If you’ve seen little holes in your grass accompanied by the unmistakable sight of rabbit poop, you may be wondering if you need to clean up these “presents” or if you can leave them be. Will rabbit poop kill your grass if you just leave it there? Are there any other reasons you might want to clean it up? Whichever of these questions you have, you can find your answers below.
Does Rabbit Poop Kill Grass?
No, rabbit poop does not kill grass unless you smother your lawn with it. Though rabbits can cause damage to your lawn in other ways, rabbit droppings are not one of them. Rabbit poop is a very mild type of manure. It can be directly applied to your lawn or garden to supply it with necessary nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. It will release these nutrients slowly and over time as the pellets break down.
Rabbit Urine Can Kill Grass
Unlike bunny poop, rabbit urine can be a minor threat to your lawn. However, one wild rabbit or two is unlikely to be a problem. The potential for damage only arises if you are keeping several rabbits on or over your lawn, in an enclosure. In a situation like this, it is a good idea to place the hutch over a patch of ground that can be either used as a composting zone or somewhere that is heavily mulched. Moving the hutch, or using a movable pen, can help keep damage to a minimum.
Rabbit urine is highly concentrated as well as acidic. If it is allowed to sit on your lawn during the hot and sunny parts of the day, your grass may start to look sickly or appear burnt. To avoid this situation, all you need to do is lightly water your lawn in the late morning or even around sunrise. This should be after any rabbits have left your lawn and will prevent this browning during the day.
What Will Rabbit Poop Do To a Lawn?
Rabbit poop, in the quantities it is commonly found, will do nothing more than provide a small amount of natural fertilizer to a lawn. Rabbit urine, on the other hand, can cause damage or browning if allowed to dry on your grass. Watering your lawn in the late morning for as little as 2 minutes can prevent this potential negative effect.
How is Rabbit Poop Beneficial for a Lawn?
Rabbit poop provides a small amount of slow-release nitrogen and phosphorous as well as a small handful of other nutrients to your lawn. However, if rabbits frequently visit your lawn the smell the rabbits leave behind, imperceptible to most humans, can attract more harmful predators.
Can Rabbit Droppings on a Lawn Be Harmful to Humans or Pets?
If you have rabbit poo on your lawn, you may be concerned that it could accidentally come into contact with you, your family, children, or pets. The risk of getting any type of illness, disease, or parasite from a rabbit is virtually zero, according to current knowledge, unless that person is already heavily immunocompromised.
How to Deal With Rabbit Poop on a Lawn
If all you have is a lone rabbit or two, you’re unlikely to notice much if any actual damage. The rabbit pellets themselves are harmless and that little urine, applied to a lawn with an adequate supply of water, should cause little to no harm as well. If you are concerned for the health of your family or pets, rabbits are unlikely to communicate any disease to humans, as mentioned above, but they can infect dogs and other rabbits easily through their droppings. Rabbit poop accumulation can also attract the attention of local predators.
Keeping rabbits out of your lawn isn’t easy, but it can be done. Fences of 3 feet or more can successfully deter most rabbits. Motion scare devices, scare tape, flashing lights, and aluminum foil have also been demonstrated to be effective. Bitterants can also be sprayed onto a lawn to prevent the nibbling of rabbits, deer, and other grazing animals.
Rabbit Poop Will Not Harm Your Lawn
Is bunny poop bad for grass? No. However, there are limits to that answer. Wild rabbits often do their business in various spots, not favoring any particular zone. The lack of concentration is what makes this type of rabbit poop safe for grass. You do not want to empty the litter pan of a house rabbit over your lawn. This is too concentrated for most plants to handle, including grass.
If you do have a house rabbit or a rabbit hutch in your garden and you want to make the most of the rabbit poop produced, make sure you compost it first. Composted rabbit waste, including compostable litter, can make a good annual fertilizer for your lawn, garden, and landscaping.
Leave a Reply