Hi Jonathan,
I found your website today, which has been a source of some very valuable information for me. Several of my client’s are having Ground Squirrel “issues” and now that I have an understanding of what I’m dealing with I feel more prepared to help people.
I have a couple of questions for you.
Will the motion-sensored water sprayer (“Scarecrow”) work on ground squirrels (they are currently residing in several of our gardens)?
Is there any type of fence (height, wire type, etc) that will keep wild cottontail rabbits out of a garden?
Thanks for your help!
First, I can’t say for sure if the SCARECROW will work on GROUND SQUIRRELS. They are quite small and may not be detected by the sensor. But there are some species that move fast enough and are large enough to enable the device to sense the motion. It just depends on how big they are.
Here in Georgia we have rabbits and mostly gray squirrels. I can get the Scarecrow to detect the squirrels, which are smaller than our rabbits, but it won’t detect the rabbits as well. I attribute this to the lack of motion from the rabbits. Only when you spook a rabbit and get them to run quickly will it fire on. You may have to get a unit and set it out to see what the “norm” will be in your region if you want to know for sure.
As for rabbit fencing; this is a viable way to keep them out of a garden. We’ve learned chicken wire buried at least 6 inches down in the ground generally will do the trick. Keep it at least 2 feet high and for cottontails, that will keep them out. You can also use our PLASTIC NETTING and it will work just as well. It’s much easier to install, less noticeable and can be anchored nicely. Again, dig a trench at least 6 inches deep and keep it in place with some stakes at least 2 feet high and you should be able to keep them out. Setting out some of our RABBIT REPELLENT will also help big time; you can see it along with some other repellents listed in our RABBIT CONTROL article.
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