Rabbit population management
We are going to outline to you how to really make an impact on your rabbit population so we can win the war on this common enemy. One of the key words there is common, you really are going to need all your neighbours on board if you want to defeat this prolific pest once and for all, but first you need to do some reconnaissance!
Assess your Area
We need to know how large the enemy force is. Now we don’t expect you to set up a night watch and count them individually, but we need to get some idea of the numbers we are dealing with, to do this we use the Modified McLean Scale.
Now that you know the numbers of your enemy we can work out how many Multifeeder Bait Stations you are going to need – approx 1 per every 20 rabbits, we need to get the rabbits used to them as rabbits are neophobic, which means they don’t like new things in their area and are initially wary of anything they haven’t seen before. So we need to place the Multifeeder Bait Stations with NO bait in them for a few days so they get used to them being there – then we can load them up with Pindone Rabbit Bait!
The Multifeeder Bait Station is ideally suited for lifestyle blocks, orchards, vineyards and gardens. It is easy and safe to move around, and the canister construction protects bait from decay and exposure to the elements, eliminating spillage and waste, with up to three rabbits able to feed at once. The outer sleeve allows the station to be sealed, dry and weatherproof during the day and opened at night when rabbits are more active.
Pindone Rabbit Pellets are a first generation anticoagulant cereal based pellet and the only rabbit bait considered safe enough to be available to the general public, but they must be used with a bait station. A great deal of Pindone would need to be consumed for animals, such as cats and dogs, to suffer poisonous effects which makes Pindone less hazardous to non-target animals while still being lethal to rabbits. Rabbits like the taste of the pellets so will keep coming back for more ensuring a lethal dose is consumed. Pellets are coloured green to deter birds and other native wildlife from consuming. The risk of secondary poisoning to dogs is also low due to rabbits mostly meeting their end while tucked up in their burrows.
In the unlikely event that a pet manages to consume a significant volume of Pindone , their gums will become very pink to signify their exposure and a visit to the vet for a Vitamin K injection will have them back to their normal selves.
Bait Stations need to be monitored daily as an empty bait station is like a gun with no ammunition, threatening but not very effective, and you can bet the enemy isn’t shooting blanks!
If you have rats as well as rabbits, this can affect the performance of your bait program, as rats will steal the Pindone bait and cache it for later, so a rat trapping assault needs to be combined with your rabbit offensive. Checkout the pied piper bait station which prevents caching, available from most rural retailers and hardware stores.
Using the Modified McLean Scale you can assess the effectiveness of your campaign, but remember your neighbours need to be playing their part too.
Keep up the fight!