A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 bunny problem

So, although I have bunnies in my home I don't know what to do with them in my yard. I am a very beginner gardener, I spent the past 2 weeks in the yard planting things, getting mulch down and attempting to beat back the weeds that seem to always win. However I have a pair of bunnies that have stolen a few of my new plants. I know that once the plants get bigger they can handle a little gnawing, but until then I am feeding the buns some expensive flowers! Is there anything I can put on my beds that will put the bunnies off? any one I ask around town says to kill them, which is definitley out of the question. Any suggestions?

Mammals dont like HOT pepper. There are hot pepper powders and liquid to add to bird seed to keep squirrels at bay. It also works for deer and bear.
get some of that or the hottest pepper you can find at your supermarket, and sprinkle a border around it.
Theres also a product called shake away thats a predator urine powder. They smell it and think Mr fox is nearby and go away.
Alot of the deer repellant aprays are also for squirrels and rabbits. Suh as Deer Off, and Bobbex. Usually available at garden centers or hardware stores.

A couple of other taste repellents that work well are Chew Knot. Ropel, and tree Gard.
I really don't think that predator urine products work myself. I am a hunter and they sell the same things to keep deer away, that hunters use as a cover scent so they don't smell the human scent. They are just a Madison Avenue gimmick.
From a hunters point of view, animals can not differentiate between one animals urine or another. It does not act as a warning. If it did wabbits would not live anywhere where any predators happen to do their daily business.

I would be very careful using hot pepper products, they do work very well, but they can be a bit dangerous. If you do use them, wear rubber gloves, and full face protection, NOT vented goggles! This is from personal experience, a product called Hot Sauce landed me in the emergency room for about 3 hours with some medival torture device attached to my eyes to wash them out! Not one of the better experiences in my life. All that from a bit of residue on the package that the product was shipped in, getting on my hands then inadvertantly rubbed into my eyes. I didn't even apply the product!

My personal favorite is tree Gard. It is bitrex in a latex base. Do wear rubber gloves from the time you pick up the bottle until you put it away! If you don't make sure that you have some one with a cam corder taping your application, because if you get any of this stuff in your mouth I promise you will win America's Funniest Home Videos! It is one of the nastiest most fowl tasting substances in the world, and it will make your lips curl inside out!
If you get any residue in your mouth eat some Hershey's milk chocolate. Something in that counter acts the bitterness, other brands didn't work as well. It is always best to have it on hand before doing the application. (yes I have tasted it before, believe it or not on purpose, to check the chocolate theory).

Thanks so much for your advice, I will give those a try. So sorry for your emergency room visit. That must have been dreadful!