Rabbit

Rabbits were introduced to Britain by the Normans who kept them in fenced off warrens and harvested their meat and fur. The earliest known records of rabbits in Britain occurred during the 12th Century. Rabbits are very adaptable and have become so successful in many areas that they are considered to be a pest. Wild rabbits are gregarious and several hundred individuals may be found in one warren (a network of underground burrows). They are active during dusk and dawn, but will also come out during the day in undisturbed areas. Rabbits primarily feed on grass and leafy plants, but they will feed on bulbs, bark and twigs when food is scarce. Before the second world war rabbits were very commonly eaten many people. For small numbers, cage traps are an effctive method of control.

Best Methods for Controlling your Pest

DIY or The Professionals?

In garden situations it is perfectly easy to control rabbits yourself. See our Illustrated Guide for directions.
If you feel unable to dispatch captured rabbits, or if you have a big problem, then you are better to call on the services of a professional rabbit catcher.

Rabbits have been subjected to a wide range of control methods over the centuries and despite all our best efforts they remain the single most destructive pest of agricultural products in Britain.

How to catch that Rabbit:

In an urban garden or domestic situation there is only one safe and reliable way to control rabbits and that is with a Rabbit Cage Trap.

The advantage of useing a cage trap is that it is quiet, discreet, effective, humane and any non-target animal caught can easily be released unharmed.

Where cage traps are effective:

Where burrows are difficult or impossible to access.
On sensitive areas such as golf courses, amenity land and in gardens.
Where pets and other animals may be at risk from other methods of control.
Cage trapping is particularly appropriate where a small number of rabbits are causing damage to high value crops.

Limits of effectiveness:

Large farms with high numbers of rabbits are not suitable for cage trapping alone.
In most cases control levels of 80% to 90% should be achievable.
Cage traps must be checked twice daily requiring a degree of commitment from the trapper.
The rabbit is trapped alive, as so must be humanely dispatched - not released onto a neighbours land.

Where to place and how to set traps:

First estimate the number of traps required. For reasonable rapid and effective control, you should have 3 to 5 traps set at any one time for every 10 rabbits you estimate are using the area. The best way to estimate numbers is to count grazing rabbits at dusk or dawn.
In a garden situation where 5 to 10 rabbits are causing a problem, set a minimum of four traps.
Traps should be about 10 paces apart and parallel to the harbourage from which the rabbits are coming.
Make sure each trap in firmly sitting on level ground by grinding it back and forth to bed it in. You could spread a little soil on the floor of the trap. The trap must not rock when the rabbit enters.
If the ground is sloping, face the trap door downhill.
Do not cover the traps, but if you wish you may spray paint them green to make them more discreet. Allow time for the paint to dry and air outside before use.

Setting and Baiting the Traps:

Carrots are the best bait but apple and turnip are also effective if you need an alternative.
Slice the carrots longitudinally and then section into 10cm lengths.
Having placed the traps in a suitable position, you can set the trap mechanism. Make sure that the trap plate is set so that any animal stepping on the plate will easily trigger the mechanism to drop the door. Make sure that the door drops easily and closes cleanly. Make any adjustments necessary to the trap mechanism to ensure everything works smoothly and reliably. Baiting can now start.
In order to monitor the bait take, it is advisable to be specific about how many baits are placed in and around each trap.
Bait each trap with 10 carrot pieces (6 beyond the treadle, 2 just in front of the treadle and 2 just in the entrance. bait outside the trap with a further 5 carrot pieces ( 2 just outside the trap entrance and the remaining 3 at one pace intervals directly away from the trap entrance and parallel to the harbourage). Try and ensure that the trail of carrots passes over any rabbit tracks leaving the harbourage, or ensure that the carrot pieces are on or near obvious rabbit resting and grooming places or laterines.
This might sound rather specific and tedious, but this system has been proved to work and you should copy it in order to achieve the best possible success.
Uneaten bait should be replaced as soon as it starts to deteriorate, the fresher the bait the better.
Once the outside bait is being regularly eaten, replace only the bait inside the trap.
You may wish to tie the trap open for a few days whilst the rabbits get used to going inside before setting the trap, but many people find it is not necessary.

Inspecting the Traps:

Most rabbits will be caught overnight, so inspect the traps first thing in the morning and then again in the early evening.
You may catch non-target species like hedgehogs, pheasant, small birds or hares, so it is essential to be able to release these as soon as possible and get the trap re-set.

Rabbit removal and dispatch:

Rabbits may be removed by putting a hessian or fibre bag over the trap entrance and encouraging the rabbit to go into the sack. Once in the sack it is easier to reach in and to get hold of. Rabbits will not bite you.
Or, reach into the trap and grasp the rabbit by its' scruff or its' hind legs. Grip securely as it might well struggle.
In order to quickly and cleanly dispatch the rabbit, hold it up by its rear legs so its head is facing down towards the ground, and using a heavy stick, strike the back if its head with a firm and hard blow. That should kill it instantly, but follow this up with a second blow to make certain. Neck dislocation is the method professionals use to kill rabbits but this method requires some skill and should not be attempted without one to one instruction.

How long to trap for?

Once you start trapping, try to keep up the effort for a continuous period. Often it will take a month to clear rabbits from an area.
Where you manage to trap over half the rabbits initially seen over the first 10 days of trapping, you will probably achieve a very good level of control over the next twenty days.
Where you have caught less than a quarter of the rabbits within the first ten days, consider if you may be able to place the traps in a better position and try again, or change the bait.

Check your traps twice daily, remove non-target species and dispatch target species quickly and humanely.