Can Rabbits eat Basil? (Ways to keep them out of your Garden)

Did you know that rabbits eat basil? I certainly didn’t until I discovered my basil plants ravaged by rabbits, trust me I was shocked. Just think if I had been aware of this beforehand, I could have taken measures to protect my basil plants from them.

To spare you from facing a similar problem in the future, I’m sharing every detail of the steps I took to safeguard my basil plants. By following these methods, you can effectively protect your basil from rabbits. Let’s not delay any further and delve into how to defend your basil from these rabbits.

Quick takeaways:

Yes, you are right some animals eat the plants and vegetables grown by the farmers. One of the famous animals known as the rabbit eats plants and vegetables in the garden. Rabbits love to eat the basil and roam around the plant so that they can eat it and enjoy its taste. Rabbits are a great part of wildlife. 

Can Rabbits Eat Basil? 

Rabbits are good looking but they are notorious too and can poke you. But how? They do so by eating the vegetation from your garden area. But some people get confused. Is it true that rabbits eat basil? Yes, they eat the basil plants and they tend to eat the seeds of the plant and the fully-grown plant too. Then you can eat all the varieties of basil such as lemon basil, seedlings, sweet basil, Thai basil, etc.

You can check first which variety you should grow, it should not affect the rabbits. Rabbits eat various herbs, shrubs, plants, vegetables, fruits, etc. It is also important for you to protect your vegetation from rabbits. Basil can be eaten by the rabbits if they take it in small quantities. As you know, excess of everything is bad, so eating them fully can harm the rabbits too. 

So, in short, rabbits eat basil as they are herbivore animals, they need nutrients for their survival. They can not intake cooked food or not even processed food.

How to Tell if Rabbits Are Eating Your Plants? 

Are you worrying that you will come to know if the rabbits are eating your plants? No worry! We are here to help you out. 

• One of the things that you will observe is the eating of the plants because rabbits tend to eat a lot and they will come back for that mail regularly. 
• Secondly, you will see that some droppings are left behind by the rabbits, and you will come to know that they’re eating your plants. 
• Last but not least, you will see that they will come to eat your plants in the early morning or the evening. 

Ways to Keep Rabbits out of Your Garden

It is crucial to protect the fruits and vegetables in your garden area from animals such as rabbits. But do you know the ways which can keep them away from your garden? If yes, then it is good but if not, then you have to look below to learn about the ways to keep them out of your garden:

1. You can even use the small deterrents

You should know that the rabbits are drawn toward the smell. They sense the smell and with the help of it, they catch their food anywhere. Some people are over-scented, so rabbits avoid those plants to eat as they can irritate them.

So, you can use some of the scents that they do not like so that they stay away from your garden area. Some of them are chili powder, lavender, vinegar chives, garlic, and others. By spraying them in your garden, rabbits won’t come into your garden area. 

2. Try not to plant the varieties they like 

Have you ever wondered why rabbits are attached to your garden? It is so as they receive a good amount of food there. If you plant the varieties that rabbits like then they eat them and your efforts go in vain.

So, make sure to plant those plants which are not liked by the rabbits. Some of the varieties that rabbits like are petunia, juneberry, iris, sweet peas, pansies, and others, so try not to plant these varieties. 

3. You can make the fences 

Fences can be a great addition to your garden. A gardener maintains his grown plants very well. So, they get hurt when animals destroy them by eating them.

You can make fences around your plants so that the rabbits won’t be able to touch them. 

4. Make use of raised beds 

As you know rabbits are those small mammals that tend to go close to the ground.

So, if you use any raised bed then you can prevent them from coming to your plants and eating them.

It will keep the plants out of their reach. Even pre-made wooden beds can be a solution. Rabbits won’t be able to touch your basil plant. 

5. You can make chicken wire cages 

Some people build fences to keep rabbits away from the garden which is no doubt a good idea. But what about chicken wire cages? It will protect your plants from rabbits.

You have to wrap the chicken wire around your plants so that the rabbits do not come to them and don’t kill them. 

6. Add physical garden barriers

Another thing that you can do to save your plans from the attack of rabbits is to add physical garden barriers. 

You can make use of chicken wire that is 1 inch and create a fence near the plants that are liked by the rabbits. 

They can dig in the ground, so you have to choose 6 inches bigger chicken wire that should be below the ground level. Keep checking the barriers so that you come to know if they need to be replaced or not.

7. Remove potential nesting spots

Another easiest way to remove rabbits from your garden is to make use of potential nesting spots. 

You have to create a nesting site for the female rabbit and if you find a rabbit nest in your garden then you do not have to remove it. 

Call the animal control and they will find them out and will not harm the rabbits and they will be removed. 

What Do Rabbits Generally Eat?

Do you know what rabbits eat in your home garden? Firstly you should know that they are herbivorous so they like to eat green vegetables and other plants. 

They will eat the grasses and hay in the garden area they like to eat vegetables such as tomatoes, kale, lettuce, etc. 

If your garden has a lot of straw, hay, and veggies, then they will eat it in abundance. But in a day they will not eat much vegetables because of their sensitive digestive system.

Covering up the context 

In this guide, you see that rabbits eat basil. Rabbits eat various herbs, shrubs, plants, vegetables, fruits, etc. So, it is also important for you to protect your vegetation from the rabbits.

Basil can be eaten by the rabbits if they take it in small quantities. As you know, excess of everything is bad, so eating them fully can harm the rabbits too.

Thanks for reading! Happy Gardening! 

FAQs