"All This, and Rabbit Stew!"
The title was a Bugs Bunny episode title from my youth. I've always loved double entendres, even the non-sexual forms; when spoken, this could be heard as "all this and rabbits, too" or "all this and rabbit stew." I think my sense of humor was greatly influenced by Saturday morning cartoons. :)
So, we found rabbit poop out in the garden today. Tiny pieces, in other words, baby rabbits. They can get through the perimeter fence, and they also most likely will be able to get through the two chicken wire circles I put around the healthiest two plants this morning. Then I bought 8 rat traps, and just now loaded them with peanut butter and carrots.
Hopefully it doesn't attract neighborhood cats... But they're only around the eggplants (which is, fortunately, our only plants being molested -- you can see from the pictures that the first two are basically stripped completely), not outside the garden fence, so hopefully the cats don't climb or jump over.
If I injure someone else's pet, is it my responsibility if the pet wandered onto my property? (I don't know the answer, and am a little concerned, but not enough to remove the traps.)
First image shows all four plants and the eight traps. The other four images are close-ups of the plants (in order from front to back). My wife and I are so sad at this -- the eggplants were so healthy when we bought them, with blossoms ready and everything! Hopefully they can recover.
All I can think of is "Kill the Wabbit ... "
Best of luck.
Thanks! One trap was triggered when I checked this morning, but didn't contain anything. Well, lots of ants, eating the peanut butter, but they couldn't have triggered it. The plants looked the same as yesterday so perhaps the noise of the trap springing scared the bunnies off? Thanks!
Devastated!
Maybe it is time for a feral cat. We got KittyKate from a rescue place. She lived outside only for a while but winter was too severe so now she comes inside to eat and sleep during the winter.
She really earns her keep!
And even shares her prey with us occasionally.
We have two young cats, 3 and 2, but we don't let them outside as there's a fairly busy road out front -- which took two of my cats growing up. The place we moved from had an even busier road.
I really liked your story about catch-and-release, but I think these will get through any cages we set up, unfortunately. I had also just ordered a have-a-heart trap and gloves, and a camera, yesterday, before we saw the rabbit poop, so those should arrive tomorrow. We can put them out as well, in case there are other critters.
Last year we gardened in containers, and didn't have any issues. Other than the landlord stealing an eggplant, but that's a different story... :)
Oh, another story? Food for Free, at least for him.
Why do you have all these creatures in your garden if you live near a busy road?
Those traps are meant for bigger creatures.
I can see why you chose the little traps. Maybe you could bring them, when full, into the house and give your cats a taste for them.
Actually the cats have taken 3 mice from this house! All indoors though.
The road's out front; it's a forest out back, where the garden is. :)
At least the house is protected. So fence in the yard and let those kitties go to work!