Rabbit Control

Understanding rabbit biology explains why populations grow so quickly and why professional management is often necessary to prevent serious damage.

Breeding: Rabbits are among the most prolific breeders of any UK mammal. The breeding season runs from January to August, peaking in spring (March to May). A doe can produce 3 to 7 kittens per litter and have up to 5 litters per year. Under ideal conditions, a single doe can produce 30 or more young annually. Young rabbits reach sexual maturity at just 3 to 4 months, meaning the offspring of an early spring litter are breeding by midsummer.

Social behaviour: Rabbits live in social groups centred on a warren (burrow system). Dominant does hold the best burrow positions, closest to good feeding areas. Males establish a hierarchy through aggression and scent marking. The social structure means that removing individual rabbits without reducing the overall population has limited effect.

Feeding: Rabbits are herbivores that eat approximately 500g of vegetation per day. They graze selectively, preferring young, nutritious growth including cereal crops, vegetables, and the bark and shoots of young trees. Rabbits practise caecotrophy, re-ingesting their soft faecal pellets to extract maximum nutrition from their food.

Activity patterns: Rabbits are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk. They spend the majority of the day in their burrows, emerging to feed in late afternoon and early morning. On quiet, undisturbed land, they may feed throughout the day.

On agricultural land, rabbit management is not optional. The Pests Act 1954 places a duty on occupiers of land to control rabbit populations and prevent them from spreading to neighbouring land. We provide comprehensive agricultural rabbit management programmes.

Crop protection: Rabbit damage to winter wheat, oilseed rape, vegetable crops, and grassland can be significant. We assess the level of damage, the size and location of the rabbit population, and recommend a management plan that combines active control with preventative measures.

Woodland and tree protection: Young woodland plantations, orchard trees, and amenity plantings are vulnerable to rabbit browsing and bark stripping. Tree guards (spiral or mesh) protect individual trees. For larger plantings, rabbit-proof fencing around the boundary is more cost-effective.

Grassland management: On grazing land, rabbits compete directly with livestock for forage. A population of 7 to 10 rabbits consumes as much grass as one sheep. On horse paddocks and sports grounds, rabbit burrowing creates trip hazards and uneven surfaces.

For agricultural clients, we provide seasonal management programmes with scheduled visits during key periods (spring breeding season, autumn pre-winter). Regular management keeps populations at acceptable levels and prevents the rapid growth that leads to serious crop damage.

For small gardens with a few visiting rabbits, installing rabbit-proof fencing is usually the most practical DIY solution. Standard galvanised wire mesh (31mm gauge) should be 1050mm above ground with 150mm buried and turned outward. This is effective and relatively straightforward to install.

When you need Wynyard Pest Control: If you have an established warren on your land, rabbit damage across a larger area, or a population that is growing despite your efforts, professional management is needed. DIY methods cannot replicate the effectiveness of ferreting, long netting, or coordinated shooting programmes, and they cannot address the warren itself.

For agricultural land, scheduled professional management is the most cost-effective approach. The cost of regular management is far less than the value of crops lost to uncontrolled rabbit damage.

Spring (March to May) - Breeding peak: Rabbit breeding reaches full intensity in spring, with does producing multiple litters of 3 to 7 kits per litter throughout the season. Damage to lawns, garden borders, crops, and young trees accelerates rapidly. New warren entrances appear in banks, hedgerows, and garden perimeters. This is the most critical period for agricultural and garden damage across the North East.

Summer (June to August) - Population peak: Rabbit populations reach their annual maximum by mid-summer, with up to 80% of the year's young born by August. Grazing damage to crops, pasture, and amenity grassland is at its highest. Rabbit damage costs UK agriculture an estimated £115 million per year, with much of this concentrated in the spring and summer months.

Autumn (September to November) - Harvest and transition: Rabbit damage to autumn-sown crops and newly planted hedgerow or woodland becomes a concern. Population numbers start to decline through natural mortality, disease (myxomatosis and RHD), and predation. This is the beginning of the most effective period for professional ferreting and warren management.

Winter (December to February) - Best control window: The most effective period for professional rabbit control. Vegetation is low, warrens are clearly visible, and ferreting is most productive when rabbit numbers are concentrated in fewer active warrens. Rabbit-proof fencing installation is also most practical during winter when ground conditions and visibility favour construction work.

For homeowners, protecting gardens from rabbit damage combines physical barriers with planting choices and garden management.

Physical barriers:

• Rabbit-proof fencing around the entire garden or around specific vulnerable areas (vegetable plots, flower borders, young trees)
• Tree guards: spiral or mesh guards around the base of young trees and shrubs. Ensure guards extend high enough (at least 600mm) to prevent bark stripping when snow raises the ground level
• Netting over vegetable beds and fruit cages during the growing season

Planting choices: Some plants are naturally less attractive to rabbits, though no plant is completely rabbit-proof. Plants that rabbits tend to avoid include lavender, rosemary, box, daffodils, foxglove, aquilegia, and most ornamental grasses. Plants they frequently damage include lettuce, beans, peas, brassicas, tulips, roses, and most young soft-stemmed plants.

Garden management:

• Clear dense ground cover near boundaries where rabbits shelter before entering the garden
• Block gaps under gates, fences, and hedges where rabbits squeeze through
• Remove fallen fruit and vegetable waste that attracts rabbits into the garden

For gardens bordering farmland, woodland, or open countryside, ongoing rabbit pressure is likely. Combining physical barriers with professional management of the wider rabbit population is the most effective approach.

Two viral diseases cause significant mortality in wild rabbit populations. Understanding these diseases helps you assess the health of rabbit populations on your land and the timing of management operations.

Myxomatosis: Introduced to the UK in 1953, myxomatosis initially killed an estimated 99% of the UK rabbit population. The virus is spread by rabbit fleas and mosquitoes. Symptoms include swelling of the eyes, nose, and genitals, followed by skin tumours and secondary infections. Death usually occurs within 10 to 14 days. UK rabbits have developed partial genetic resistance, and mortality rates are now lower, but the disease still causes significant seasonal die-offs, particularly in autumn. Myxomatosis does not affect humans, pets, or livestock.

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD): A highly contagious and rapidly fatal viral disease. RHD1 arrived in the UK in 1992, and the newer variant RHD2 was identified in 2010. RHD2 is particularly concerning as it can affect young rabbits (previously resistant to RHD1) and is harder to detect. Death can occur within 24 to 72 hours, often with few visible symptoms. RHD does not affect humans or livestock but is devastating to rabbit populations.

Impact on management: Disease outbreaks can temporarily reduce rabbit numbers, but populations recover quickly due to their high breeding rate. Disease should not be relied upon as a substitute for active management. Following an outbreak, the reduced competition for food can actually lead to faster population recovery as surviving rabbits breed more successfully.

Domestic rabbits: Pet rabbits can be vaccinated against both myxomatosis and RHD. If you keep domestic rabbits in an area with wild rabbit populations, vaccination is strongly recommended.