Advantage Environmental
Advantage Environmental Pest and Hygiene Management
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Pest Information:
Rabbits
Rabbits were first introduced here in the UK in the 11th Century by the Normans who used them for food and fur. In those days they were a valuable commodity and warreners were employed to look after them on large estates. In later times they were taken around the world for similar reasons, much to the regret of most of the new host nations.
What some would regard as cuddly bunnies are destructive pests if they roam free in the garden or farm environment.
Each rabbit consumes about 0.5kg of food per day, so they can be very destructive to crops and to grazing land in drier regions, as seen when they were at their peak in Australia where they created deserts. By the 1950's in the UK they were destroying about £50 million worth of crops per year.
In 1952 a viral disease called myxomatosis was first found in some wild rabbits in Australia. This was transferred to populations in France to reduce the numbers and by a mysterious route was imported to the British Isles. Two years later 99% of the population had been wiped out. They have since recovered due to developing resistance to the virus and are now estimated to destroy about £100 million worth of crops annually. Another infection, viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD), has been found in the wild population since 1994; it is not as widespread as myxomatosis yet. The rabbits do not show any external symptoms like the inflamed head and eyes during myxomatosis. VHD causes severe internal bleeding and the corpse looks normal.
At the present time populations are estimated at around 60 million, which is a similar level to pre myxomatosis levels. As nocturnal animals they are most active from dusk until mid-morning, spending the warmest and brightest part of the day in a shaded area or in their burrows.
Gestation takes 28 to 30 days so litters are produced monthly from late winter to summer. From 3 to 8 kittens are born blind and furless, but are independent after about 30 days and sexually mature in 4 months. The young are left in the nest for most of the day and the mother returns to suckle them once a day to lessen the risk of predation. The females are ready to breed again quickly and can produce up to six litters in a season.
Effective control methods include live trapping, snareing, gassing, ferreting, shooting and fencing. Fencing should be 900mm high with wire buried up to 100mm to stop digging underneath.
Contact Advantage Environmental on FREEPHONE 0808 108 0118 or 01787 238515, anytime to have a chat, obtain free advice or request a free no-obligation survey or email us
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