Rabbit Bait Station Guidelines

Unlike possums rabbits have small home ranges and won't travel far to find food so you need to place stations where the sign is. Often on farmland you will find that rabbit sign is concentrated along fencelines, so fence posts make convenient objects to attach stations to. Place stations along fence line every 20-30 meter's (except where there is no sign). Attach each station to a post with the base of the station 50 - 150mm above ground level. Place Pindone rabbit bait (usually available from Wrightsons) in the station. Some times the rabbits will "discover" the feeder easier if you drop a couple of pellets on the ground directly below the station (where they will act as an attractant and will be given some protection from rain by the station). Rabbits will also eat Pestoff possum bait, but it can only legally be used in a station. If you find concentrations of rabbit sign out in the paddock more than 20 meters from a suitable fence post use a 50mm by 50mm batten driven into the ground as an anchoring post for the bait station. Alternatively, use no. 8 wire pegs to pin the station to the ground. Then use a spade to dig out a clod of earth from in front of the feeding entrance to a depth of 50-150 mm (2-6") (see sketch). This will both attract the rabbit (the bare earth) and will allow it to comfortably feed at the entrance. Having a 150mm trench in front of the entrance will also eliminate the potential problem of splashback (rain hitting the ground and splashing up wards) dampening bait at the feeder entrance. It may take upto a week for the rabbit(s) to find that the station is a source of food and begin eating. It will then take a few more days before the poison to takes effect. Turning over a sod of earth or scatching the earth bare near the station will act as an attractant to the rabbits.

Until recently I have recommended opening up the entrance a little to allow rabbits to feel more confident about placing their head into the feeding entrance. However, I understand that some users have found this unnecessary. If you find that (after a week or so) the rabbits still aren't feeding from the station try enlarging the entrance you can use a bandsaw or similar saw to trim 1-2 cm off the top of the entrance and a few mm.'s off the side of the entrance.

Yes the stations come with removable double head nails so it is simple to move them on to a new site once the rabbit sign has disappeared from the area you are treating. However, on parts of your property where rabbits are most rely to re-invade from neighbouring properties, you should maintain permanent bail stations.