Rabbit Damage To Look Out For
The Eastern cottontail and desert cottontail are the rabbits most likely to be found nibbling in residential yards and planted beds. Almost exclusively vegetarian, they favor a wide variety of perennial and annual flowers, vegetables, shrubs, berry fruits, clover and tree bark.
Most Obvious Symptoms Of A Rabbit
Plants that have been damaged by rabbits show distinctive characteristics. Typically, young plant stems and leaves are nibbled down to the base. Tender young seedlings, seem to disappear overnight, while older flowering plants are severed half way up the stem, with their tops lying on the ground nearby. The lower branches of a newly planted apple tree may be cut off and lying on the ground. The lower bark of certain ornamental and fruit trees may be chewed, often damaging the tree enough to kill it.
Rabbit damage is easily distinguished from that of other critters by the type of cut on the nibbled branch or stem. Severed ends look as if they were cut with a knife and the cut is always diagonal rather than straight across. Look for triangular, 3 footed track patterns and pea-sized droppings to confirm their presence in the area.
