Rabbits can cause extensive damage when they adapt themselves to urban living. When .introduced by humans into environments that do not have natural defenses against them, rabbits can cause enormous damage. Those that cause the most damage are Cottontails, the Snowshoe Hare, the Black-tailed Jackrabbit, and the Brush Rabbit. I n urban areas cottontails and brush rabbits can cause damage to decks, sheds, rock and wood piles, and stacked building materials. They also invade parks with low growing junipers. The snowshoe hare is very destructive during the winter season on Christmas tree farms causing extensive damage to woody plants by gnawing bark and eating branches. When domesticated rabbits are released in an area not far from their owners’ home, their eating habits are already established so naturally they invade urban area gardens and produce more babies.
Jackrabbits are the most destructive because of their large size. They inhabit urban and suburban developments, golf courses, parks, airports and farms. When looking for food, rabbits can do a lot of damage to crops and gardens. They destroy beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peas, almond trees, apple trees, blackberry and cherry trees, citrus trees, plum trees, raspberry and strawberry bushes, cilantro, parsley and also gnaw and cut plastic irrigation lines. Once eating habits are established, they are hard to change. They will move from plant to plant, nibbling just a little bit before moving on to the next one. The major way to determine if a rabbit is invading a garden is to look at the damaged area and look for paired tooth marks on plants. Rabbits use their teeth to cut vegetation at a 45 degree angle. Rabbit droppings will also be apparent. If a fence is in place, keep in mind that cottontails and brush rabbits will not jump a two foot fence. Jackrabbits normally will not jump a two foot high fence unless they are frightened or chased by dogs, coyotes or other such predators.

Most rabbits only live for about a year, though they make the most of their short lives as far as reproduction goes. A female rabbit can produce up to six litters in one year. First litters of the year may be born around March or April, and the farther north in the U.S. that a rabbit lives, the more litters a rabbit will have. A rabbit is only pregnant for about a month, and she’s usually impregnated again shortly thereafter, hence the term, “Breeding like rabbits.” Rabbits could probably breed up to 18 times a year if their populations weren’t limited by hunters, cars, weather and disease. Typical rabbit litters range from three to five young.

Rabbits are nocturnal and will feed on just about any plant they are able to reach. Succulent pansies, just about any garden vegetable or fruit and several ground cover species of shrub are all targets for hungry grazing rabbits. Since they strike at night, rabbits may go unnoticed for weeks. Eventually, the gardener may notice plants are simply disappearing or dying. A sure sign is when you find their droppings which are round and small - much like a "cocoa puff" - in the flower bed. Other sure signs rabbits are the guilty animal is the damage they do. Rabbits
will eat randomly. Instead of ingesting the entire plant, they may only chew the flower or half the plant before moving to the next. This behavior tends to maximize the damage they do and can be frustrating to the gardener. There are limited approaches to controlling local rabbit populations. Although they may appear cute when they first appear in your yard, rest assured they are looking for something to eat. Once eating patterns are established, it can be difficult to change.
Traditional approaches including wire fences, scarecrow like dolls or predatory animals will not work. Domestic rabbits which have been released in the wild are used to such devices and are not afraid of them. More importantly, these rabbits are large. The average adult is the size of a large cat. Because they are so big, cats will shy away from killing them. And because they are living in true metro and city environments, it is not likely that other predators will be able to help in controlling populations. This means you will have to take action if you want to stop them from destroying your plants and landscape.