How To Get Rid Of Rabbits From Under Your Deck (5 Ways To Do It)

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart
Rabbits may be cute, but they can be a nuisance in your yard, especially when they are under your deck. Luckily, you can get rid of rabbits under the deck in several ways, such as using rabbit repellant or installing chicken wire. Whether you have to call animal control or chase them out with a dog, let’s take a look at how you can get rid of rabbits under your deck.

Hippity hoppity, and fluffy as can be, rabbits are adorable. Cute as they may be, there’s still ample reason why they are considered to be pests in and around the home. They are rodents and can attract mice and rats. They can chew through wires, destroy gardens, and more. Unfortunately, they love to make their homes underneath decks. So, how can you get them out safely?

There are several ways to get rabbits out from under your deck, and they include:

  • Chasing them out
  • Spraying rabbit repellent
  • Using ultrasonic waves
  • Scare them
  • Install chicken wire

If all else fails, you can use a trap to catch them, and then relocate the rabbits a few miles down the road.

Rabbits might appear to be fairly cute, but the truth is that they are a pretty bad menace. This guide will give you a good idea of what you will need to do in order to get them away from your home.

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How Can You Get Rid Of Rabbits Near Your Deck?

There are several ways that people can get rid of the rabbits they have living under a deck, but all of them are going to involve some kind of strategy. Let’s take a look at how each method can play into a rabbit proofing strategy.

Chase Them Out

Before you can get any permanent fixture started to permanently keep rabbits out of your deck, you have to make sure that there aren’t any bunnies currently living there. This means that you will need to chase them out. Most people will use a pet dog to do this, but you can also get rid of them by trapping them.

If you have a pervasive rabbit issue, then you will need to get an exterminator or animal control professional involved. Otherwise, they’ll just keep coming back.

Spraying Rabbit Repellent

Another important step you should take in your battle against bunnies is the use of rabbit repellent. Spraying underneath your deck is a quick and easy way to make sure rabbits stay away while you implement more permanent matters. While you can always use commercial rabbit repellents like Nature’s Mace, you can also use other options.

The easiest way to make rabbits dislike your property is to spray it down with a scent they hate. Some of the most common rabbit repellents include:

  • Vinegar
  • Ammonia
  • Garlic Oil
  • Hot Pepper Oil
  • Coffee Grounds

Pump Up The (Ultrasonic) Volume

It’s a well-known fact that rabbits and other pesky mammals can hear frequencies that humans cannot. If you don’t have a dog or a cat that roams your home, the best way to make sure rabbits stay away is to install an ultrasonic rabbit repelling device. These devices are a chemical-free way to scare them off.

The way they work is simple. They let out ultrasonic pulses that sound terrifying to rabbits, which in turn, makes them run for the hills. Meanwhile, humans don’t hear a thing. It’s a fast and simple way to make sure that rabbits steer clear of your deck…at least until you get a more permanent solution.

Spook ‘Em

Rabbits are famous for being skittish, and that includes their habit of staying away from anything that even remotely resembles a predator. This means that hanging up shiny, moving items can provide a pretty quick fix for short-term rabbit repelling. Most people use a tin pie dish tied to a string near their deck to ward off rabbits. Of course, you can also use some pinwheels.

Like most other solutions for rabbit repulsion, this is best as a temporary bet. The only way to guarantee long-term rabbit control is to have hardware that makes it impossible for them to access your deck.

Installing Chicken Wire

Once the rabbits have been scared off or trapped, you will need to make sure they can’t get back under your deck. This will take some work on your own. Here’s what you need to do:

  • Remove any decorative grating around your deck. Put it aside, as it’ll go right back up soon after.
  • Using a trowel or a shovel, dig a three to four-inch deep ditch around the deck. You will need to dig at least this deep to keep bunnies from digging under your deck.
  • Grab some 2×4’s and start cutting them into 3-foot by 4-foot lengths.  This will be your base. The base does not have to be continuous, but it does need to be there so that the wire doesn’t get moved around post-installation. Take a drill and push through 3/4-inch holes in the middle of your planks, approximately every foot.
  • Place base planks throughout the ditches. You can avoid the posts of your deck. You don’t need it to be a continuous issue.
  • Take a nail and hammer the planks into the ground. This hooks the planks into the ground, making it impossible for rabbits to remove.
  • Put on your gloves and install the chicken wire. Start off in a corner of your deck where the house meets the deck, and add it in 2-foot batches. Install it by securing it with steel joists to the base, going underneath stairs, and nailing it to the top of your deck. Make sure some of the chicken wire extends below the planks.
  • Bury the base with soil, and reinstall your decorative lattice. This will help cover up the chicken wire and also prevent your deck from becoming an eyesore.

When Should You Call Animal Control?

While it is often advised to call animal control to remove animals from your attic or get rid of armadillos, most animal control departments will not come to your aid if you have rabbits underneath your deck. Rabbits are considered a nuisance or a pest, rather than an actual wildlife threat. A wildlife removal company or pest control service is a better choice.

The only time you should call animal control in regards to rabbits is if you have a suspicion that a rabbit is rabid. If you notice that the rabbits look disoriented, are behaving strangely, or are foaming at the mouth, call animal control immediately. This is a serious risk to you as well as any pets you may have!

How Bad Is Having Rabbits Underneath A Deck?

It all depends on what is around your home. At the very least, rabbits can pose a risk to your home by attracting other rodents to your house and chewing on electrical wiring found underneath your deck. That alone warrants reason to get worried about having rabbits near your home.

However, if you have a garden, things get far worse. Gardeners can tell you that rabbits are a serious menace to vegetation. It’s not unusual to hear of entire gardens getting decimated by a family of hungry rabbits. If you’re a farmer, then you need to treat a rabbit family like a serious threat…because it is.

How Much Does It Cost To Professionally Remove Rabbits From Your Deck?

Like with most other professional pest removal services, the price you pay can vary greatly from place to place. It also depends on the scale of the problem. If you have rabbits hiding in every corner of your yard or an unmitigable rabbit problem, then you may need to do a yard-wide removal rather than just a deck-centric call.

For the most part, this is a relatively affordable fix. Professional rabbit removal services will cost between $100 to $600 on average, though it is possible to have prices as high as $1,200 in some extreme cases. The method used can also make a huge difference in the price tag. Generally speaking, humane trapping is cheaper than extermination.

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Related Questions

Can you use cinnamon to keep rabbits away?

Cinnamon oil’s potent smell is enough to drive away many critters, and that includes rabbits. To use this as a rabbit repellent, just spray the area that is being plagued by rabbits with cinnamon oil or sprinkle cinnamon near your plants. It’s worth noting that cinnamon oil can act as an herbicide in some situations, so be careful when using this.


Do rabbits really attract other rodents?

Yes, they do. Scientific studies have revealed that other rodents tend to pick up on the scent that rabbits emit. This makes them feel safer, or that they have fellow rodents around in the area. This is actually one of the most common reasons why apartment buildings have a ban on their renters adopting pet rabbits. It’s a pest liability that most don’t want to deal with.


Can I trap and release rabbits in my yard?

Yes, but there’s a catch. Prior to trapping any rabbits, you need to check your town’s ordinances relating to traps. Many townships will require you to get a permit before you lay out traps. Some even go so far as to relegate legalized trapping exclusively to the realm of professional trappers.If it’s not legal for you to trap rabbits on your own, you have no other choice aside from calling a human trapping company to do the job for you. Thankfully, this is an affordable endeavor.

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Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

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