How to Get Rabbits Out of Your Yard and Keep Them Out

Rabbits leave when cover and food go and a fence blocks them. The 2-foot buried-wire fence spec, the repellents worth using, and what wastes money.

By Zakaria October 28, 2026 2 min read Save to Pinterest

An eastern cottontail rabbit sitting alert on a patchy lawn — Photo: Veronika_Andrews, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay

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Rabbits stay where there is food within a few seconds’ dash of cover. Break that pairing and they relocate.

The short answer

Rabbits need feeding ground close to escape cover, so the first step is clearing brush piles, closing gaps under decks and sheds, and cutting long grass along fence lines. Then fence what matters: 2 feet of 1-inch chicken wire with a further 6 inches buried or bent outward along the soil, since rabbits dig and push rather than jump. Capsaicin and putrescent-egg repellents work for one to two weeks between rains and only on sprayed growth. Ultrasonic devices do not work, and live-trapping just frees the territory for the next rabbit.

Clear cover first — brush, long grass, gaps under structures
Fence spec: 2 ft of 1-inch mesh, plus 6 in buried or flared out
Repellents are a bridge, not a fix — reapply every 1–2 weeks
Skip ultrasonic devices
Trapping does not hold — the territory refills

Step 1: take the cover away

Brush and log piles — the single biggest draw
Gaps under decks, sheds and steps — block with hardware cloth, skirted into the soil
Long grass along fences and foundations — mow a clear band
Dense low shrubs — lift the skirt so there is no hollow underneath
Stacked pots, tarps and pallets sitting on soil

Step 2: fence what you care about

element	spec	why
Height above ground	24 in	They push and dig far more than they jump
Mesh size	1 in or smaller	Young rabbits pass through 2 in
Below ground	6 in buried, or bent outward as an L	Stops digging at the base
Gates	flush to the ground, no gap	The usual failure point

Cheaper than fencing the whole yard

Fence the vegetable beds and the three or four ornamentals that get eaten, not the boundary. A raised bed with a 24-inch mesh collar is a fraction of the cost of a perimeter fence and keeps working.

Step 3: protect individual plants

Tree and shrub trunks: a mesh cylinder, held clear of the bark, 24 in tall — rabbits strip bark in winter and ring-bark young trees
New transplants: a mesh cloche for the first few weeks
Rows of seedlings: floating row cover pinned down at the edges

What not to bother with

Ultrasonic repellers — no reliable evidence
Human hair, soap, mothballs — anecdote only, and mothballs are a pesticide used illegally when scattered
Trapping and relocating — the vacancy fills, and it may not be legal where you are

Common questions

What is the fastest way to get rabbits out of a yard?

Remove the cover they shelter in, then fence what you want to protect. Rabbits will not stay in open ground with no hiding place within a short dash, so clearing brush piles, closing gaps under decks and sheds, and cutting long grass along fences moves them out faster than any repellent. Fencing then stops the ones that keep visiting to feed. Done together, the yard is usually clear in a week or two.

What fence keeps rabbits out?

Two feet of 1-inch chicken wire or hardware cloth above ground, with six more inches buried or bent outward into an L along the soil surface. Rabbits do not jump high but they dig and they push under, so the buried or flared skirt matters more than the height. The mesh must be an inch or smaller — young rabbits pass through 2-inch mesh easily. Keep the bottom tight to the ground and check it after frost heave.

Do rabbit repellents actually work?

The capsaicin and putrescent-egg sprays do work, for a while, and only where they are sprayed. They wash off in rain, need reapplying every one to two weeks, and do not protect new growth that appears after spraying. They are a reasonable bridge while a fence goes in or for a few ornamental plants, not a solution for a vegetable garden. Ultrasonic devices have no good evidence behind them.

What do rabbits hate the most?

Open ground with no escape cover, dogs, and strong-smelling deterrents on the plants themselves. In terms of planting, they tend to avoid strongly aromatic herbs such as rosemary, lavender, sage and mint, along with alliums and daffodils. That preference is not absolute — a hungry rabbit in late winter eats things it would ignore in June.

Should I trap or remove rabbits?

It rarely helps. Live-trapping removes the individuals, not the vacancy, and more move in from the surrounding area within weeks; in many places releasing a trapped wild rabbit elsewhere is also restricted. Fencing and habitat change are the only things that change the outcome permanently. Where damage is severe and legal, local hunting or professional control is a separate discussion to have with your wildlife agency.

Will a dog keep rabbits away?

A dog with regular access to the whole yard is one of the more effective deterrents there is, because rabbits respond to predator presence and scent. A dog confined to one side of the yard only protects that side. It is not a reason to get a dog, but if you have one, letting it patrol at dawn and dusk — when rabbits feed — does measurable work.

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A cottontail rabbit sitting alert at the edge of a lawn where the grass meets a mulched border

Backyard Animals · Sep 28, 2026