Rabbits and Chipmonks and Voles, Oh My!
By mentalward
@mentalward (14690)
United States
May 20, 2008 4:13pm CST
How do you get rid of these pesky critters? I have a huge vegetable garden in my back yard. So far, the critters have been running amok in the front of the house, but sooner or later they're going to discover my motherlode of goodies. Help!
2 responses
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
21 May 08
This is a natural way to keep out the burrowing creatures. Ricinus communis the plant that they extract Castor oil is great to keeping out moles and other underground creatures. The roots have a scent that they do not like and they will avoid it if you plant it around the border. I have some in the photo that I uploaded. It is the tall reddish purply stuff in the back right. It is a nice looking plant.
To keep out the other rodents you should make a spray. Use 1 cup of garlic powder, 1 cup of cayenne powder, some cloves 3-5, some hot sauce maybe 1/16 a cup. Mix ingredients in a 1 gallon container with water. Let it set. It is better to stir it or shake the container every now and then. After a week strain it. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it all over what you don't want them to eat. Spray some on the area outside of the garden. Once they realize what it is it should keep them out.
If that doesn't work you can try adding habanero peppers or more hot sauce. Egg whites are also used since deer and rabbits are vegetarians. Some people add blood or blood meal and/ or urine. You can add what you like.
I bet you could take bones and boil them in a pot and add that liquid in place of water. They probably will not like it.
1 person likes this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
21 May 08
I forgot. You can also buy mole sprays. If you spray it around your garden often you will create a wall that they will not go through. If you spray the garden as well they will avoid it. The spray is made from the Ricinus communis plant. Go figure.
1 person likes this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
22 May 08
Even better to grow your own ingredients. Good luck with your garden.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
21 May 08
Wow! What a mouthful! But such useful information... thanks! I've heard of the egg thing with deer and already have that around my property. And I knew about the castor plant but did not realize that the underground critters didn't like it. I'll definitely use this idea. Your recipe sounds so yummy that I'll try that, also. Just kidding... yuck! I mean, I'm going to try it, just that it doesn't sound yummy. I always go with the natural ways before ever trying anything chemical. Thank you!
I'm actually growing one habanero pepper plant. The first pepper I get is going right into that recipe. Thanks so much!
@dodoguy (1292)
• Australia
22 May 08
Hi again,
From reading Coolseeds' excellent info, I'd be more inclined to try the biological controls rather than going to the effort of building an impregnable fortress.
We don't really have to many burrowing pests here in Oz (except for rabbits) and where I live, they'd need dynamite and hard hats to get anywhere because the ground is so hard and full of clay.
But foxes will burrow under any regular fence (so will badgers, I've heard) so they definitely require a buried fence to keep them out of the chook shed. Not that those things are relevant to your veges.
Maybe you should think about getting some chooks, so you can hone your fox-fighting skills. And then use the eggs from the chooks to protect the veges, and use a mint spray on the chooks to fool the foxes (well it sounds logical?).
I hope the stuff that Coolseeds suggested works for you. An electric fence won't keep out underground greeblies, and using plants to do the job sounds like a lot less effort.
1 person likes this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
22 May 08
But I do think that the fox chained to a post inside the garden would take of the problem. 
