Lawn & Garden
Frequently Asked Questions
Select a topic:
- Fruit Trees
- Garden and Household Pests
- Houseplants
- Lawn Care and Landscaping
- Pesticides and Fertilizer
- Trees and Shrubs
- Vegetable Gardening and Small Fruits
- Wildlife
- Blackbirds
- Deer
- Moles
- Rabbits
- Q: I have rabbits in my lawn and garden, what type of damage can they do?
- Q: I have rabbits in my lawn or garden, what can I do to control them?
- A: The most effective control measures include habitat modification and exclusion techniques. Clean out wood piles, tall grass, brush piles, stone piles, weed patches, and other areas that offer cover and nesting sites. This will force the rabbits to relocate.
Use fences of wire mesh or plastic sheeting to effectively protect the garden when plants are most susceptible to damage. The fence should be 2 feet high and secured tight to the ground, or buried a few inches. Small mesh hardware cloth can be used as a cylindrical wrap around young trees or plants. Make sure that the cylinder stands far enough away from the wood so rabbits cannot eat through the holes.
The only rabbit repellent registered for actively growing food crops is ammonium hydroxide (Hinder*). This material can be applied to all vegetation within the garden and to vegetation in a border strip around the garden. Hinder must be reapplied after a rain and at 1- to 2-week intervals when plants are growing to remain effective.
To have nuisance wildlife removed from your property a wildlife professional should be contacted. For contact information regarding wildlife issues, contact your local RCE office, the Division of Fish and Game's Wildlife Control Unit in Clinton (908-735-8793) or local police department.
Note: Information attained from RCE fact sheet FS396, Rabbits in the Vegetable Garden, Butler and Ghidiu. Information in this reference appears with the understanding that no endorsement by RCE is implied.
- A: The most effective control measures include habitat modification and exclusion techniques. Clean out wood piles, tall grass, brush piles, stone piles, weed patches, and other areas that offer cover and nesting sites. This will force the rabbits to relocate.
- Q: I have rabbits in my lawn or garden, what general information do I need to know?
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Squirrels
- Wildlife Professionals