Pest guide · animal

Cottontail rabbit identification & organic control

Sylvilagus floridanus

How to identify cottontail rabbit

A small, prolific grazer that clips seedlings and tender greens at ground level. A single doe raises 3-6 litters per year.

Lettuce, Bean seedling, Pea, Broccoli seedling, Carrot tops, Strawberry.

Clean 45° clip on stems (their sharp teeth cut like scissors — deer damage is ragged). Round pellet droppings; damage almost always below 24 in.

Nesting (kits) (March-Sept) — Nests in shallow depressions in lawns and beds — mow around them.
Juvenile & adult (Year-round) — Peak damage on seedlings in spring; bark-gnawing on young trees in winter.

1. 2 ft hardware cloth fence · medium effort
1/2-inch mesh, 24 in tall, buried 6 in deep (they dig). Fully solves rabbit pressure on small beds.
When: Before planting
2. Row cover cloches over transplants · low effort
Cover seedlings with mesh cloches or floating row cover pinned tight until plants are past the clip stage (8+ in).
When: Transplant → established
3. Blood-meal or predator-urine repellents · low effort
Sprinkle blood meal along bed edges; refresh weekly and after rain. Coyote/fox urine granules extend deterrent life.
When: Weekly
4. Habitat removal · medium effort
Cut back brush piles, weedy fence lines, and tall grass within 30 ft of the garden. Rabbits refuse to cross open ground.
When: Early spring

1/2-inch hardware cloth (24 in × 25 ft roll) — Only barrier that reliably keeps rabbits out; buried edge stops digging. · Home Depot, Amazon
Plantskydd granular repellent — Rain-resistant blood-meal deterrent that lasts 3-4 months. · Amazon
Havahart 1-door live trap (small) — For relocation where legal; bait with lettuce or apple. · Amazon, farm supply

Wrap fruit-tree trunks with hardware cloth or spiral tree guards to 24 in through winter.
Remove leaf-pile hiding spots at the garden perimeter.
Encourage natural predators (owl boxes, unmowed hawk perches).