rabbit poop

[Lynne A]

We have a lovely fenced backyard that Nutmeg has been enjoying for the two months we've had her. It's been great to conveniently let her out to go to the bathroom and let her zoom around the yard and play fetch without worrying about her running away. Up until now, the worst thing she does out there is chew on a stick or a bit of mulch. But all of a sudden we are finding rabbit poop all over the yard, and she is obsessed with eating it! She came to us from the breeder with coccidia (which is long since treated and gone), so I'm paranoid about her getting a parasite again. Are my only alternatives to leash her or follow her every move around the yard? My husband planted our garden a few weeks ago, so I suspect that there's something in there that the rabbits are attracted to, since we didn't seem to have the poop out there until recently. Is there anything we could spray or plant that would repel them from coming into the yard? 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I don't use chemicals at all if I can help it for various reasons... because I usually am the one to get sick, not pests. But I did do a bing search ( hate that word Google) and found many recipes.   I WOULD however, join the Danger Group here on DK to make sure that none of these natural mixtures are dangerous for your dog.  Garlic, is not good for dogs! 

I found all of this with a simple search on the web.  There were several more places that you might check out on a search

How to Make Homemade Rabbit Repellent

Homemade repellants are either odor based or taste based. They can be easily made with some readily available household substances like pepper, garlic, eggs, milk, chili, etc.

Garlic Powder and Hot Chili Mixture: One such repellent can be made by mixing garlic powder with hot pepper or chili. After mixing these ingredients properly, add some water and leave the mixture for two to three days. Then strain it and add a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap. Now, you can spray this solution on the plants of your vegetable and flower gardens with a spray bottle.
Cayenne Pepper and Tabasco Sauce Mixture: Another homemade repellent can be prepared by mixing cayenne peppers with tabasco sauce, dishwashing soap and water. You can also add Elmer's glue to this and then spray this mixture on the leaves of the plants.
Egg and Garlic Mixture: Rabbits have a keen sense of smell, and they particularly dislike the smell of egg and garlic. So, you can make a mixture of egg, milk, garlic, tabasco sauce and liquid dishwashing soap to protect your garden from the rabbits.
Sprinkle Chili Powder:Sometimes, sprinkling some chili powder on the base of the plants can be equally beneficial in protecting your garden plants from the invasion of rabbits.
Place Bone Meal: Placing blood meal or bone meal around the plants has also shown some efficacy in controlling the menace of rabbits.
Linseed Oil and Detergent Mixture: Many people have benefited from the use of a rabbit repellent that can be made by combining raw linseed oil, detergent and water. The proportion of linseed oil in this solution should be larger than that of water and detergent.
Vinegar: A very simple way to keep rabbits away from your garden is to place some corn cobs soaked in vinegar. Egg and vinegar also work well if placed on the border of the garden.
Mint, Garlic and Egg Mixture: As rabbits do not like the taste of garlic and mint, both can be combined with eggs to make an effective rabbit repellent.
Rabbit Repellent Products: Apart from the homemade repellents, some organic gardeners have successfully used liquid fence rabbit repellent products, which are claimed as natural, biodegradable, rain-resistant and pet friendly animal repellents.
Planting Herbs and Plants: Many gardeners have also benefited from planting certain plants in their garden. They can be termed as natural pest repellent. Such herbs or plants include foxgloves or digitalis, aconitum, catnip plants, etc. Even aromatic plants like lavender can act as a rabbit repellent, though we find its smell quite pleasing to our senses.

As far the efficacy of these rabbit repellents is concerned, it depends on various factors like frequency of application and availability of food. Heavy rain can affect their efficacy by reducing the intensity of both taste and odor. Therefore, it is important to reapply these repellents after a heavy shower. Wear gloves whenever you apply the repellent as it contains chili and pepper. The effectiveness of homemade repellents also depends on the population of rabbits and availability of food. In case of severe food shortage, rabbits may eventually learn to tolerate the smell and taste of these repellents. In such a situation, you may need the help of other methods like placing simple chicken wire fence or electric fence and rabbit traps, depending on the severity of the problem.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/homemade-rabbit-repellent.html

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I would also NEVER use the corn cob!  This binds in a dog's stomach.  How food driven is your dog?  Some dogs will eat darn near ANYTHING.

I may reconsider some / many of the recipes above.

I might, soak clothes in vinegar and replace often. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

I would be more worried about the mulch.  Check out the ingredients in that carefully, but rabbit poop should be no problem.  I have a constant problem with my dogs eating "treats" left on the hiking trails and actually tried having them wear muzzles for a while.  They were most annoyed.  Just make sure she has a good worm medication.  Heart worm and intestinal worm medications come combined.  I don't like my dogs taking any medication, but it is better than the alternative.  Ticks, fleas, worms - all things we have to live with (or not).

[Lynne A]

She doesn't typically end up eating the mulch because we are able to get it from her before that happens. It's regular hardwood mulch. But with the rabbit poop, because it is small and soft, it's down the hatch very quickly, before we can get to her. Nutmeg is on Advantix and Heartgard, so we are covered on that front.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We just had a lot of rain so dont mind the mud on the fence or the poor trimming.  I'll mow tomorrow  :)   We keep the fence LOW on purpose. We have skunks, fox, chipmunks, just too much wildlife as we boarder a woods and we strive to keep it outside our fence.  Being low, it can make the boards rot faster, however, we would just assume replace boards than have a rabid fox enter the yard 

Here is a quick fix with a rock and board I did when a foster of mine dug through this opening. Ivy will just cover it all soon.

Unless you are standing and staring right at these tiny repairs, or taking up-close pics, I don't notice the unpleasing to the eye fixes in this large yard.

ROCK with board reinforcement.

LOW TO THE GROUND

Boards added to gate openings

The gate to our veg garden opens outward.  Just a home made simple gate. So the board is placed behind the gate so we can open it.

This board was added and probably the most tacky, but I don't notice it much now, because the yard slopes here.   The house next door had kittens and they came through this hole daily.  Not a good thing with my dog.  We can / could also lower and reshape this one panel.  Personally, I never see it, so it doesn't bother me.

Okay, this one is the tackiest, but we did this last week when we had skunks way in the back.   A few weeks ago, feral cats just came walking through this tiny opening but panic when they could find no way Out as Spud charged them.   This is temporary until he builds a removable shield. We rarely use this gate.  But pounding sticks in these openings work.   If I do get company, I'll just remove them.  Note here though, my husband did some adjustments to the gate door with some tools. It tightened it a lot, but there is so much you can do to bring it to a tight quarter inch.  These sticks only an inch

In really small spaces where the chipmunks were coming through, we originally used clear plastic mesh fencing.  They chewed right through.   So, now we have a small metal grate-type material that works... somewhat better.  Those are one animal, I can't seem to keep out.

When everything is mowed and cleaned, you really don't notice the tiny repairs at all.  If it keeps your dog safe, I'm doing it!  But, those ugly sticks at the gate have worked and that was our main problem.

You can purchase nice single panels that match your fence at HomeDepot, stain them to match the fence, and make much more pleasing  and simple repairs and it will look fantastic.

Each year, it is a work in progress to make it look nice -AGAIN but simple things work with the critters.

[Lynne A]

Thanks for the photos! Adding boards to the gate to cover up the gaps might be our best option.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Yep.  Have a fun and nice summer playing in your yard-critter free

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

And your backyard seems protected from vampires as well.... ;-)

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

LOL- I was wondering about the garlic  

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hahaha! I noticed that too. Joanne is always prepared!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

LOL  :) 

[Bonnie and Kona]

like!