Author Topic: Any garden plants so poisonous they will kill rabbits that nibble them?  (Read 1101 times)

zxcvbob

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I'm serious.  Wolfbane, maybe?  Foxgloves?  Indian tobacco?  Rosary pea?  Castor bean?  (I know those are all ornamentals)  The damn rabbits have destroyed everything I have planted (or replanted) this year.  I just noticed that they mowed down some foot-tall sunflowers that were wrapped in cheap tomato cages and chicken wire.  They went in over the top of the chicken wire.  I don't think rabbits even like sunflowers (the leaves are fuzzy), they are just destroying anything they see with some kind of wire cage around it.
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Jim147

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I know what i would be eating for a while.
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WLJ

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Get a cat
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cordex

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MechAg94

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Get a cat
My cousin growing up had a black lab retriever who loved to chase rabbits through the woods.
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BobR

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Will rabbits eat oleander and if they do will they eat enough to kill them?

bob

230RN

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Get a cat

Seconded.  I call for the question to be put on the floor. Poisoning is a shitty way to put something down.

Assuming firearms and pellet guns are out of bounds, you might try fox piss if the garden isn't too close to the house.  There are some downsides to its use.  With my acute sense of smell, the 16oz noted below would be enough for 640 acres.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Just-Scentsational-16-oz-Red-Fox-Urine-Small-Animal-Deterrent-FU-16/205430550

Terry, 230RN
« Last Edit: June 19, 2021, 03:55:21 AM by 230RN »

Pb

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I am thinking if a plant is so poisonous it will kill a rabbit, it will taste so bad the animal will not eat it. 

230RN

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^ Not so.  Chocolate for dogs, poinsettias for cats, mushrooms for humans come to mind.

Food that's just turned bad for humans ("food poisoning") as in botulism.

A Faggiato caramel macchiato with non-fat skim milk and extra whipped cream for a man will shrink everything between his knees and his bellybutton.

Terry, 230RN
« Last Edit: June 20, 2021, 01:27:34 AM by 230RN »

Devonai

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The tobacco fields in my area use coyote urine to discourage critters, much to the dismay of my UPS driver and the rest of his customers.  It seems there is no amount of packaging that can stop that smell.
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zxcvbob

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I've set up a Havahart trap along the chain link fence close to where the sunflowers were; I put an apple inside for bait.  Pellet gun is not out of bounds on my own property and I'm a pretty good shot with one, but I seldom see the rabbits except when they are in the neighbors' yards.

If I catch one, I'm not going to haul it across town and release it like Wife wants, I will use it for compost; maybe plant a pumpkin on top of its shallow grave instead of putting it in the compost pile.
"It's good, though..."

charby

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We are having a drought so anything lush and green is food. I fence my garden, fyi.
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zxcvbob

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Do rabbits not eat wild amaranth?  Or creeping charlie?  (maybe they don't)  There's plenty of that and it's more lush than my poor plants that I'm setting out. 

But anyway, one down, probably 40 or 50 to go.  I caught one already in the Havahart trap.  It was checking out the okra I planted where the sunflowers were.  Drowned it, gave it to the dog and she seemed confused because I killed it first and it was cold (from the water.)   I buried it in the compost pile, and if something digs it up that's okay as long as they don't try to bring it in the house ;)
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JTHunter

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 >:D Get a scoped pellet rifle.
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tokugawa

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Too bad there is not a store called "Owls to go". There are a few Great Horned Owls that hang out around here and they are death on rabbits.

230RN

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zxcvbob said,

"If I catch one, I'm not going to haul it across town and release it like Wife wants, I will use it for compost; maybe plant a pumpkin on top of its shallow grave instead of putting it in the compost pile."

Ah, yes.  Recapturing / recycling  the nitrogen the rabbit stole from your veggies in the first place. Maybe that scientific logic will change spousie's mind.

Do scare"crow" owls discourage rabbits?  Don't know, because of the cats, we never had a problem with rabbits.

     

Heck, some of them are even solar-powered.

Terry

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« Last Edit: June 20, 2021, 07:11:27 AM by 230RN »

charby

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Do rabbits not eat wild amaranth?  Or creeping charlie?  (maybe they don't)  There's plenty of that and it's more lush than my poor plants that I'm setting out. 


Ground ivy and water hemp are bitter tasting.
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RoadKingLarry

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zxcvbob said,

"If I catch one, I'm not going to haul it across town and release it like Wife wants, I will use it for compost; maybe plant a pumpkin on top of its shallow grave instead of putting it in the compost pile."

Ah, yes.  Recapturing / recycling  the nitrogen the rabbit stole from your veggies in the first place. Maybe that scientific logic will change spousie's mind.

Do scare"crow" owls discourage rabbits?  Don't know, because of the cats, we never had a problem with rabbits.

     

Heck, some of them are even solar-powered.

Terry

Pic credit and source in image URL

I've got one of those in my garden. The rabbits don't seem to be bothered by it. I move it around regularly in an attempt for the vermin not to get used to it but it doesn't seem to make much difference.
The local owls though do seemed to be miffed by it. We've had at least 2 instances where something has attacked the plastic owl in the dark. The 1st time the wife was out on the back deck smoking when she heard an owl hooting, then heard something making a commotion in the garden then the owl was hooting in a perturbed manner from a different direction. Another time I was doing my morning garden check and found the plastic beak had been knocked off the owl decoy and there were some deep scratches in the plastic.
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sumpnz

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^ Not so.  Chocolate for dogs, poinsettias for cats, mushrooms for humans come to mind.

Food that's just turned bad for humans ("food poisoning") as in botulism.

A Faggiato caramel macchiato with non-fat skim milk and extra whipped cream for a man will shrink everything between his knees and his bellybutton.

Terry, 230RN

For the most part Pb is right.  While there are a few exceptions, in general wild animals and even livestock won’t eat anything poisonous or even irritating to them so long as they have abundant sources of their normal food.  A starving animal is different, that kind of stress causes all kinds of otherwise irrational behaviors.  But it’s why intentional poisoning can be difficult.  You have to mask the taste of the poison so they consume enough to get a fatal dose before they figure out the poison is there.

K Frame

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Owls?

Ivy?

Buncha pussies...

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BobR

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For the most part Pb is right.  While there are a few exceptions, in general wild animals and even livestock won’t eat anything poisonous or even irritating to them so long as they have abundant sources of their normal food.  A starving animal is different, that kind of stress causes all kinds of otherwise irrational behaviors.  But it’s why intentional poisoning can be difficult.  You have to mask the taste of the poison so they consume enough to get a fatal dose before they figure out the poison is there.

The one thing I have seen cows eat on purpose that will not be the best thing they ever ate was new growth Johnson grass just on the other side of the fence.The good thing is although it isn't good for them it is the Johnson grass after a frost that will really make them wish they had tried another source of food.

bob

zxcvbob

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Yeah, Johnson Grass can be full of cyanide.  I think that's mainly if it's stressed.  New growth probably isn't bad.  Johnson Grass was imported as a cattle food before they figured out it was toxic.
"It's good, though..."

zxcvbob

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My dog just killed a much larger rabbit than the one I caught.  I think hers was the one that lived to the north of us and damaged the flower beds.  The one I caught was from the southeast neighbor's yard and ravaged the vegetable garden.

She doesn't seem to know what to do with it now.  :lol:  The smaller dog who is probably too arthritic to catch a rabbit (at least w/o hurting herself doing it) would know to eat it.
"It's good, though..."

Ben

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She doesn't seem to know what to do with it now.  :lol:  The smaller dog who is probably too arthritic to catch a rabbit (at least w/o hurting herself doing it) would know to eat it.

I'll hire out Steve to you. He's killed three rockchucks this last week. I'm being overrun with them. He must have some dachshund in him, because he was savage.
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zxcvbob

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I'll hire out Steve to you. He's killed three rockchucks this last week. I'm being overrun with them. He must have some dachshund in him, because he was savage.

I'm pretty sure Shadow broke its neck.  (you ought to see her shake a rope toy)  But now she's carrying it around like a trophy.  Wife is perturbed about seeing the rabbit; doesn't care that it's dead, she just doesn't wanna see it.
"It's good, though..."