Are feral rabbits a problem on your property?
Feral rabbits cause significant damage to our environment and infrastructure. They chomp through native vegetation and garden plants, burrow their way under buildings and create trip hazards with their diggings.
And they’re not just a problem on farms, they also infiltrate peri-urban areas, possibly even your backyard. During summer, especially dry times like we’re experiencing now, feral rabbits are drawn to vegetable patches, garden areas and watered lawns in homes and townships in search of food.
And because they breed like, well rabbits, once established in a new place they can quickly become a problem.
Property owners are legally responsible to control feral rabbits under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. It is best to tackle the issue using several methods and in conjunction with your neighbours, so spread the word about your control efforts in your community.
The first step is to remove any refuge that rabbits can call home. Any existing warrens on your property should be destroyed by using earth moving machinery or hand tools to collapse, fill and then level out the area. If the burrow is under a concrete slab, block the entrance to the warren with material that will prevent rabbits from reopening it.
Feral rabbits will also look for sheltered places like thick vegetation or wood piles, so trim ground-hugging shrubs to about 50cm above ground and stack wood or other materials on platforms where there are no cavities for the rabbits to enter.
Currently, Pindone is the only bait that can be used in urban situations for rabbit control. Its use is restricted to properties larger than 1000m², and it can only be used in accordance with label instructions. Pindone-coated carrots or oats need to be laid on at least three separate occasions, over a two week period, to be effective.
Fumigation and ferreting are options where you’ll need to call in the experts, and while cage trapping is possible, it takes a significant amount of time and effort because traps must be checked regularly and trapped animals must be destroyed humanely.
As rabbit control can be a complex operation, it’s best to plan and prepare your control program. Landscape officers from the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board can provide advice around individualised control options for your situation. Call our office on 8841 3444. More detailed information is available in our ‘Controlling rabbits in urban areas’ fact sheet.
