Author Topic: Wabbits  (Read 2444 times)

ACE

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Wabbits
« on: May 28, 2021, 12:58:40 »
It has been seven years since I moved on the present site and although it is out in the country there were a couple of pairs of buzzards nesting in the area so the rabbits were a bit wary venturing across the fields to the allotments. For some reason the birds have not come back this year and the rabbits have started to be a nuisance. I have just given the hounds a good clipping so I spread their hair around the most likely crops that would be nibbled by the varmints, Forgot the celeriac and it has suffered, it has fresh shoots coming again so I hung a bit of netting drenched in creosote up near them. Hoping the old wives tale will work. Has anybody else tried it.

Obelixx

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Re: Wabbits
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2021, 13:26:22 »
I didn't think you could get creosote any more.

I have seen this recipe for repelling rabbits:
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon crushed red chilli peppers, preferably a hot one like Cayenne
1 tablespoon soap

Combine the lot in a 5litre/1 gallon container and leave it in a sunny place for 2 or 3 days to infuse.   Strain and spray on susceptible fruits and veggies.  Re-spray weekly or after rain.

Plenty of garlic available on the Isle of Wight!
Obxx - Vendée France

Tee Gee

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Re: Wabbits
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2021, 14:23:34 »
Quote
Hoping the old wives tale will work. Has anybody else tried it

Not Creosote but have used Jeyes fluid in the past as it has a similar smell.

Paulh

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Re: Wabbits
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2021, 20:58:14 »
I've tried all those and they are very effective at keeping the old wife away.

Beersmith

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Re: Wabbits
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2021, 16:32:05 »
It is widely believed that the wabbit problem on our site is due to local pets.  It seems that several have been seen wearing collars.  Somehow this makes me more angry and frustrated.  I tolerate my resident mole and the local badgers.  The latter seem to be rather distant and only appear in the autumn when nights get longer.  But pigeons (especially) and rabbits often seem destructive and nibble and peck at things without eating.

But methods to keep pests at bay that involve the risk of tainting edible crops with creosote or Jeyes fluid don't appeal.  So it's fleece, nets, covers and cloches for me.
Not mad, just out to mulch!

Silverleaf

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Re: Wabbits
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2021, 01:28:14 »
Who on earth puts a collar on a pet rabbit? That’s so dangerous. And I despise people who release pet rabbits, they are almost certainly going to meet a horrible death at the hands of a predator because they don’t have the instincts to survive in the wild.

One of my rabbits was most likely abandoned. I found her in my garden, tame enough that she happily let a stranger pick her up. She loves strokes and is super friendly, and despite a lot of work on my part her previous owner never turned up. It still makes my blood boil. She’d have stood there and let a fox run right up to her, I doubt she’d have survived her first night if I hadn’t grabbed her. Or she’d have eaten something poisonous.

I was intending to take her to as rescue as I already had two boy rabbits, but I fell in love with her and she’s mine now.

 

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