Wild rabbits as a pest
Common name: Wild Rabbits
Scientific name: Oryctolagus cuniculus
The wild rabbit is one of the most damaging vertebrate pests in the British countryside. Although a familiar and, to many, an appealing animal, in numbers rabbits cause serious harm to crops, gardens, grassland and even the stability of the ground itself. They breed rapidly and live in colonies, so a small group can become an established warren and a significant problem within a single season.
What do wild rabbits eat?
Rabbits feed almost entirely on green vegetation, eating roughly half a kilo each per day, and their constant grazing and burrowing is what makes them so costly to farmers, growers, landowners and gardeners alike.
Breeding season for rabbits
Breeding season lasts from late January to July or August, although some sporadic breeding occurs throughout the year. The gestation period is 28–30 days. The average number of young in a litter is 5. The average number of litters per female is 4–5 per year.
Signs of a rabbit problem
- Burrow entrances and warren systems, often in banks, hedgerows and field edges
- Grazed crops and plants cropped close to the ground, frequently in a spreading patch from a field edge inward
- Round droppings left in groups on lawns, paths and feeding areas
- Scrapes and shallow diggings in lawns and grassland
- Bark stripped from the base of young trees, especially in winter
- Worn runs through grass and under fences
How to control wild rabbits
Effective rabbit management usually combines preventing access with reducing the population, and the right balance depends on the site, the scale of the problem and whether you are protecting a garden, a crop or a large area of land.
Exclusion and prevention
- Rabbit-proof fencing is the most effective long-term protection for gardens, crops and amenity areas, dug in at the base so rabbits cannot burrow under
- Tree guards and spiral protectors shield young trees and shrubs from gnawing
- Removing cover such as scrub, brambles and overgrown banks reduces the harbourage where warrens establish
- Managing the surrounding environment, such as reducing dense ground cover, makes a site less attractive to colonise
Professional population control
Where rabbits are already established, exclusion alone is rarely enough and population control is needed. Anticimex surveys the land to locate warrens, runs and the extent of the problem, then uses the appropriate lawful methods for the situation, which may include ferreting, trapping, shooting or, where permitted and appropriate, gassing of warrens.
All control is carried out humanely and in line with current legislation. For farms and larger holdings we can advise on an ongoing management plan, since rabbits will recolonise cleared ground from neighbouring land if left unchecked.