It’s a dreadful photograph I know.
It was taken as darkness fell, under cover of the rhododendrons.
But the evidence is incontrovertible.
.
Why me?
Don’t I already do my bit for every squirrel, mouse, deer, slug, snail, pigeon and pheasant that should care to wander by?
Just another garden problem sent to try us Jessica. We don’t get rabbits as far as I know but squirrels ….. we’ve been watching them making holes in the lawn, retrieving their hidden bounty !! Not much damage done and, they are quite cute to watch. Hope what’s left of your harvest doesn’t suffer too much. XXXX
The squirrels have been digging in the lawn here too. And to add insult to injury, they’ve been taking nuts from the bird feeders to add to their stash!
Oh no – rabbits certainly have their time and place and I must admit I’m firmly in the “isn’t it cute” camp – but I’ll readily agree that helping themselves to your garden is not the right time or place!
Exactly, especially if they turn up with all their friends and relations too..
He looks well fed – and hopefully you have already picked your lettuces, and carrots. May be he will decide to venture further and leave you alone.
We do not have rabbits as our ground is oolitic limestone and they cannot make their burrows in it.
I think he has been well fed on my lettuces. I’d already noticed that some had been bitten off at the ground, by something bigger than a mouse.
I do feel for you, I think you must have every pest known to man in your garden. I’m so lucky, we don’t get rabbits bothering us, but I’ve got a couple in hutches in the garden.
I can’t think of many that still have to find us. The mice eat the lily bulbs so lily beetles don’t get a hold..
I have a love/hate relationship with rabbits. I often wish they were uglier like mosquitoes. It would make it so much easier to hate them.
It’s the baby ones.. so cute. But the baby ones grow big. And so does their appetite..
That one looks very tasty, done in slow cooker with onions and stock cube, served with new potatoes and carrots.
If I have any carrots left..
Do you have problems with cats? I mean owning them, quite a lot of your unwelcome guests would disappear if you got one. Females are the best hunters.
I know. And I was discussing the possibility with another cat owner this very afternoon. My main problem is that many of my welcome guests might disappear too.
A little black female cat adopted us when we moved into our present address just over 2 years ago, it was living in the greenhouse. It now spends days inside and nights outside, we feed it biccies, it seems to be quite capable of catching its own protein, mice, little birds and it has actually brought us 2 rabbits.
It doesn’t seem to have made much impression on the bird population, there’s a lot of them, but we never see a mouse except the ones it brings us.
Sounds like a good idea, but get it neutered if you don’t want too many cats.
I’m starting to think there is no other option. I certainly don’t want to cover the place with poison and traps (mouse traps anyway) are not very effective. I suppose I would get used to the ‘gifts’, but birds especially would be hard.
Agree we don’t really like to see the little birds it brings, but it’s nature after all, mostly sparrows and at least there’s plenty of them. it doesn’t seem to make any impression on the numbers, there’s still lots of them in the garden.
We put the bird table away from cover so the cat can’t sneak up on it easily.
But Mrs is terrified of mice and it’s worth it to know the cat keeps them in check, we’ve never seen one.
I can sympathise with Mrs re mice, and also worry about the diseases they carry, especially as they are in the greenhouse and all over the garden where I am weeding.
Have you considered building an ark? Then next time there’s a hefty spot o’ rain, you can launch them down your stream. It is clearly your animal magnetism!!
Now that gives me an idea. The cat owner I was referring to in reply to Jill lives a bit further downstream.. maybe a few of my resident critters might enjoy a boat trip?
NOoooo!!! indeed – you could do without the bunny! Very cute though, just like those pesky squirrels:)
I’m beginning to think that the only way forward is to grow vegetables in a narrow gauge metal cage.
We used to have a rabbit problem, that was until a neighbours cat started killing all the babies and taking them home – the rabbits moved out! They used to wait until I had planted something new, read the label and if it was expensive, ate the lot!
My pheasant has similarly expensive tastes!
Still happy to lend you the hound… he’d LOVE it.
Thank you, I will bear it in mind!
That’s just what I said this morning when I opened the curtains to see six rabbits on the grass! Off to buy a big sack of carrots as it looks as though it’s time to start setting the traps again.
Oh NOoooo!!!
We may need some traps of our own, to go with the squirrel traps, mouse traps…
Okay – that’s really bad. I can say nothing to cheer you up I’m afraid. Could you try catching them and palming them off as pets to unsuspecting children? Maybe not.
Catching them will be the hard bit. They are quite skittish at the moment. I’m sure it won’t last. The mice in the greenhouse now just carry on nibbling, even when I am in there.
It’s just an easter bunny that lost its way. I would much rather have your rabbit in my garden than the foxes that we continue to be innundated with day and night!
We have those too, I forgot about them. Although I don’t know why because it’s the presence of foxes, even in broad daylight, that puts me off having ducks and geese.
It’s called living in the countryside Jess 😉
It’s getting to the point where I can’t grow anything though. The mice have had most of the potatoes now too.
Awwwww….how cute. Sorrrrrrreeeee…..lol xxxx
If it had a diet restricted entirely to ground elder it would be very cute indeed.
Let’s look on the positive side – at least they are much prettier than slugs, no?
Not if it is legging it with one of my lettuces..
maybe it is just passing through … one can wish and hope
You’re right. It’s true I haven’t seen it today. Yet.
Having lived with rabbits in our garden for the last 16 years and watched them eat everything except the weeds I’m afraid there’s not much you can do apart from installing rabbit fencing, burried underground and at least 3ft tall around the bits you want to protect. Hubby’s tried trapping them with not much success and has an air rifle but doesn’t often get any. Lottie’s caught a few, but she’s slowing down these days. We’ve tried filling in their burrows, but they just dig them out again. Sorry to sound negative, but they are determined bu**ers! Good luck. xx
Oh dear… and why is it that nothing eats weeds?
Oh, I’m so sorry, but they are cute. I liked the suggestion that maybe you should build an ark. And then you could send it on its way the next time you get a heavy rain. I have squirrels that bury pecans and acorns all over my property and then the next yeat I have to deal with all the emerging trees. So I know how pesky critters can be. Maybe the bunny was just passing through and won’t be back. Blessings, Natalie
Yes, baby oak trees everywhere here too.. have to get them out quick or they go deep!
I think you need to add rabbits to your list now too! They know what a great garden you have!
Sarah x
If only we were on flat land. I could divert the river and create a moat..
Rabbits are garden enemy number one here. Because of this most veggies are covered with mesh and the flower beds have rabbit-proof fencing around them. And then there are the tunnels under sheds etc… We just live with them – they’re here to stay it seems. I hope yours is a lone visitor, but I suspect it could soon pass on the news about your lettuces!
And then they breed, like…. rabbits!
Hope you had a good holiday.
Oh dear, poor you. Maybe he was just passing through on his way to somewhere with less competition for the delicious things.
I can but hope. Unfortunately, I’m the only veggie grower around. It does not bode well.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm so Ella our cat missed one!
Want me to mail it?
Well have been told they are tasty like chicken!
If it carries on nibbling we may yet find out..
They all love your garden as much as we do Jessica !
You guys are very welcome though! Thanks Penny.
Thanks for naming the dainty little clover like plant I have. There is one with yellow flowers too.
I had a pet rabbit called Dandelion as a girl. He got out – went next door where they were setting up a wedding reception for their daughter & ate some lettuce
( rabbits aren’t supposed to eat lettuce ! )
I have the oxalis with yellow flowers, I think!
I’ve put some lettuce leaves out on the lawn to try and lure my furry friend into the open to get a better picture of it. They are slowly disappearing courtesy of creatures unknown!
Oh dear, that’s one bit of wildlife you really don’t want visiting. I’d say with the amount of coppice/shrubbery/undergrowth you’ve got then your chances of getting rid of them all are mild to non-existent – sorry.
As everyone else has suggested (why I am ~always~ late to the party) your choices are cats, an air rifle or traps. Unfortunately, not all cats are guaranteed hunters, and sitting with a gun is not how a lot of people want to spend their time. Given how much food there is on your land, my money would be on traps as a total waste of time and effort.
Sorry, I’m not being much help ….
The nature of the terrain is the biggest challenge. Around our land there is yet more untamed woodland. Whatever method I use, there are a whole load more critters just waiting to come in.
No moles yet though..
No moles yet though..
Always look on the bright side!
Must be something in the water up here, the week seems to have been peppered with Monty Python quotes. Now I’m just showing my age :}
I remember it well..
There is a reason why country life is only really complete when you have at least one of each of the following … rifle, ferret, cat, whippet 😉 Actually you need two whippets, one to flush and one to catch … want to borrow a couple?
Very tempting offer Annie, thank you. I’d be too worried about broken legs in the tangle of fallen wood and swamp that forms the majority of the garden!
Snap.
The rabbit (or possibly rabbits) visiting our garden likes to chew through the netting of our chicken run, which means the pesky hens can get out and peck at the garden too. Chicken run is now about 40% string, 10% original netting and 50% holes.
Oh no! Shame the hens don’t give the rabbit a peck on the nose.
I’ve found a hole in the fruit cage. The heavier grade netting at the bottom has been pushed down, so this is no weather related tear. No, it’s breaking and entering..
Still say get a cat! Yes they get birds, but prefer mice and we had one back when we were close to rabbits and they were caught too. Our two cats average a bird every couple of weeks, mice more often. Garden still full of birds. No mice in any shed, or summerhouse, tho there are a few go in the garage, presumably under the door, after spilled bird food.
Food for thought. Thanks Jill.
Somehow I think these may be the worst of all your garden inhabitants!
I think you may be right 🙁