How to Catch a Wild Rabbit in Your Yard

A wild rabbit will eat flowers, vegetables and shrubs inflicting considerable damage to a garden. In addition, wild rabbits will burrow under ground destroying the roots of plants and flowers. One way to tell if a wild rabbit is causing damage in your garden is to search for tracks.  Wild rabbits have five toes on their front legs and four on their hind legs. Please do not trap a wild rabbits for domestication. Wild rabbits instinctively fear people and they cannot be socialized. Most wild rabbits will waste away and die within a few months of captivity. Wild rabbits also harbor internal and external parasites that cannot be easily gotten rid of. Finally they also carry bacteria and viruses that can be harmful to your dog or cat. If you wish to have a rabbit as a pet go to your local pet store for a domesticated bunny.

Rabbit Trap

You can either purchase a rabbit trap or contact your local animal control representative to see if they will let you use or rent one. A typical wire-mesh rabbit trap has a spring loaded door that will lock the rabbit inside. These traps are typically about twenty four inches long, seven inches high by seven inches wide, but the actual dimensions of your trap may vary. The internal edges of the trap are smooth so the rabbit will not injure themselves when captured. Finally, the traps are already assembled and ready to use. 

Five Rabbit Baits

In the trap there should be a plate at the opposite end of the trap door where you place the bait. The following is a list of five effective baits for capturing a wild rabbit.

• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Apples
• Brussel Sprouts
• Apple Cider (Spray the trap with a skirt bottle)

 What Should You Do after Capturing the Rabbit?

Wear thick gloves to protect yourself if the rabbit tries to bite. While rabbits are cute, wild rabbits will often be scared and become violent in the cage. Transport the rabbit someplace far from your home and carefully release it back into the wild.

A Few Rabbit Control Tips

• If wild rabbits tend to be a reoccurring problem, build a ‘rabbit fence’ to protect your garden. Hammer some wooden or metal stakes into the ground and attach chicken wire to the post. The fence should be at least three feet high to keep the rabbits out of the garden.
• Rabbit repellants such as Havahart Defense, Liquid Fence Rabbit Repellant, Hot Pepper Wax or Plantskydd Animal repellant are effective tools in keeping rabbits away.