You’ve heard of cockroach infestations, locust infestations, rat infestations, maggot infestations, and the like. What do these infestations have in common? They are all signs of an overabundance of pests in the area. As if one cockroach wasn’t enough! Now you have to deal with an entire nest’s worth of them!
Well, the same logic applies to rabbit infestation. “But wait,” you might ask, “aren’t rabbits just cute fluffy little creatures that just nibble on grass and do their own thing?” in which case you would be right. Rabbits really are mostly fluffy creatures that aren’t harmful to us, but a rabbit doesn’t need to have sharp claws and fangs to bring danger to us. A rabbit population can be considerably difficult to manage, especially if left on their own, as we would have no idea whether or not the rabbit count we have is accurate or not. The problem comes from the fact that rabbits are especially good at reproducing, and they reproduce fast! What this means in the long run is simple: More rabbits mean more resources needed to maintain them. More resources needed to maintain them means more grass and plants being trampled on and eaten, many of which will be unable to grow back. There is historic precedent of the rabbit population exploding and destroying crops through feeding and causing erosion of the soil as a result.
That is why it is important that before it can get this far, the rabbit population on any given area must be maintained and vigilantly watched. For your side, here are some signs that you should pay attention to, just in case you might have a hunch that you have a rabbit problem in your area.
Signs of digging around your garden
This can mean any number of things. Rabbits are, naturally, looking for a place that they can consider a shelter, and your garden might be a perfect spot for a rabbit to consider burrowing in. Good for the rabbit, especially since it’s relatively safe and likely to have lots of greens nearby. Not so good for you, as this means the structural integrity of the ground is slightly damaged, and your garden as a whole might be worse off to an uninvited visitor that might chow down on them at any time.
Digging can also mean any other animal that’s being a nuisance to your garden as well, but it’s quite likely that you have a rabbit problem if you see lots of holes popping up in your garden. Those are likely the homes of wild rabbits.
Spotting rabbits foraging in your garden
Rabbits, like any animal, need to eat, so of course once they see that your garden is filled to the brim with delicious plants and grass that are free for the picking, they’re naturally going to munch on them like there’s no tomorrow. And don’t worry, they don’t discriminate, all of your flowers are going to its belly equally.
You are most likely to spot them feeding in the early morning or the evening.
Clean-cut damage on your plants and flowers
This is basically the same as above, as it involves rabbits feeding on your garden or the plants growing in your yard. However, this part assumes that the rabbits in the area are too shy or simply won’t appear for whatever reason. If you suspect that the plants in your yard are being chewed on by a hare-y fellow, pay attention to the leaves, stems, and flowers, as these are their usual targets. In other words, instead of hunting rabbits, you’re hunting evidence that they may be there instead.
Tufts of fur
This one can be difficult to guess, simply because rabbits aren’t the only pests with fur. Unless you or your neighbors walk your pets around your yard or garden though, it’s likely to be a rabbit… or any other pest for that matter, like a raccoon.
Small rabbit droppings
Gross! Nobody likes droppings from any animal, small or large. And unfortunately, seeing rabbit droppings anywhere on your garden or yard can be a warning sign that there are rabbits frolicking about nearby without your knowledge. These droppings are good at showing that there are rabbits in the area because of how distinct they are. (Rabbit droppings are pellet shaped, not unlike some brands of dog kibble). The only problem is finding out that you have rabbit droppings in your yard in the first place. If it’s on your front porch or any place that has concrete, it’s easy to see because of how dark the pellets are in contrast to the concrete, but in the middle of brown or dark soil, it can be much more difficult to find them because of their size while also being tiny to find, especially if the pellets are hidden behind grass.
Wrapping up
Rabbits are cute and fluffy, but only the ones that are domesticated as pets. The ones that are on the wild are a little mischievous and prone to causing trouble for you if you aren’t careful… so be sure to keep a watchful eye out if there are rabbits near your home. But don’t jump the gun either, some of the tips mentioned here point out at the chance of rabbits being the culprit to the problems of your garden, but not all of them instantly point to rabbits as the cause. You may want to double check and see first, but if your garden problems tick more boxes in this list as time goes on, you may have yourself a rabbit problem after all.