garden. They would only be able to stand on the other side of the fence and watch. The only downside to installing a rabbit repel fence is the cost! If you do not mind spending a couple of bucks to keep your crops safe, then check out the DIY video above, it explains how to build a rabbit repel fence. The process of building is quite easy to follow.
Make sure the fence is installed deep in the ground and is also too high for the rabbits to just cross.
5. DIY Homemade Rabbit Repellent
Using items in your kitchen shelf or pantry, you can ward off annoying rabbits. The best part is, you won’t have to spend too much. Trust me, this homemade rabbit repellent works like magic!
Supplies
- 1 gallon of water
- 7 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon of dish soap
- 1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers
Instructions
- Peel the garlic cloves and place them inside a bowl.
- Add crushed red peppers, dish soap, and water to the bowl.
- Thoroughly mix the contents inside the bowl
- Place the bowl under direct sunlight for a day or two.
- Apply the mixture to plants and crops every five days.
6. Use Mint or Lavender To Form A Barrier
I would strongly recommend this option, placing strong-smelling items at the edges of your garden works wonders. Rabbits have a sharp sense of smell and we can use this to our advantage by planting mint or lavender thereby creating a barrier. You can also use items such as crack eggs, peeled garlic cloves, and chili seeds.
7. Blood Meal
My very good friend Jake gave me this tip, and he said it is what he does to keep the rabbits away from his garden. Rabbits are herbivores and hate the smell of blood meal and crushed bone. Apply this to the edges of your garden and they should go away. As an add-on, you can sprinkle some chili pepper on the blood meal while applying it around the edges of your garden. Wild rabbits wouldn’t come close.
8. Irish Spring Soap
This repellent idea has been said to keep wild rabbits away from gardens. It might take some time to make this homemade rabbit repellent recipe but it’s totally worth it in the end.
Supplies
- Irish spring soap
- Breathable drawstring bag
- Garden stakes
Instructions
- Cut the Irish spring soap into pieces (½ inch)
- Place two to three chunks of the soap inside a drawstring bag.
- Hang the bag on the stakes
- Mount stakes around your garden (5 feet apart)
9. Cayenne Rabbit Repellent
Altering the taste of your plants and crops on the outside is one of the best ways to keep rabbits off them for good. No matter how hungry wild rabbits are, there are some things they won’t eat. The cayenne rabbit repellent is a great way to change the taste of your crops without altering the overall flavor.
Supplies
- Cayenne Powder
- Dishwashing soap
- Tabasco sauce
- Water
Instructions
- Mix the same amount of cayenne powder and tabasco sauce.
- Add a little amount of dishwashing soap.
- Add about a gallon of water.
- Stir the solution and keep under the sun for 2 days
- Pour the mix into a spray bottle and spritz on your plants
10. Linseed Oil
Do you have some linseed oil in your home? If yes, then it is time to put it to use. Combining linseed oil and dish detergent is a working method for repelling rabbits. All you have to do is combine linseed oil and dish detergent together, add some water and the solution is ready for use. Make sure the quantity of linseed oil used is greater than the quantity of water and dish detergent.
11. Commercial Rabbit Repellent
If you do not have the time to create a rabbit repellent, or you simply can’t get your hands on the ingredients used, or maybe you have mixed most of the recipes and they don’t seem to work, you can use commercial rabbit repellent products. However, be sure to pick one that does not have chemicals that might harm your plants.
12. Create A Taste Barrier
Creating a taste barrier is another method of keeping rabbits away. They’ll go away and not come back if they don’t enjoy the taste of your plants. Here are some of the things you can rub or sprinkle on your plants to keep them off;
- Chilli powder
- Egg
- Garlic
- White vinegar (might kill some crops)
13. Build A Trap
If you would rather capture them than send them away, you should consider making a trap. However, if you want to use this method you would need to get rid of all the repellents else the rabbits won’t come. Check out the video, it shows a simple and basic method of trapping rabbits.
14. DIY Garlic Oil Rabbit Repellent
If garlic cloves work, the oil extract from garlic would be even more offensive for the rabbits.
Supplies
- 1 Tablespoon of garlic oil
- ¼ Tablespoon of dish detergent
- Water
- Funnel
- Bowl
- Spray bottle
Instructions
- Mix the garlic oil warm water and dish detergent in a bowl
- Using a funnel, transfer the mix into a spray bottle
- Give the bottle a good shake
- Spray the solution on your plants
Final Words
All the recipes in this article are great in repelling rabbits, however, use them moderately, excess usage can damage your crops or plants. I hope this article helps you to protect your vegetation from rabbits. Thanks for stopping by!
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