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On farms, rabbits compete with stock for pasture as ten rabbits can eat as much pasture as one sheep. In late winter and early spring, rabbits target plantation and forestry tree seedlings for the roughage and sugar they need during the winter months. Bark and foliage is bitten or chewed, roots are dug up, and seedlings are sometimes nipped cleanly in half.
Rabbits are prolific breeders, with adult females capable of producing up to 50 young per year.
For some years rabbit numbers within the Hawke’s Bay region were kept low by the RCV virus. However, higher rabbit numbers have shown resistance to the RCV virus in isolated areas. If these areas are below 4 on the McLean Scale, Regional Council biosecurity staff can provide advice to land users on how to best deal with the problem.
If the area is above 4 on the McLean Scale (from mid January to mid August) the land user is required to control their rabbits, but will receive technical advice and support from Council. In these circumstances, Council will also meet up to 50% of control costs.
Surveillance on Rabbit Prone Areas
- Night count Lines - 20 night count lines are monitored annually in rabbit prone areas within the region. These provide a good snapshot of rabbit densities across the areas monitored.
- RCV Monitoring - 15 RCV monitoring sites are monitored throughout the region. These allow Council to monitor the progress of RCV within the region and identify if the rabbit populations in areas are building up immunity to the bio-control.
- Day Inspections - Biosecurity staff carry out targeted day inspections to monitor rabbit populations through rabbit sign or numbers. Where appropriate day inspections are also carried out in response to enquiries from members of the public.
Advice
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council employ’s the use of a contractor to assess and offer advice on rabbits within problem areas. The council will pay for the first 1.5 hours of consultation only. Your options are to either undertake the control yourselves (based on the advice that has been presented to you) or employ the contractor to carry out the control.
Rabbit control products are available at Farmlands stores and subsidised by the council by 50%. Read the labels very carefully, as some products require dispensing into bait stations.
Responsibility for control
Property owners receive most benefit from rabbit control. Therefore, they are responsible for the control of rabbits on their properties, by following the techniques below you may be able to control rabbit numbers on you property better.
Pindone
Pindone is a poison bait available for public use from Farmlands merchandising
stores. Pindone is a slow-acting anti-coagulant poison. The poison is safe
to lay providing packing instruction precautions are taken and the correct bait stations are used.
The NOPESTS Multifeeder Bait Station is a safe and efficient poison bait dispenser that holds 2.5kg of bait. They have been designed to protect bait from weather and to restrict non-target species gaining access to the poison bait. Many of the dangers associated with traditional poisoning methods can now be substantially reduced or eliminated by using the NOPESTS Multifeeder Bait Station. They are ideally suited for use on farms and high country runs, small lifestyle blocks, green belt areas, orchards and market gardens, vineyards, golf courses, parks and reserves and private gardens.
Should accidental poisoning occur contact your doctor or vet immediately Vitamin K1 is an effective antidote.
Nightshooting
Night shooting with a spotlight is an effective means of controlling small rabbit populations. Night shooting is an instant method of control, useful when immediate results are needed to stop rabbits damaging market garden crops. However, extreme care is needed (especially around lifestyle block districts), and all provisions of the gun laws must be complied with.
Fumigation
Fumigants are effective where burrows or warrens are evident. Magtoxin is an commercial fumigant currently used, which is best administered by a contractor.
Exclusion Fencing
Damaged areas can be protected with a rabbit proof netting fence. Mesh should be 2.5-3 cm in diameter. The fence should be 80cm high with the bottom tightly to the ground or buried 2cm. Check fencing regularly to ensure that rabbits are not breaking through. Individual trees and shrubs can be protected using cylinders of netting, plastic or metal. Electric fencing is another option.
Repellents
Chemical repellents, when sprayed on trees and shrubs can discourage rabbit browsing. The most commonly used repellent is a mixture of egg yolk
and acrylic paint, known commercially as “Treepol”. Other repellents include Jeyes fluid, lime sulphur, and fish-based liquid fertilisers.
Habitat Removal
Without suitable habitat with good cover to survive and breed, rabbits become easy prey for their predators. If dirty gullies are cleaned up, weeds (gorse, blackberry) are sprayed, and logs and other rubbish are removed or burnt, rabbit numbers can be considerably reduced.
CAUTION: When using any pesticide read the label thoroughly and ensure that
all instructions and safety requirements are followed.
The first known release of rabbits in New Zealand were two pairs placed on a Queen Charlotte Sound Island in 1777 by James Cook. They were introduced as food and for their skins, and further releases of domestic and wild rabbits continued through most of New Zealand during the nineteenth century. At first the spread of rabbits was limited by the scarcity of suitable habitat such as farmland, but by 1890 they had spread throughout much of New Zealand.
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| Above: Rabbit |
Above: Ring barking by rabbits |
The male and female rabbit are similar in appearance with the female having a narrower head. The coat colour is generally buff with a sprinkling of black, and underparts are white, however body fur can vary in colour from black and white and everything in-between.
In the rabbit world females are called does and males are known as bucks. Baby rabbits, known as kittens, are born in specially prepared burrows lined with grass and fur plucked from the mother’s belly. They are produced in litters of three to seven, weigh 30 to 40 grams at birth and reach anywhere from 1.4 to 2.5 kgs when fully grown. Under ideal conditions rabbits are capable of breeding all year round, however the main breeding season is from spring to early summer. Up to seven litters can be produced in a year, with a gestation period of 28 to 30 days and does being able to conceive within 12 hours of giving birth. Should less than ideal conditions such as overcrowding or poor food availability come upon a pregnant female, she is capable of absorbing her embryos at about mid term, thus boosting her own reserves. Sexual maturity is reached at about three to four months and it is easy to see why the expression “breeding like rabbits”, was coined! Most wild rabbits live for approximately 18 months, and the main causes of mortality are coccidial infection and predation by cats, ferrets, stoats, weasels and hawks.
Rabbits live in colonies or warrens with a social hierarchy, and where urine and faeces are deposited in communal latrines or mounds. These warrens usually consist of a series of tunnels and burrows, interconnecting with several entrances. They are also capable of living above ground in either rocky terrain or within dense scrub. As rabbits are nocturnal they spend most of their day underground in the safety of their burrow, before venturing out at twilight to feed for most of the night. Often when rabbits are observed out and about during the day this indicates a high population. The home range of the rabbit is generally two to three hectares, however they will stray further in search of food.