Deer & Rabbits of America Organically Controlling These Garden Destroyers What do you want to learn about? Rabbit Problems? Deer Problems?   Rabbits (Disambiguation) Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)   Rabbits   A little info about an interesting creature... Rabbits were originally classified with rodents because of their gnawing incisors, and superficially looking and acting like rodents. DNA however, puts lagomorphs closer to ungulates than to rodents. Lagamorpha was separated from Rodentia in 1912. These little creatures live in groups, in underground burrows. They like dry, well-drained slopes on field edges, grassland, woodland and dunes. They live in open country where predators like foxes and birds of prey are easily spotted. One rabbit is always on guard when they are feeding. When danger approaches the guard stamps its feet and the whole colony will bolt down their burrows. Rabbits have a hard time digesting their food, so in order to solve this problem rabbits pass two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits re-ingest their own droppings in order to fully digest their food and extract sufficient nutrients.   Characteristics… Rabbits weigh from 2 to 11 pounds. In the wild their longevity averages 1 year but captives live about 10 years. They are very susceptible to over-heating and often pant. In the wild they go underground to avoid the heat. Rabbits also have to groom their fur frequently otherwise it will become matted and lose its insulating properties. This means that rabbits avoid getting wet.   That's a lot of babies…                          Rabbits can have babies at age 6 months old. They can have 20 to 40 babies a year. Litters of 3 to 7 young are produced, at five-week intervals, from January to late summer. Newborn rabbits are naked, blind, and helpless at birth. Mothers are remarkably inattentive to their young and are almost absentee parents, commonly nursing their young only once per day and for just a few minutes. To overcome this lack of attention, the milk of rabbits is highly nutritious and among the richest of that of all mammals. The young grow rapidly, and most are weaned in about a month. Males (bucks) do not assist in rearing the kittens. The mother rabbit is able to become pregnant again 4 days after the birth of her kittens.   Did You Know? Rabbits can run 35 miles per hour. They are faster than cats. Rabbits can have babies at age 6 months old. Rabbits eat any vegetation within reach, including your garden. Rabbits were originally classified with rodents because of their teeth. They have control over the nostril opening and are said to "wink" their noses. They have nearly a 360 degree field of view. Rabbits love licorice.           Rabbits Spread Disease!!!  Coccidiosis (of the liver and the intestines) Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract of animals, caused by coccidian protozoa. The disease spreads from one animal to another by contact with infected feces, or ingestion of infected tissue. Diarrhea, which may become bloody in severe cases, is the primary symptom. Most animals infected with coccidia are asymptomatic; however, young or immuno-compromised animals may suffer severe symptoms, including death. Coccidian organisms can infect a wide variety of animals, including humans, birds, and livestock. Pasteurellosis Pasteurellosis is an infection with a species of the bacteria genus Pasteurella, which is found in humans and animals. Pasteurella multocida (P. septica) is carried in the mouth and respiratory tract of several animals, notably cats. This disease can lead to a serious infection in humans.  What do rabbits eat??? Type of Plant Seldom Damaged Moderately Damaged Heavily Damaged Woody Japanese Maple Butterfly-bush Boxwood Smooth Hydrangea Sweet Gum Tulip Tree Blue Spruce White Pine Rhododendron Azaleas Smoke Bush Roses Barberry Eastern Redbud Japanese Floweringquince Hawthorn Winged Euonymus Forsythias Rose of Sharon Flowering Crabapple Roses Lilac  Vines Trumpet vine Clematis   Clematis Morning Glory Fruits   Raspberry Blackberry Kiwi Strawberry Apples Grimes Golden Yellow Delicious Pear Blackberry & Raspberry Blueberry Perennials Daylily Hyacinth Columbine Moss Phlox Perennial Salvia Autumn Joy Sedum Lambs Ear Pinks Purple Coneflower Plantain Lily Pink Coreopsis Purple Coneflower Baby's Breath Coral Bells-flowers only Plantain Lily Oriental Poppy Garden Phlox Black-eyed Susan Pincushion Flower Vervain Annuals Ageratum Wax Begonia Vinca Spider Flower Four-O’Clock Geranium Petunia Marigold Mexican Sunflowers Snapdragon Cockscomb Cosmos Sunflower Impatiens Petunia Rose Moss Garden Verbena Pansy Zinnas Bulbs   Gladiola Grape Hyacinths Crocus Dutch Hardy and Asiatic Tulip Vegetables Onion Asparagus Summer Squash Tomato Rhubarb Potato Cucumbers Peppers Beets Swiss Chard Broccoli Peppers Lettuce Beans Peas Spinach  What rabbits NEVER eat... Type of Plant Never Damaged Perennials Sage Cacti Hardy Geraniums Lavender Daffodils Oregano Rosemary Salvia Marigold Yucca Spiraea   Organic Rabbit Control Rabbits will eat your entire garden if you let them. It is always best to use organic repellents to deter these animals because chemical products can be life threatening for pets, children, or other wildlife that you are not intending to harm. Organic rabbit repellents work just as well as their chemical counterparts. Most rabbit repellents are either a spray or a granular substance that taste or smell bad to the rabbit. Below are a few products that can help control and maintain your yard from these pesky animals without the worry harming anything. Just click on a product to learn more about it or if you want to purchase it.   Critter Ridder Deer Away Deer Off     Liquid Fence Spray Quart Liquid Fence Spray Gallon Liquid Fence Concentrate       Deer   Where they come from and what they do... Deer are probably the most widely distributed and best-recognized large mammals in North America. The white-tailed deer is found throughout much of North America. It is found in every state in the United States except perhaps Alaska and Utah. It occurs throughout the southern provinces of Canada, across the United States, and on into Central and South America. Deer normally graze on grasses, weeds, vegetables, flowers, ornamental and fruiting shrubs, and browse—the leaves, twigs, and small branches of trees and shrubs. Deer damage is easily recognized because, lacking upper front incisors, deer can only grind and chew with their molars. Leaves and twigs are ripped from trees and brush leaving a ragged surface. Annuals may be pulled out of the ground. Damage to larger trees extends only to eight feet, the highest they can reach. Smaller trees can be pushed down and totally destroyed or the bark may be chewed through, causing the tree to die. If deer are hungry enough, they will eat almost any plant. Deer can also be identified by their tracks or their excrement (scat). Deer hooves are cloven into two halves. Rabbits have a hard time digesting their food, so in order to solve this problem rabbits pass two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits re-ingest their own droppings in order to fully digest their food and extract sufficient nutrients.     Characteristics… The average whitetail stands between 36 and 40 inches high at the top of the shoulder. Especially big bucks may be 42 inches high. They have a total length of between 60 to 75 inches and an average weight of about 150 pounds. Deer live in a matriarchal society. The bucks live separately from the does and their offspring except during the breeding season and part of the winter. Even when the bucks are with the herd, they do not take over the lead but are led by an old doe. Deer are creatures of habit. If unmolested, they follow the same routine, the same trails, day after day, shifting the pattern only because of weather conditions and the availability of food. Deer can smell an enemy long before it is in sight or can be heard. Deer are selective feeders. They are usually browsers, and primarily feed on leaves. They have small, unspecialized stomachs by ruminant standards, and high nutrition requirements. Rather than attempt to digest vast quantities of low-grade, fibrous food as, for example, sheep and cattle do, deer select easily digestible shoots, young leaves, fresh grasses, soft twigs, fruit, fungi, and lichens.   Making Babies…                 Females enter estrus, colloquially called the rut, in the fall, normally in late October or early November, triggered mainly by declining photoperiod. Sexual maturation of females depends on population density. Females can mature in their first year, although this is unusual and would occur only at very low population levels. Most females mature at one or, sometimes, two years of age. Males compete for the opportunity of breeding females. Sparring among males determines a dominance hierarchy. Bucks will attempt to copulate with as many females as possible, losing physical condition since they rarely eat or rest during the rut. The general geographical trend is for the rut to be shorter in duration at increased latitude. Females give birth to one, two or even possibly three spotted young, known as fawns in mid to late spring, generally in May or June. Fawns lose their spots during the first summer and will weigh from 44 to 77 pounds (20 to 35 kg) by the first winter. Male fawns tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females.   Did You Know? Deer do not have any teeth in the front of the upper jawbone. Deer need 10 to 12 pounds of food per day to satisfy their needs. A deer can clear an 8-foot hurdle from a standing position.   What Deer Love to Eat... Type of Plant Heavily Damaged Trees Red Maple White Cedar White Acorns Apples Dogwood Sweetfern Oak Willow Wintergreen Pine Cultivated Crops Corn Alfalfa Clover Cabbage Rape Soybeans Rye Lespedeza Trefoil Perennials Cactus Lily-of-the-Valley Most Ferns Daylily Siberian Iris Lavender Ornamental grasses Creeping Phlox Perennial Salvia Sedum Lamb's Ear Annuals Mexican Ageratum Wax Begonia Amethyst Flower Marigold Vinca Spiderflower Four O'clock Geranium Bulbs Persian Onion Hyacinth Daffodils Vegetables Onions Leeks Asparagus Summer Squash Tomato Rhubarb Potatoes Herbs Tarragon Marjoram Mint Basil Oregano Parsley Savory Organic Deer Control Deer cause many problems to your landscaping. They can eat or rub all the bark off of your trees and eat your plants. Feeding deer attracts more deer than can be fed and adds to landscape damage. Deer can eat all of your plants in just one night, so it is essential to use preventative measures against them. There are organic products that you can spray on your plants to make your flower bed taste and smell horrible to the deer. Below are a few products that can help control and maintain your yard from these pesky animals without the worry harming anything. Just click on a product to learn more about it or if you want to purchase it.   Critter Ridder Deer Away Deer Off     Liquid Fence Spray Quart Liquid Fence Spray Gallon Liquid Fence Concentrate        Testimonials Product: Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Buyer: Janice Salstrom (Bellingham, WA) Comments: This works great. We live out in the county. We have so many deer I had given up trying to plant any flowers. Now I can have flowers, it's wonderful. Product: Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Buyer: Avalon Daughter (Glastonbury) Comments: I was skeptical about the liquid fence before buying it, but unfortunately bunnies decided to munch on two day old toad lilies that I bought and it was war. The instructions are clear - spray your perimeter as well as spraying each plant very well. I believe that way if they get past your aromatic fence, they'll be deterred from munching again. Product: Deer Off Buyer: Mary Lou Cheatham (Louisiana) Comments: So far this product is working. It uses the flavors of rotten eggs, capsaicin, and garlic to repulse the rabbits, who are . . . believe it or not . . . picky eaters. This concoction is supposed to be weather-resistant. So far with our frequent rains in Louisiana, it is still working. When we get new leaves, we add more spray. About Us We strive to offer our customers the absolute best service to accompany the highest quality products. Everything you buy has a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Right now we carry a large variety of organic insecticides and fertilizers, but we are expanding to multiple lines of "natural living." For more information on rabbits and deer or other home and garden pest, visit us at www.IamOrganic.com. Have a Question? Email us ANY question you have about our products or problems you are having around your home. We are here to help... Support@IamOrganic.com     Like this Website??? Check out our others: Informational Sites: http://www.mouse-rat.com/ http://www.flea-control.org/ http://www.agturfproducts.com/ Blogs: http://www.iamorganic.com/blog/index.php http://iamorganic.wordpress.com/ Product Websites: http://www.IamOrganic.com http://www.Organic-Gardening-Shop.com http://www.AgOrganics.com Model #'s H3142, CN232, DF16R, LF812, LF003, LF810