How to Make Rabbit Repellent

If you need a way to deter rabbits from eating your flowers, try this organic rabbit repellent recipe. It uses garlic and crushed red peppers to repel the rabbits naturally without damaging your plants.

If you have had any contact with me in the last three years, you know that I struggle with rabbits. I have annuals hanging in baskets far out of reach of the rabbits and my vegetables growing safely behind chicken wire, but I really wanted to see some bulbs come up out of the ground unobstructed. When I found tulip bulbs on sale for $1.00 a bag at Walmart last fall I decided to try them in my yard. As you can see from the picture below, it didn’t start so well! Then I discovered how to make a natural rabbit repellent at home using common household ingredients.

How to Make Rabbit Repellent

You just need a few items to make this DIY rabbit deterrent: garlic, peppers, dish soap, and an empty milk jug. Once you mix the ingredients, let it sit for at least 6 hours in the sun before applying it to plants. Use this organic rabbit-repellent recipe to deter rabbits from eating your flowers. Reapply after a rain.

DIY Rabbit Repellent Recipe

Items needed:

• empty milk jug
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
• 1-gallon water
• 1 tablespoon dish soap

Directions:

1. To make the repellent fill an old milk jug with water, add 5 crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of crushed red peppers (you can save a packet from the pizza delivery) and 1 tablespoon of dish soap.
2. Shake well; then let it sit in the sun for a day or two to ensure the water is saturated with the flavors and smells.
3. Shake well, then spray or pour the deterrent on the plants you don’t want the rabbits to eat.

I had to reapply the rabbit repellent once a week for a couple of weeks to convince the rabbits that my tulips were never going to taste good again. With my other bulbs, I sprayed them with the natural rabbit repellent as soon as they started to poke through the ground and then reapplied the repellent once a week and after it rains.

Flowers before I started applying my homemade rabbit repellent:

Flowers treated with the homemade rabbit repellent:

You will notice that the tulips treated with my DIY rabbit repellent survived unscathed!

Printable Recipe for Homemade Rabbit Repellent

Print

Homemade Rabbit Repellent Recipe

Easy DIY rabbit deterrent made with garlic, red peppers, and dish soap. This is a frugal, homemade rabbit repellent that can be made with household items.

Active Time5 minutes mins

Resting Time1 day d

Total Time1 day d 5 minutes mins

Keyword: DIY rabbit Deterrent, Homemade Rabbit Repellent

Yield: 1 gallon

Author: Alea Milham

Cost: $1.00

Equipment

• empty milk jug

Materials

• 5 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
• 1- gallon water
• 1 tablespoon dish soap

Instructions

• To make the repellent fill an old milk jug with water, add 5 crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of crushed red peppers, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap.
• Shake well; then let it sit in the sun for a day or two to ensure the water is saturated with the flavors and smells.
• After the mixture has sat in the sun for at least one day, shake it well, then spray or pour the deterrent on the plants you don't want the rabbits to eat.

Notes

Reapply the rabbit repellent after it rains.