Finding a repellent designed especially for rabbits on the market is not that easy. However, there exist few good options aimed at scaring these rodents. We have thoroughly and meticulously studied the modern chemical repellents market and will tell you about the most popular and trustworthy products we’ve found.
But first, let’s turn to entomologists and learn which types of repellents drive the rabbits off.
According to Edward K. Boggess (Kansas State University), deer and rabbits repellents can usually be classified as either area (odor) or contact (taste) repellents.
- Area (Odor) Repellents: Ammonium Soaps of Higher Fatty Acids, Bone Oil (containing nitriles) and Miscellaneous Natural Substances: putrified fish, fermented egg, packing plant tankage, blood meal, feather meal, human hair, fecal material, seal oil, and hot pepper sauce.
- Contact (Taste) Repellents: Thiram (tetramethylthiuram disulfide, TMTD, fungicide), Putrescent Whole Egg Solids.
No matter how weird it may seem to us, modern people, many experts advise using old traditional methods and ingredients for repelling the rabbits, such as using human hair and dried blood. A Rutgers University professor Bill Hlubik’s experience of 17 years taught him that the one repellent that has worked well in many situations is dried blood. The dried blood eventually breaks down and provides nutrients to the surrounding plants.
So don’t be surprised if you find out that a ready-to-use repellent you’ve bought contains dried blood or human hair 🙂
You can collect and dry the blood, collect human hair and stick it into socks and cook pepper potion (by the way, you’ll find the recipe of this spicy homemade repellent at the end of this article), but wouldn’t it be easier to forget this, not waste your precious time and buy a ready-to-use repellent? For those who value fast effect, we have prepared a review of all the ready-to-use repellents available on the market today.
Granular Rabbit Repellent
Nature’s Mace 5 Lb Granular Deer & Rabbit Repellent, 5,000 Sq Ft – University Studies Prove Our Technology Works Best!
You’ll get a 2.7 kg of deer and rabbit repelling granules for Check current price. 83% of consumers consider Nature’s Mace Granular Deer & Rabbit Repellent useful, as its rating is 4.2 stars out of 5.
Nature’s Mace can be used on any landscape, be it a lawn, a garden, a shrub, near the tree trunks or climbing plants. It is barely affected by both rain and wind, as the repelling effect lasts for 1-1.5 months. This is a good result, considering that a single pack is supposed to cover 5-6 thousand sq. m. The most important thing is that the repellent components are harmless for people, pets and irrigation systems.
How to use it? A customer Joseph L. Harris told us how: “Just toss it around the plants as uniformly as possible. Some of the product will fall on the ground and some will fall on the foliage. However, it doesn’t harm the plants. Rabbits and deer have ignored my plants this year.”
Among active repelling ingredients listed on the bottle you’ll find putrescent egg solid, and peppermint oil. Some users even claim having seen bone flour and dried blood there. The product description bears a warning that you have to rinse well all of the vegetables and edible herbs covered in the repellents. Make sure you also wear protective cloves when tossing the granules.
As for the complaints in the comments sections, they are mostly written by the deer victims. “Rabbit haters” are quite happy over there. They even state that Nature’s Mace works well in winter. Thumbs up!
{code 631}
Price: Check current price
Liquid Rabbit Repellent
Nature’s Mace 40oz. Concentrate Rabbit Repellent
Another Nature’s Mace product has made it into our rating. It is aimed at getting rid of specifically rabbits and will suit those who don’t want to have the fuss with using granules. It has fewer customer reviews (about 50), but its rating is almost perfect: 4.9 stars out of 5. And don’t forget that the 40 oz. product costs only Check current price.
This isn’t granules, but a liquid repellent. You are to dissolve it in the water in the proportion stated and spray it over your territory with a hose, a spray or even a watering can. The solution concentration differs, so it won’t be difficult to treat ½ an acre with this product. According to some consumers, you don’t have to spray Nature’s Mace Rabbit Repellent all over the garden, as you can simply create a “barrier” along the perimeter of your site. Despite the fact that the manufacturer doesn’t state the contents of the bottle, it is likely to resemble that of Nature’s Mace 5 Lb Granular Deer & Rabbit Repellent.
As a rule, liquid repellents don’t work well when it’s raining. Here we’ve been able to find the customers’ stories describing Nature’s Mace survival over 2-3 downpours within a few weeks. Here is what Hollie writes: “Over the past few months we have gotten a lot of rain, which I thought would make it stop working as effectively, but I’m glad to say that it’s still working great! This 32oz jug mixes to make 4 gallons of mace, so you can get a lot of coverage with just a little of the product.”
Most of the satisfied customers “renew” their repelling barrier monthly. This makes this substance more expensive in comparison with its competitors: you can spend money on several such cans in one year. However, this drawback doesn’t really affect the product’s rating, as 96% of customers have found it useful.
{code 632}
Price: Check current price
A Review of Liquid Fence Spray, Concentrate and Granules
Liquid Fence is a brand which has become a repellent market leader. Many complain of its expensiveness, though. Is it that good? Is LF worth its price?
The brand Liquid Fence sells various types of mosquito, cat, dog, rat and even snake repellents. We are interested in 4 Liquid Fence products, which were designed for eliminating rabbits and deer. They are Liquid Fence 110, Liquid Fence 265, Liquid Fence 113 and Liquid Fence 112. The advantage of such an assortment is that a consumer can choose between a spray, a concentrate, granules or they can even combine these products. In any case, the rating of any LF product mentioned in our review is higher than 4 stars out of 5.
Liquid Fence 113 Deer and Rabbit Repellent, 40-Ounce Concentrate
This is the most popular product of the “Big 4”. When it comes to the chemical composition, this is the most powerful and concentrated mixture existing. 40 quart of such concentrate will be enough to cover 10 000 sq. m. No rival products can boast of the same. Among the active ingredients of the product, you’ll find natural rabbit deterrents, such as putrescent whole egg solids and garlic. They repel the rabbits well both separately and when combined with other organic or artificial chemical components.
The application is piece of cake. You have to mix about 8 oz. of the product in a gallon of water (the entire bottle will be enough for about 5 gallons), and then you can start spraying. You’d better “renew this liquid fence” more often than others. The manual states that it has to be done once in a fortnight within the first month of use, and then the spraying is to be monthly. The customer reviews differ a bit from the official information. They doubt the claim that the product is rain-proof. A user states: “I live in the North-West where it rains a lot, so at this time of the year I have been spraying at least once a week depending how much rain has fallen”. Another one adds that “if it rains a lot you’ll need to reapply it. Otherwise we put it in monthly and have had pretty good results”.
Some experienced gardeners don’t recommend spraying Liquid Fence along the perimeter of the garden and using it all over the place. According to them, it’s better to spray Liquid Fence 113 on certain plants, their leaves and trunks. This will neither repel nor poison birds and pets. Don’t expect the product to be extremely effective when directly applied to the vegetables and fruits. LF is not designed for them; you’d better spray the concentrate around them and additionally spray the leaves.
Liquid Fence works well in winter, though: “Last winter (2014-2015) I tried the Liquid Fence on some Azaleas and flowering trees which typically get heavily browsed by the deer and rabbits all winter. After spraying them with stinky Liquid Fence they didn’t even touch it!!! This spring I was treated to some fantastic shows of flowers like I have never had before due to the browsing over the winter” – states one of the users.
The only disadvantage which you can find fault with is that the smell of the liquid is rather unpleasant. All in all, it gets ventilated within a day from spraying. As for the rest, Liquid Fence 113 didn’t get its title of the most reliable and powerful product among the similar ones in vain, and its price of Check current price is fully justified.
What can we say about the three other Liquid Fence products? They contain the same active ingredients, as LF 113 does. Let’s go over these remaining repellents very fast.
Liquid Fence 112 is a bottle with a built-in spray. It will suit the owners of small gardens who need to solve their problem really fast. There is nothing to be dissolved; the repellent is ready-to-use. We haven’t found any complaints of the effectiveness of LF 112 in the comments section.
Price: Check current price
Liquid Fence 265 Granular Deer and Rabbit Repellent, 5 Pounds is the manufacturer’s first attempt at introducing granules. It costs 20 bucks cheaper than the concentrate, but doesn’t sell as well. Its effectiveness in winter is a bit higher, although the granules are not convenient to work with.
{code 634}
Price: Check current price
Liquid Fence 110 is a concentrate, a 32 oz bottle costs as much as a 40 oz LF 113 bottle. We haven’t found any drawbacks here, the product works well and a single bottle will be enough for covering 8 000 sq.m.
Price: Check current price
Best Rabbit Deterrents
As a rabbit deterrent you can use self-supporting mesh as a physical barrier, Scarecrows and Motion activated sprinklers.
Pest Control Pop Up is a sort of a tent for your garden plants which is easy to install and to remove when necessary. It comes in different shapes and sizes, and cost from Check current price; The netting will provide proper air circulation, let light and rain but won’t let the rabbits spoil your crops or flowers.
{code 635}
When using frightening devices like Scarecrows (Check current price) and Yard Enforcer Motion Activated Sprinklers (Check current price) change their location regularly so that rabbits do not habituate to them.
{code 636}
{code 637}
Rabbit Repellent Pellets
Bonide (BND2362) – Repels-All Animal Repellent, Granules)
The manufacturers didn’t add any lethal poisons to this product. They’ve stuck to the idea of child and pet safety. The chemists count on the effect of essential oils: cedar, cinnamon and cloves to lemongrass and rosemary. You can even use it indoors! Diatom soil makes up for the rest of Repels-All Animal Repellent as a non-active ingredient. You’ll find no artificial chemicals here.
What is really surprising is that the longest period of granules action is up to “1 year in any weather conditions”. We haven’t found a single real comment attesting that this repellent works well either in the winter or all-year around. But the thing is that the product has been launched only recently, so no “winter” feedback can be there. So far the customers are positive that the product works well even after a heavy rain, which is also good enough.
What do the users detest about it? They might as well dislike the smell and the threat it poses to the pet rodents. Celeste says, that “This product has a strong odor and I cannot understand how it could qualify for indoor use. I put it in my doorway and had to sweep it up and toss it outside because it was giving me a headache. The scent still lingered throughout my house so I scrubbed the ground with soap. I can see why the animals stay away: the smell is awful! I did not notice any bugs or mice while using this product”
What is praised? Its simplicity to use and effectiveness!
{code 633}
Price: Check current price
Best Rabbit Repellents and Deterrents Comparison Chart
| Product | Type of Repellent | Active Ingredients |
| Nature’s Mace 5 Lb | Granules | Putrescent egg solid, and peppermint oil |
| Nature’s Mace 40oz | Concentrated Liquid | Putrescent egg solid, and peppermint oil |
| Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent | Granules | Cedar, cinnamon, clove, lemongrass and rosemary oils |
| Liquid Fence 113, 40 oz
|
Concentrated Liquid | Putrescent whole egg solids, garlic and thyme oil |
| Liquid Fence 112, 1 Quart
|
Ready-to-use Spray | Putrescent whole egg solids, garlic and thyme oil |
| Liquid Fence 265, 5 Pounds | Granules | Putrescent whole egg solids, garlic and thyme oil |
| Liquid Fence 110, 32 oz
|
Concentrated Liquid | Putrescent whole egg solids, garlic and thyme oil |
| Pest Control Pop Up | Netting barrier | – |
| Scarecrows | Scarecrow | – |
| Orbit 62100 Yard Enforcer | Motion Activated Sprinkler | – |
100% Natural Homemade Rabbit Deterrent
Last but not least, we’ve promised you a universal recipe of a liquid hot and spicy homemade repellent designed by the North Dakota State University experts. Here it is: “Red cayenne, Jalapeno or habanera fresh peppers can be used in the preparation. Jalapenos should be hot enough to keep the bunnies away. The quickest way to come up with a concoction is to take three fresh peppers and run them through a food processor with enough water added to create a liquid. Pour the liquid through a cheesecloth mesh into a glass quart jar. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive or other vegetable oil, a squirt of Elmer’s glue and a drop or two of liquid dishwashing detergent. Use one part of the concentration to 10 parts water. Shake well just before using. This should discourage the bunnies without hurting them. If not, then make the concentration stronger, to 30%, or just go up to the cayenne pepper for extra heat. Be sure to reapply after new growth appears or after a good rain”.
NB by UC IPM! The effectiveness of the repellents is limited. They work best to protect woody plants during the early years before they bear fruit or during winter. Most, except for some of the taste repellents, can’t be used on plants or plant parts that humans eat.
Read our article about how to get rid of rabbits and keep them out of your garden to learn about all of the methods of rabbit control
{code 425}
{code 34}
