Is Rabbit Repellant Safe for Tortoises?

[DesertGrandma]

The wild cottontail rabbits are eating the rubellia bushes that I use for tortoise food. I have been to the hardware store and found several repellant sprays but none of them sound very safe for eating. Looked at blood meal and not sure if that is safe either. The only thread I could find talks about solar powered sound emitting repellers that apparently aren't effective. Help please. What do you use to keep rabbits away that won't harm your torts????

 

[yagyujubei]

Shotgun.

 

[Tom]

I don't consider those products safe AND I have not found any of them to work anyway. I trap them and shoot them whenever possible at the ranch, and just recently I wrapped my whole back yard with 24" hardware cloth to keep them out. So far so good. Haven't seen any "inside the wire" since I put it up. If you are squeamish about killing the little pests, then exclusion is the best course of action. You could also just build chicken wire circles around individual plants, and stake them down so the wind doesn't blow them away. This is what I have to do with all my opuntia. If I don't wrap them, the rabbits will sneak in at night, run around all my traps and nibble my tortoises food down to the ground.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Shotgun.

LOL but they are so cute

 

[Tom]

Shotgun.

Well yes, BUT, way too much noise in a neighborhood. I found a round called a CB Long. It is a .22lr round, but it is literally whisper quiet. Quieter than a pellet rifle. Not strong enough to cycle a semi, but it has enough power to go through two intact pumpkins and halfway through a 2x4 on the other side.

 

[DesertGrandma]

I don't consider those products safe AND I have not found any of them to work anyway. I trap them and shoot them whenever possible at the ranch, and just recently I just wrapped my whole back yard with 24" hardware cloth to keep them out. So far so good. Haven't seen any "inside the wire" since I put it up. If you are squeamish about killing the little pests, then exclusion is the best course of action. You could also just build chicken wire circles around individual plants, and stake them down so the wind doesn't blow them away. This is what I have to do with all my opuntia. If I don't wrap them, the rabbits will sneak in at night, run around all my traps and nibble my tortoises food down to the ground.

Good to know Tom. After reading the labels they didn't sound safe to me either. I could fence them out of the back yard but not the front and that is where these particular bushes are growing. Have relocated several rock squirrels (yes I am squeamish about killing them) so now the rabbits seem to be my only culprit. I will try your chicken wire circles and hopefully save some rubellia for tort food. They get to them early in the morning as soon as their is first light.

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Shotgun.

Well yes, BUT, way too much noise in a neighborhood. I found a round called a CB Long. It is a .22lr round, but it is literally whisper quiet. Quieter than a pellet rifle. Not strong enough to cycle a semi, but it has enough power to go through two intact pumpkins and halfway through a 2x4 on the other side.

Oh no, run bambi run.....LOL

 

[yagyujubei]

Cute, yet delicious. You might consider an electric fence, but with rabbits, it needs to be very close to the ground, and grass and weeds interfere. CB Caps work well, and are quiet because they are sub-sonic, and they also harm less of what a cottontail is made of - meat.

Shotgun.

LOL but they are so cute

 

[Jacqui]

Shotgun.

Well yes, BUT, way too much noise in a neighborhood. I found a round called a CB Long. It is a .22lr round, but it is literally whisper quiet. Quieter than a pellet rifle. Not strong enough to cycle a semi, but it has enough power to go through two intact pumpkins and halfway through a 2x4 on the other side.

Just imagine how much damage a stray bullet could do to an innocent person or pet, when you miss your target. Plus isn't that against the law in most cities, towns, and villages?

 

[yagyujubei]

I don't live in a city, town, or village. But, yeah, you just can't go shooting guns if you have neighbors close.

Shotgun.

Well yes, BUT, way too much noise in a neighborhood. I found a round called a CB Long. It is a .22lr round, but it is literally whisper quiet. Quieter than a pellet rifle. Not strong enough to cycle a semi, but it has enough power to go through two intact pumpkins and halfway through a 2x4 on the other side.

Just imagine how much damage a stray bullet could do to an innocent person or pet, when you miss your target. Plus isn't that against the law in most cities, towns, and villages?

 

[Tom]

Shotgun.

Well yes, BUT, way too much noise in a neighborhood. I found a round called a CB Long. It is a .22lr round, but it is literally whisper quiet. Quieter than a pellet rifle. Not strong enough to cycle a semi, but it has enough power to go through two intact pumpkins and halfway through a 2x4 on the other side.

Just imagine how much damage a stray bullet could do to an innocent person or pet, when you miss your target. Plus isn't that against the law in most cities, towns, and villages?

Are you joking? We aren't drunken high school boys firing wildly into the air. I use a scoped rifle and only take head shots. If I don't have a clean head shot with a safe backstop, my finger never even touches the trigger. Stray bullet?

Here are the four rules of firearm safety. These four rules, or some similar variation, are taught at every firearms school across the nation.
1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Do not point your gun at anything that you do not wish to destroy.
3. Be aware of your target AND BEYOND.
4. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

A person would have to violate at least 3 out of the 4 rules, all at the same time, in order to have a negligent discharge of the type you are afraid of.

Here in CA, under the guidelines of "depredation", it is completely legal to shoot, trap or poison, varmints and any pest that is damaging, or potentially damaging, livestock or landscaping. I was just having a conversation yesterday with a lady friend who raises and trains sheepdogs. Kelpies and border collies. Out here in the sticks, coyotes are a constant threat to her herd of sheep. She tried shooting them, but they are too wary and alert. She called fish and game and they actually came out to her place repeatedly with various traps and snares and showed her how and where to properly use them. So, not only is it legal, the government will actually help you do it and provide you with the necessary equipment.

 

[jackrat]

Get a honey badger. LOL

 

[african cake queen]

i just had to say, have they had a race yet? my pancake beat the rabbit here!'lol

 

[Jacqui]

Are you joking?

No, I was not joking, in many places it is illegal to shot off a gun within city limits. No, Tom I know a perfect person like you would never do any thing wrong.

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Get a honey badger. LOL

Looks they would, if they could. I had to look these up and the video I saw was amazing.

 

[Tom]

Legal... illegal... Pshhhh....

Minor technicality...

 

[Jacqui]

Legal... illegal... Pshhhh....

Minor technicality...

That says a whole lot about you!

 

[morloch]

Get a large dog!!

 

[DesertGrandma]

Back to the main question...Is Rabbit Repellant Safe For Tortoises...and would blood meal be toxic if it were put on the ground and not the leaves?

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Get a large dog!!

I have a dog, but my current problem is in the front yard and dogs are not allowed off leash. Anyway, my dog likes rabbits and doesn't chase them away, go figure. Wonder where he gets that??

 

[Jacqui]

I have not saw any articles on how safe they would be. I tend to stay away from any chemical, because what is put on the plant, will work it's way to the rest of the plant and into my tortoises if fed the leaves and blooms.

The blood meal however, should be safe. It is suppose to be made up of only blood with no added chemicals. Tortoises can eat blood, which they would if they stumbled across a dead animal or helpless bird, or whatever. So with that in mind, it should be safe. As to how well it works, I have never tried it myself.

Sorry for my part in tacking your topic a little off track.

 

[DesertGrandma]

@ Jacqui ... Sorry for my part in tacking your topic a little off track.

Oh, not to worry. I wasn't trying to be critical. Rather enjoy the bantering. Just wanting to get more opinions on my problem. Thanks

 

[Jacqui]

I would wonder if any of the urines used like for coon would work? Like cougar, coyote and such.

I know folks use hot pepper, but that could cause problems with the plant as food. There is also garlic to repeal them. I have not ever tried to chase off our rabbits, so I am not sure what natural things really work.