Baiting is not effective as a sole control method and will not eradicate an entire rabbit population. Numbers will quickly increase again, and you will have to continue baiting year after year with no permanent overall change in the rabbit population.
Rabbits can also become ‘bait shy’ and this method becomes less and less effective over time. Ideally, baiting is best used either before ripping/fumigation to reduce a population, or after ripping/fumigation as a ‘mop-up’.
Baiting works best when rabbits are not breeding. During breeding season the majority of the population feeds over a larger-than-normal area, and it is the young rabbits that are most likely to take baits. While numbers will be reduced, animals of breeding age are not likely to be affected.
1080—sodium fluouroacetate:
Pre-feeding is required when using 1080 because rabbits will not readily take new feed. The poison free bait should be laid at least three times over a one-week period before the poisoned bait is laid. (1080-impregnated carrot baits are the most common form of bait used.)
The practice helps to ensure that, when the poisoned bait is laid, it will be eaten by most of the rabbit population. The use of 1080 is controlled by strict guidelines.
In Queensland, only land protection officers from DPI&F, officers from the Darling Downs–Moreton Rabbit Board (DDMRB), or local government officers who are 1080-authorised officers licensed by the Health Department may prepare bait material for land managers. If you want to use 1080 for rabbit control, you will need to contact one of these authorised officers.
Pindone:
Pindone is an anticoagulant registered for rabbit control. This poison works by preventing blood from clotting. In Queensland, it is not recommended for broadacre use and is mainly used in urban areas and near farm buildings.
Pindone works best when given as a series of small doses/feeds over a period of three days. Although pre-feeding is not essential, it does enhance the bait uptake by shy rabbits as they get used to the feed prior to any poison bait being laid. To be effective, pindone requires multiple feeds so that the poison can build up to fatal levels in the rabbit’s body.
Feeding over a number of nights provides plenty of opportunity for most of the rabbit population to consume the required lethal dose. Rabbits poisoned with pindone will usually die within 10–20 days.
Pindone baiting does not work well when there is a lot of green pick around for rabbits. This is thought to be because the fresh grass contains enough vitamin K1 (pindone’s antidote) to counteract the pindone consumed.
Poison bait trails:
It is important that bait trails are laid properly to ensure the best results. Baitlayers make it easier to put out bait trails at the correct rate, and they can be towed behind most 4WD vehicles, quad bikes and tractors. the same trail on subsequent occasions.
When scratching and laying a trail, these points need to be considered:
- Rabbits like freshly scratched/disturbed soil this may be because rabbits are territorial and inspect newly disturbed soil, and/or the disturbed vegetation smell attracts them.
- Lay trails around warrens and in the areas where rabbits most often feed.
- Laying trails on slopes and hills requires care—it can cause erosion in some soils types (e.g. granite and traprock). Trails are best laid in a zigzag pattern in steep terrain to minimise erosion.
- A trail that has been scratched for the first feed is easy to follow for the rest of the baiting program.
- The soil should be turned only enough to scratch the surface—don’t plough the ground.
- A trail that has been scratched too deep will spook the rabbits because they will not have full sight of their predators.
- Where vegetation is thick or it is difficult to find the main feeding areas, lay bait trails in a grid pattern across the site.
- As a general rule, avoid crossing the bait trail— it can cause confusion when you try to follow Bait trials will be most effective if these guidelines are followed:
- Use good quality, non-contaminated bait material. (Simple rule: if you wouldn’t eat it the rabbit won’t either.)
- Use enough feed to bait all the rabbits in the area. (The pre-feed will give an indication of the potential bait take.)
- Expect a greater uptake of pre-feed and bait material when vegetation is scarce, dried off or soured.
- Ensure that all the preparation equipment is clean and free of any chemical residues or smells—rabbits can be very shy of unusual odours.
- When there are kittens in a warren, lay the bait trail close to the warrens.
Fumigation:
Fumigation is labour intensive and time consuming, and is not usually an effective method if used alone. However, as a ‘mop-up’ technique or control method for use in areas where ripping is not practical (e.g. steep and rocky terrain), it may be a good alternative.
Because this technique relies on directly affecting the rabbits, and does not affect the structure of the warren, it is absolutely crucial that as many rabbits as possible are underground when fumigation is carried out.
Rabbits usually take refuge in their burrows from mid-morning to mid-afternoon and during hot weather so these are the best times to fumigate. Dogs can also be used to drive rabbits into their warrens.
For best results, fumigation should be carried out in two stages—initially, before the breeding season starts (as this reduces the breeding stock), and then again during the breeding season. There are two types of warren fumigation—static and pressure. In Queensland, static fumigants are a more popular and safer option for controlling rabbits and will be explained below.
Static fumigation:
This method is easy to use, and time- and cost effective. Static fumigation comes in the form of aluminium phosphide (phosphine) tablets, which can be purchased from most agricultural suppliers.
These tablets are small and round (about the size of a marble), and weigh 3 g. Trade names for phosphine include Pestex , Quickphos and Gastion® . General directions for the use of phosphine tablets appear below, but always refer to the manufacturer’s specific recommendations for use.
To fumigate warrens using phosphine tablets:
- Find all warren entrances—both active and inactive.
- Cut back the warren entrance at right angles using a shovel.
- Separately wrap two tablets in moistened absorbent paper (toilet paper/paper towels).
- Insert the tablets as far down into the entrance as possible. (Polypipe and a push rod can be used to help push the tablets down.)
- Push some scrunched-up newspaper down the hole to block the entrance and then cover it up with soil and, if possible, a rock.
- Treat all entrances to the warren (active and inactive) the same way.
- Check warrens about a week after fumigation and re-fumigate any reopened entrances.
Once in the warren, the moistened tablets react with air to release a toxic gas, which spreads quickly throughout the warren. The phosphine gas itself is invisible and odourless but leakages from the warren can be detected by the smell of ammonia.
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