- Rabbits and other garden pests are repelled by spicy peppers. You can use cayenne, jalapeno or habanera peppers for this all-natural homemade rabbit repellent. Wear gloves when preparing this recipe and do not touch your face. The North Dakota State University Extension Service recommends blending three peppers in a food processor and adding water to create a liquid. Strain the liquid through a cheese cloth to remove the particulates, or they will get stuck in the spray gun. Put the liquid in a jar and add two tablespoons of vegetable oil, a squirt of white glue and a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid. Shake the jar to blend. The additional ingredients help the liquid cling to the plant and to the rabbit. If this does not dissuade the rabbits, make a more concentrated solution, up to 30 percent, and add some raw garlic cloves to blend with the peppers. Reapply every two weeks, to new growth and after heavy rain.
- Blood meal is dried blood from cattle slaughterhouses. It is a viable natural alternative as a homemade rabbit repellent, according to University of Illinois Extension Service. To protect your garden, sprinkle dried blood meal around the edge. You must re-apply it often. Prolonged use can cause a nutrient imbalance in the area where it is applied.
- Another homemade rabbit repellent involves linseed oil. According to Karen Armstrong, an extension agent in North Dakota, you simply mix 85 percent raw linseed oil with five percent detergent and 10 percent water. Apply to trees and shrubs in the affected areas with a sprayer or a house-painting brush. Re-apply after heavy rain.
- Changing the environment in your garden or landscaping that is attracting the rabbits, can be the most effective rabbit repellent. Brush piles are an attractive shelter for rabbits. Remove them from your property or burn them, when and where it is permitted. Another easy habitat-control option is to trim shrubs of small branches at least 1.5 feet from the plant base.
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