Types of rabbit repellents and do they work?

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Rabbit repellents are a popular choice among homeowners who don’t want to resort to lethal methods in order to get an infestation under control. The bunnies don’t actually harass you or your pets/kids directly, of course, choosing to scurry and hop away whenever anything gets too close. The damage they leave behind to trees, shrubs and plant life, on the other hand, is very obvious and easily seen. When numbers of these animals get high enough, they have the potential to do some very serious damage to wide crop yields.



As much as repellents are a more humane approach to the wildlife problem, it’s not always the best approach. There are certain plants that you can use, for example, that are said to be displeasing to the rabbit. If the plants they DO attack is hidden in among plenty of plants that they don’t like, there is less chance of them wading through the bad stuff to get to the one good bit in the middle. However, if food is scarce, such as during the winter periods, there is practically no plant life safe from rabbit munch-out.

Plants that are said to be “rabbit resistant” include:
- Snapdragons
- Lobelia
- Marigolds
- Calendula
- Hardy geranium
- Wild ginger
- Starflower
- Chives
- Rosemary
- Lavender
- Sage
- Mint
- Honeysuckle
- Heather
- Wild strawberries
- Iris
- Daffodils
- Gladioli

Planting these could keep the rabbits away, but it's not a method that works every time. As we've said, when food is scarce, rabbits will turn to the foods they don't like. They will do that in order to survive.

We wouldn't usually recommend using rabbit repellents in a bid to get of them. They rarely work. You also don't actually solve the problem itself when you rely on repellents and deterrents alone, and this goes across the board — with all wild animals.

The holes and burrows are still there, so they could still cause structural problems with roads or buildings that are built over them. Other animals could very easily move into the old burrows, thus creating even more problems.

Read about How to Get Rid of Rabbits.
For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How To Guide: Who should I hire? - What questions to ask, to look for, who NOT to hire.
How To Guide: do it yourself! - Advice on saving money by doing wildlife removal yourself.
Guide: How much does wildlife removal cost? - Analysis of wildlife control prices.