Non-lethal traps

Using a non-lethal trap solution is one of the best ways to keep rabbits from damaging your property. The trap is a small investment that can be continuously used if necessary and requires little to no maintenance. Best of all, traps will not only allow you to catch rabbits but also extract them safely from your property without causing them any physical harm. When using a trap, it is essential to observe, analyze, and understand how your rabbit or rabbits are moving. Try to find the rabbit’s trail, burrow, or its source of food, and this can generally give you a better idea of where to set your trap. Since the trap will most likely be a large metal enclosure, you’ll want to do your best to conceal it. That doesn’t mean you have to go all out in trying to cover it up. But at least make a small effort to try and cover the lower portion of the trap. You can use grass, branches, or other foliage to make the cage blend seamlessly with its surroundings. If you want to take an extra step, create a vegetation lining inside the cage. It will make the interior area feel more like the ground surrounding it, setting off fewer alarms for the rabbit when they begin to explore the cage. 

Despite setting your trap by a food source, you’ll most likely want to incentivize entering the cage by adding more food inside of the cage. To entice the rabbit, you’ll want to put the bait towards the inside rear of the cage if it is a one-door trap. If you are using a two-door trap, set the bait towards the center. If the rabbit decides to pursue the bait, it will become trapped, which means you have successfully captured a rabbit. The time it takes to catch a rabbit may vary, but be active when checking your trap. You don’t want the rabbit getting caught and hang out for long periods. After catching the rabbit, you can then relocate it far from your home or property. Be sure to find an area where the rabbit can survive. This will make it so that the rabbit won’t go foraging outside of the area, and it will keep it from returning. If you need to use the trap another time, be sure to wipe it down to remove any scents from the previous rabbit or human traces. While traps are sold online and locally at many stores, you’ll want to make sure that you are compliant with your local government. Check with your county to see if setting traps are legal; this will save you the headache of making the wrong purchase. 

Lethal traps 

Although lethal traps are generally not necessary for rabbits, if you choose to pursue them in this manner, there are only a few different kinds of traps available. Since you’ll be killing the rabbit, you want to do it in the most humane way possible. For this, it’s recommended to use a body trap. This is a trap that will clamp shut around the body, crushing and killing it. These traps are much smaller than the non-lethal cage trap and can be set wherever you think the rabbits might be traveling. These kinds of traps do not require bait since they are placed in the travel path of the animal. But, if you want to make it more enticing, feel free to set the trap with fruits or vegetables. 

Like any trap, check with your local government to make sure that it is legal to use. Also, be sure to follow the instructions that come with your trap so that you can maximize success and minimize injury. When removing the animal from the trap, be careful and wear protection. Since it is a wild animal, you don’t want disease or other contaminants spreading. Lastly, make sure to dispose of the rabbit carcass properly. You will again want to check with your community guidelines. But for an animal carcass, you will generally have the option of an above-ground or below-ground burial, composting, incineration, or taking it to a licensed landfill. If you plan to use the same trap again, properly sanitize the exterior, removing any traces of the previously caught animal or human scents. 

Maintenance

Now that you’ve removed your rabbit problem, you’ll want to take some steps to ensure that they won’t be coming back. Perhaps the easiest and most effective is putting up fences. Make sure that wherever you plan to put up your fences, you dig deep. This will prevent the rabbit from digging under, restricting their entrance into your property. Also, make sure that the fences are high enough to prevent a rabbit from jumping over.

Unfortunately, you can’t lay the grounds of your property with edible poisons, mainly because there isn’t a proven formula that works. But you can spray the area and your plants with liquid repellants. The only problem with this is that you will have to continue to do this for the foreseeable future. The final word of advice would be to maintain your property or yard. If you keep things tidy and offer fewer reasons for a rabbit to stay, it will minimize the chances of your area inviting unwanted guests.