# Could it be rabbits...



## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

...that are chewing the bark off our burning bushes and some of our hedge bushes? At first I thought squirells but they didn't go up very high and I would think i'd see them doing it as they are always out in the day, these seem to get hit after dark. Just curious..


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## onebigdaddy29 (Nov 14, 2008)

yes it is rabbits


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## Cpt.Chaos (May 28, 2006)

Cayenne pepper made into a paste with vegetable oil will keep them away. Brush it on with a small paint brush, worked for some small shrubs I planted a few years ago.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

I thought so. Actually my wife brought up that possibility, I won't tell her but it actually made sense. :lol:


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## Will Work For Fish (Jan 6, 2005)

Voles eat bark and roots during winter. Could they be the culprit?


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## CAPT HEAVY (Nov 4, 2002)

I have a rabbit that loves my burning bush. I just let him chew, damn house cats have been taking alot of them. Hopefully the bark will give them a little edge against the cats.


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## neeso1aj (Aug 23, 2006)

lead poisoning will also work


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## CAPT HEAVY (Nov 4, 2002)

My dogs like to "play" with the kittys.::evilsmile


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## mwp (Feb 18, 2004)

Rabbits love the those Burning Bush,there first choice of landscape plants.Second is the bark of the Japanese Maple.Some of the younger crabs bark is also a favorite.I did some trimming a couple of weeks ago on about 30 Honeylocust I have,every single branch that fell has been chewed on by Rabbits!! Time to let the lead fly!!


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

neeso1aj said:


> lead poisoning will also work


Yeah, I do like shake n bake rabbit! I wondered if city rabbits tasted like those from the "wild" but I would probably get busted by a neighbor. Damn city slickers.....


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## whitetail trail (Dec 5, 2009)

this is kind of funny my wife noticed this about three feet up on the plants in the spring on the outskirts of our property when it was warm enough for her to come outside and i would tell her it was rabbits.She said no rabbits are not that tall i just smiled and said they are when there is 2 feet of snow on the ground:lol:


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## Ole Spike (Nov 22, 2004)

Those rabbits can reach amazingly high when they have to.....Last winter they chewed up one of my lilac shrubs almost to the ground before I realized it. They ate about 2' off the height of it! In my yard their first preference is the lilac, followed by burning bushes and the arborvitaes last. Ended up wrapping everything with burlap and is working so far.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Anyone know if the bushes will survive this? I fear it is too late to do much about it since the damage is done. If they die it would be a shame.
But I now have a few ideas for the future, one being evenings or early mornings on the deck with a new crossman pellet gun boning up on my marksmanship skills. My Ithaca would be out of the question.....


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## nerman25 (Jan 28, 2010)

If they survive all depends on how bad they are chewed up. If the rabbits have chewed all the way around the base and deep as well then there is a good chance they shrubs will not make it. However if its not too bad then they may pull through. Those burning bushed are pretty tough plants. 
If you notice them not coming back next spring as much as they normally do you can prune the bush back some and thin it out. This will mean less leaves and such that the plant has to support and less stress it has to go through


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## jasonvanorder (Feb 23, 2009)

Cpt.Chaos said:


> Cayenne pepper made into a paste with vegetable oil will keep them away. Brush it on with a small paint brush, worked for some small shrubs I planted a few years ago.


 
Darn rabbits ate the cayenne peppers right off my palnts in the garden last summer:SHOCKED:


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## Fyshslayer (Oct 23, 2008)

Def rabbits. We have a couple burning bushes in my backyard and more than a few have met their maker while chewing on them.


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## Freestone (May 15, 2003)

Prune them back in the spring to just below the girdled areas. Burning Bush handle hard pruning well. They're vigorous growers.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Thanks for all the info. Don't think they'll do much more damage unless the snow piles up again, hope they make it.


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## CaseBones (Jan 28, 2010)

I'll just add that you should only prune the dead stuff, twigs that arent budding when it comes time. Dont take out anything that still buds. The leaves are the powerhouse of the plant, photosynthesis hapens here. The more buds, the more leaves, the more photosynthesis, the stronger the plant will be.


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

Oldgrandman said:


> Yeah, I do like shake n bake rabbit! I wondered if city rabbits tasted like those from the "wild" but I would probably get busted by a neighbor. Damn city slickers.....


 
Precisely why they sell high powered pellet guns and live traps. I am sure the city rabbits are just as good. I "had" a rabbit problem not too long ago as well.

Ganzer


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