Have you considered a cat?

Edna

I don't have squirrels, but rabbits played havoc with many plants in the last few months. Our cat of many years passed on and that has encouraged more rabbits in our yard.

Thanks to someone on gardenweb, I've found a solution. Blend two eggs with a drop of dish soap and water. Spray on any plant enjoyed by the rabbits. They hate the smell of this concoction and will find other yards to munch in.

It is working here!

Happy

Find a hawk!!! (hee hee) The darn rabbits ate all my stuff last year....that is the rabbits and the dear! Now we have this huge hawk...in fact I think there may be two of them. I am not seeing nearly as many bunnies and squirrels....

We found the sheds were a big contributor to our rabbit problem. They love living under these things. So, we took their home away this year by putting (and burying) hardware mesh around the bottoms of any crawl space areas where they may reside. Hope it helps this year. Sorry about the blurry pic.

{{gwi:661633}}

I only ever see evidence of "munching" in early spring when plants are waking up. It seems like they only like the taste of the foliage when it's young. Perhaps Happy's recipe will work for you.

As for squirrels, I've never had them eat plants. Just dig up bulbs and make tons of holes in my garden. For the bulb problem, many people put chicken wire over the bulb to prevent the digging.

A cat might be a good idea. We have far too many strays in our neighborhood, so I think that really helps keep my problem to a minimum. Plus I have catnip in the yard- woops!

I actually enjoy the wildlife, what little of it we see in our neighborhood. Even though they can be destructive, I enjoy watching the squirrels, rabbits, and birds in the yard.

Tracy

I'll try Happy's recipe, thanks. I'll have to buy lots of eggs! I can't have a cat because of allergy issues in the family, but we do have a West Highland Terrier who is very keen to chase bunnies & squirrels. We keep him on a long line, though, because if he went after the bunnies he would chase them until he dropped from fatigue. I would never see him again. I have seen too many squished bunnies and squirrels on the road to consider letting him loose. I have him on the line a lot this time of year, but he's inside when I am at work, and I think that the bunnies are most active at dawn while we're all snoozing. I am going to try to fix the fencing, but I have seen them squeeze through unbelievably small spaces so don't know how much good that will do. Thank you all for your sympathy and helpful suggestions.

Brodie,

I feel your pain, I really do. Bunnies are not so much of a problem where I am, but squirrels are. They are digging, eating machines.

My neighbor tosses them sunflower seeds and now they are completely tamed. Total moochers! LOL

In fact, when we pull in our driveway, they run towards the car, not away, hoping for handouts.

They also walk along the fence taunting our 2 dogs. In addition, they dig up bulbs and feast on them.

Oh well, all you can do is hope for some kind of peaceful co-existence. :-)

Good luck! Just wanted to let you know you are not alone in your battles.

Marilyn

I tried the egg solution too. It was advice given to me by my aunt who lives in a rural part of Pennsylvania. Deer don't like it either.

Estelle

Good idea with the wire mesh. We had to get rid of our shed cuz of rats under it. Should have tried your idea. Oh well, we've made do without. Now DH has less garage space and I have more garden space!
I completely understand the frustration. We have squirrels. The dog helps with that but he is not always out. I can also sympathize about the rabbits but we have only one. This one:
{{gwi:661636}}
Ya just gotta love her.
Theresa

Why don't you feed the squirrels. I feed tons of birds and the squirrels have their own feeders. They do not bother any of my plants at all. So easy to do and gives them a nice meal as well. They love sunflower seeds. Just put up a hanging--or on the ground flat feeder and put seed in it daily. They will leave your plants alone and you should feel good that you are helping then as well. Good luck.

It is most unfortunate but true that if you feed squirrels, you just get more squirrels. And more. Their numbers will increase with the food supply. True of rabbits, too.

I'm fortunate to have 5 very large oak trees that produce huge amounts of acorns for the squirrels to feast on. They even dig up old acorns during the summer months, leaving my bulbs alone. So, I agree that giving squirrels an alternitave food source may be a good idea. The 6 squirrels that live in these oak trees (I believe they are a family unit) are very territorial over their food supply. I've seen them on numerus occasions, chase other squirrels out of the yard with loud barks as if to say, "Die, trespasser!"
I don't know if this is normal squirrel behavior but it is funny to see.
As for rabbits, I'm still working on that one. I think I'll try that spray solution.

The squirrels much prefer my oaks trees, the deer hate what I've planted, the bunnies are scared of my dogs, but I've got a problem with moles and turkeys! The turkeys keep rummaging through my flower beds and the moles keep tunneling through them. I can live with the turkeys, but it's warfare with the moles. I do use Liquid Fence on several plants to keep the deer and rabbit away--it smells awful, but definitely works.

Rabbits have been a big problem for me this year. We did have a hawk hunting in our yard last year but this year he seems absent. The bunnies, which are multiplying, have eaten my phlox, clematis, morning glories, poppies, dianthus, cosmos, my husband's favorite alpine saxifrage, and countless other things. I used to think they were cute. We bought a pellet gun and I will shoot one if I get the chance. Problem is the little buggers are so fast! Last week I was doing my best Elmer Fudd impression stalking rabbits at dawn in my nightgown. LOL! I don't live in the country so I bet the neighbors think I'm completely nuts. We also bought a live trap. If we catch them in there I would release them out in the country. I don't care how we get rid of them, I just want them to be gone.

I have a german shepherd but the rabbits are completely unbothered by her. We have a cat so she thinks she's not supposed to chase small furry things. She never pays any attention to the rabbits when she's out. I guess I'll try the eggs too, it can't hurt!

I have an explosion of bunnies here due to adjoining property that has new houses going up. I sit around the perimeter of my garden beds with my goldens and brush them real well. It works for about 2 weeks!

Another hint with the egg solution-get a pressure sprayer-it is a lot easier using that then using a spray bottle (can you say hand cramps)??

I live in the country on six acres surrounded by wooded areas so I have wildlife in my yard just about all the time. I have six huge flower gardens that never get touched by the deer, squirrels, rabbits, etc. Several years ago I discovered a very inexpensive and easy way to keep the 'munchkins' away from my flowers. Beginning in the early spring, I VERY LIGHTLY sprinkle Arm & Hammer carpet deodorizer on my munchable flowers, and then repeat about every three weeks. Rain does not affect it so you do not have to run out after a rain to reapply. I have not lost even ONE plant since I began doing this. In fact, they completely avoid my gardens after the first yearly application. It does not matter which scent you use. I have tried several and they all have worked.

Now if I could find a way to keep those blamed 6' rat snakes out of my yard I would be a very happy gardener!!!!

Hasenfeffer (Sour Rabbit Stew)

Serve with fresh mashed potatoes and celery sticks. Use the stock as gravy for mashed potatoes. Original recipe yield: 5 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

2 3/4 cups red wine vinegar
3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
8 whole cloves
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pickling spice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 (2 1/2 pound) rabbit, cleaned and cut into pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, combine the water, white sugar, whole cloves, onion, celery, lemon, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt, pickling spice and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn off and allow to cool. Place the rabbit pieces into the mixture to marinate. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread flour out onto a parchment or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flour is a light brown color.
Remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade, and discard the solids. Reserve the liquid for later.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat the chicken with the toasted flour. Place into the hot oil, and cook until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan, and set aside. If there is oil left in the pan, sprinkle enough of the toasted flour over it to absorb the liquid.
In a jar with a lid, mix 1/2 cup of the marinade with 1/4 cup of the remaining toasted flour. Close the lid, and shake vigorously until well blended with no lumps. Heat the pan with the rabbit drippings over low heat. Gradually stir in the marinade mixture, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
Return the rabbit pieces to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until the meat is falling off of the bones. You may remove the bones prior to serving if desired.

I'm ok with the rabbits & squirrels, but it's the darn chipmunks that are on my list. I put in a large granite patio laid in sand this spring and the chipmunks took up residence UNDER the patio. I'm having to lift stones and fill in with sand because their tunneling is making sections collapse. I used to think they were cute.....but I'm starting to feel like Bill Murray's character in Caddy Shack. We've tried flooding them out, poisons etc. My husband is reaching the point of pouring gas down the hole....

My cats LOVE chipmunks!!! Edible statues. I think they're cute, but they don't last too long, because they seem to think if they freeze, they can't be seen. I had one that lasted quite a while - he had an extensive tunnel network. It was quite amazing to see my 2 boys hunt together, to flush him out. Not sure how they divided their 'win'!

I know that the hunting part makes people squeamish about cats, but they do keep the vermin down.

Regards.

I had a terrible time with raccoons until someone mentioned using rubber snakes in teh yard. It worked. I haven't had a visitation since putting out several brightly coloured dollar store snakes. It may just work with other pests as well.
Ianna

Feeding the squirrels does get you more squirrels but then they're too spoiled to bother with the garden. You couldn't convince me not to feed them..I really enjoy the squirrels. One time, they beheaded a couple of tulips but then I "Ropelled" the tulips and it never happened again. I've had bunnies as well with no problems, probably because my lawn was 50% clover..again, they probably were too spoiled to bother with the perennials. So, I think it depends...harmony can happen. At my new house, I have the chipmunks..but as ntaylor said they seem to have the IQ of a sponge and the cats get them easily. It's a little sad, but I suppose it's for the best.

I tried the egg solution last weekend and so far the dianthus are untouched. However, the rabbits bit off the bud of the only remaining poppy that they hadn't already eaten.

Lol, if you dont have chipmunks and groundhogs too then you dont know what you're missing.

The chipmunks seem to have a need to dig up what I plant, the groundhog climbs the fence to check out my square foot garden, the squirrels dig into everything and the rabbits are everywhere. Still I love having them all in my yard and wouldn't have it any other way.

I just plant more and there seems to be enough left for everyone. I give some things a shot of liquid fence when it looks like there's some nibbling being done and it seems to help. I think having plenty of plants around helps, especially if you leave some of the broadleaf weeds that rabbits like. I've noticed rabbits ignoring my plants to eat the weeds, even in the middle of the beds, so dont weed everything too zealously.