Pest Control and rabbits…

[Robin]

Hello all!  I am new to this forum, but have been lurking for years.  I have a problem that I hope someone out there can help me with.  I have three female, spayed rabbits that are about 5 years old…Rylie, IHOP and Chimichanga.  I live in Arizona where we have relatively warm temperatures most of the year.  I also have two chickens and a dog fyi. 

The living situation I have for my bunnies is this…  Inside I have a 3 1/2 foot x 1 1/2 foot cage that is placed by a doggie door.  The cage is mainly for food and water most of the year.  However it is the daytime hang out for the rabbits during the hottest months.  They spend nights outside even during the hot summer.  I love this set up, because it gives them my entire backyard to be free, but gives them the option to come in when the weather is not comfortable for them.  

 It seems to work well except for one problem.  Because I have read that pesticides are extremely toxic to rabbits, I have always avoided using them in my yard.  I have chickens which I hoped would keep the problem at a minimum, however that is not working and the pest problem is becoming overwhelming.  The outdoor cockroach problem has become extreme.  As well as termites, ants, crickets, black widow spiders and scorpions.  Not to mention the newest addition…roof rats. (a common AZ problem)  Now I don’t want you to think of some rundown trashy house when you think of this problem…because that is not the case.  I think the problem is that I don’t use pesticides and the pests are finding a safe haven in my yard.  I have tried diatomaceous earth and boric acid, but they do very little and the problem is growing faster than they are working.  I believe the entire yard will need to be treated as the roaches and ants live and breed in the grass.  Scorpions are difficult to kill…but maybe if the bugs weren’t so plentiful they would seek buggier pastures elsewhere.  I am at my wits end, but I love my bunnies and feel like I will have to find them a new home…which would truly break my heart.  But I cannot live with the bug problem any longer. 

I need some straightforward advice.  I know pesticides are bad for them…they are bad for us as well.  I have heard that they are not terribly harmful if you wait a couple of days after application to let them back outside.  I would prefer to use granules and water the lawn so it can soak in to the ground and kill anything that is dormant, but again, I really am worried about the harm it would do.  I have also worried about my chickens eating poisoned bugs, but I could easily find new homes for chickens as I am not that attached.  Not so with the bunnies.  I would appreciate any advice.  Thank you!

[Yilina]

Hi Robin,

I am not familiar with pesticides, although I do know about cockroaches and spiders :S. However, I guess the treatment would last for only a few days, right? Couldn’t you keep the bunnies inside for a couple of weeks (or more) until the problem is fixed? Or are you worried about the permanent effect the pesticides would have on the land?

[LBJ10]

Yes, you have to be very careful with pesticides. A lot of them contain chemicals that are harmful to bunnies, including fipronil and others. Even Safer Brand stuff contains pyrethrins, which are safe for kids, etc. But not safe for rabbits.

[Deleted User]

Just adding to the question here..Kind of…Hope that is okay.

I understand the pesticides are poisonous to the bunnies but what about the pesticides that the farmers use on their crops? Not that that would help you Robin. But the question being I live near by grape vineyards.  Farmers spray pesticides a few times a year. I see wild rabbits in the vineyards. How are the wild rabbits NOT affected by it? 

We have a terrible coyote problem here and it had almost drove the wild rabbit population to extinction. Last year there was a little bit of a come back for the wild rabbits. Hope that continues.

[LBJ10]

I do believe wild rabbits can and are affected. You might not see the effects right away or rabbits are eaten before you see ones that have obviously been poisoned. Herbicides are a bit different than insecticides in their effects. Glyphosate (Roundup), for example, builds in an animal’s body over time. It takes a large dose to actually cause a small animal to die from poisoning. But small doses, over time, effect their reproduction by lowering sperm count and causing birth defects. As for insecticides, some are potentially harmful and some are (surprisingly) not really dangerous. Imidacloprid, for example, is used on grapes a lot. That is the active ingredient in Advantage, which is safe to use on rabbits.

[LBJ10]

I should point out though that Imidacloprid is very toxic to bees, unfortunately.

[Author]

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