Rabbit Snares?

unregistered6474 · #1 01/19/11, 10:51 AM

I live in a regular subdivision neighborhood with a severe rabbit infestation. The proximity of our neighbor's houses to ours means that it's impossible to shoot them. I have caught a couple in my live trap, but it is very rare.

They are destroying our landscaping, so I want to reduce the population. Since there is snow on the ground, I've noticed that they follow the same trails through our cedar picket fence.

Would it be possible to put up a snare between the fence boards to catch these varmits? The space between the fence boards is only about 6".

If you have any advice on how to make trapping more successful, I would appreciate that, too.

Le Petit Norman · #2 01/19/11, 11:49 AM

fishhead · #3 01/19/11, 12:34 PM

Yes. Snares are very effective and you can eat them later.

Usingmyrights · #4 01/19/11, 12:51 PM

Snaring will work. You can try setting your trap on the trails that they're running too.

shawnlee · #5 01/19/11, 02:37 PM

I found homemade box traps work really well as a kid...have not tried one in years...

They seem to work even better with mesh at the far end, instead of a solid board....

OkieDavid · #6 01/19/11, 02:37 PM

Highly effective and highly illegal in most states that I'm aware of (dry land sets)....Second part may not be a problem until you catch the neighbor's cat. Why not just fix the problem with fencing/barriers now that you can see where they are gaining entrance through gaps in your fence? As to trapping efficiency, make sure your live trap is covered with a blanket or something to make it appear as a hollow log and place sticks on the trap pan to extend it's range. Anyone else remember making rabbit gums?

Edited to add- sorry Shawnlee, I was typing as you posted....

unregistered6474 · #7 01/19/11, 03:27 PM

Thanks for the suggestion on covering the live trap - I will give that a shot.

I wouldn't leave any snares up for a long amount of time - I love animals and I definitely wouldn't want to catch any kitties. This is truly a last resort. Our neighbors pretty much operate a bunny brothel - there are four adult rabbits living underneath their deck now, and when spring comes it's not unusual to see 6-10 baby rabbits hopping around in their yard and over to ours.

I have put up little wire fences around our fruit trees and I've lined the inside of our fence with chicken wire. The chicken wire is not stiff enough and they have pushed it down to get through. In the spring I will put up heavier wire the inside of my fence.

Any suggestions on what to bait the live trap with? I have celery, strawberries, apples and baby carrots.

oregon woodsmok · #8 01/19/11, 04:33 PM

Personally, I'd steer away from anything that kills an animal. Too easy to kill the neighbor's cat or chihuahua, which is not going to improve your relationship with the neighbors.

If you know where the rabbits have their trails, the live trapping should improve.

I just fence the bunnies out and leave them for the hawks and owls to deal with. You might try lining that fence with poultry netting.

Or get yourself a nice greyhound.

wolffeathers · #9 01/19/11, 05:16 PM

I imagine that in a subdivision setting, snares may attract too much attention(and as stated earlier are illegal in many places).

There are plans on how to make rabbit boxes online. May be better off going with those, since there is a good chance there are cats and dogs running about as well. A small box would probably attract much less attention than a rabbit(or cat) thrashing on the end of a snare. Then you could do away with or relocate rabbits in a discreet manner.

Ryan NC · #10 01/19/11, 10:40 PM

I wouldn't go with snares in your situation... what you are thinking would work like a charm but the risk is to high for non target! You can push your live trap against the hole and accomplish near the same effect, cover the trap but leave it to where they can see out the other side. Apples with a bit of vanilla poured on it (or a cotton ball) have been the best rabbit bait I've found but it's still lacking.

What you really need is a multi-catch live trap (google "colony trap") wired open up against that opening for a few days to a week where the bunnies get use to it being there and running through it then unwired for the catch. It works great for feral cats and I'm sure it would work for rabbits as well.

braggscowboy · #11 01/19/11, 11:12 PM

Okiedave, from one okie to another. I made rabbit "gums" (not sure where that word comes from", but that is what I was told they were. I had several and would trap and sell them for .50 each. Good money during the day. Back in the late 40's and early 50's. We also would eat them and I liked them then, but have not eaten one in a long time. I still have a "gum" that I bought somewhere and have used in the garden, and it still works today!