Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. This video shows how to effectively add baiting to your control program. This video is Part 2 of a five-part series: Rabbit control in Victoria, Rabbit control in Victoria - baiting, Rabbit control in Victoria - ripping, Rabbit control in Victoria - fumigation, Supplementary Rabbit control options in Victoria

Detailed video showing how to use Pindone bait in a smaller property.

Rabbits in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu have been increasing in numbers in the past five years and landholders want to learn about all control options. If done in the right way, Pindone oats is one option which can be very effective in controlling rabbits on your property, particularly in the wetter months. But like all baits, Pindone oats must be used with great care. This video explains how to bait effectively, safely and responsibly.

Poisoning with sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) is one of the most effective methods of quickly reducing rabbit numbers and is usually performed prior to harbour destruction and warren fumigation.

This page discusses how poisoning with 1080 is used to minimise the impact of the introduced European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on agricultural production and the environment.

Rabbits, foxes and feral pigs pose a major threat to our environment and agricultural production.

This video series describes why pest control programs are important in Victoria and introduces you to how collaborating with neighbours and using a variety of strategic control methods can turn this threat around.

Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. This video shows how to fumigate rabbit warrens following baiting and ripping to help control populations on your property. This video is Part 4 of a five-part series: Rabbit control in Victoria, Rabbit control in Victoria - baiting, Rabbit control in Victoria - ripping, Rabbit control in Victoria - fumigation, Supplementary Rabbit control options in Victoria

The first step in adaptive pest management is to define the problem and understand as much as possible about the pest. Analysis of rabbit problems is aided by data on:

• Their impact – signs of rabbit damage.
• Their distribution and abundance – where rabbits are found and, especially, where their warrens are. Warrens are crucial to rabbit breeding and therefore a key to their control. Knowing where they feed can help if baiting will be part of the control program.

Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. This video shows how to fumigate rabbit warrens following baiting and ripping to help control populations on your property. This video is Part 4 of a five-part series: Rabbit control in Victoria, Rabbit control in Victoria - baiting, Rabbit control in Victoria - ripping, Rabbit control in Victoria - fumigation, Supplementary Rabbit control options in Victoria

European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are a serious invasive pest in Australia. Rabbits cause millions of dollars in damage to crops annually and, even at very low numbers, cause major impacts to the natural environment.

Once established in rural areas rabbits can cause extensive damage to crops, pastures and native vegetation and are difficult to control, requiring constant landholder action to manage. Rabbits construct burrows that enable them to survive a wide range of environmental conditions. They adapt to a wide range of food types and their ability to graze plants to ground level contributes to the enormous damage they cause. It is the legal responsibility of the land owner to control rabbits on their property, and penalties can be imposed for failing to do so under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004.

In 1859 when Thomas Austin released 24 wild rabbits on his Geelong property, he could not have foreseen that they would breed so prolifically and spread across the southern parts of the continent. Each year rabbits cause an estimated $600 million worth of damage to agriculture. They also cause serious erosion problems, prevent native vegetation from regenerating, attack domestic gardens and undermine farm sheds and other buildings.

In WA European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are declared pests of agriculture under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 and as such, landholders are required to control rabbits on their properties. Even landholders not growing crops are still legally obliged to control rabbits to protect their neighbours’ land from the impact of rabbits.

The Bait and poison directory for vertebrate pests in Western Australia provides a starting point for landholders, pastoralists, retailers, manufacturers and/or wholesalers who want to supply or use vertebrate baits.

This web page contains brief descriptions on how to access, use or supply bait, poison and toxin (bait) products, what training is required, animal welfare considerations and legal requirements.

Pests are animals causing harm or significant disturbance in areas where they are not wanted. They often have the ability to flourish if left unmanaged in suitable environments. Physical, chemical and biological control options are available to variously cull, inhibit breeding or exclude pests from priority areas. It is rare that a single control measure will be completely successful. Even very effective biological controls require support from additional control measures.

Sharing both lethal and humane methods to stop rabbits from eating your plants and help you protect your yard from wild, cottontail, European rabbits, and more!

This blog is a resource from The Pest Dude on various DIY methods for controlling rabbits.

The Toowoomba Regional Council is committed to managing invasive plants and animals to protect the local environment and community. Their biosecurity efforts focus on controlling pest species, educating landholders, and ensuring compliance with the Biosecurity Act 2014.​Toowoomba Region

Key Programs and Initiatives

• Pest Animal Control: The Council assists landowners in managing pest animals such as wild dogs, foxes, and feral pigs through a '1080 baiting service' conducted four times a year, with additional support provided as needed. ​Toowoomba Region

• Rabbit Management: Control methods include destroying warrens and burrows, removing potential shelters like log piles, and utilizing biological controls such as calicivirus and myxomatosis to reduce rabbit populations. ​Toowoomba Region

• Weed Control: The Council's Conservation and Pest Management team manages weeds along approximately 11,000 km of road network and conducts inspections across the 13,000 square km region. ​Have Your Say

• Biosecurity Surveillance Program: This program monitors invasive biosecurity matter, promotes best practice management, and provides information to enhance community awareness. ​Toowoomba Region+1Toowoomba Region+1

Landholder Responsibilities

Under local laws, land occupiers are required to keep their properties free from overgrown vegetation and accumulations of materials that could harbor pests. ​

Additional Resources

For more information on pest and weed management, including specific programs and resources, visit the Toowoomba Regional Council's Pests & Weeds (Biosecurity) page.​Toowoomba Region+1

Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. This video gives an overview of the species and the management techniques land owners can use to control them. This video is Part 1 of a five-part series: Rabbit control in Victoria, Rabbit control in Victoria - baiting, Rabbit control in Victoria - ripping, Rabbit control in Victoria - fumigation, Supplementary Rabbit control options in Victoria Thumbnail image credit: Rick Nash and the Invasive Animals CRC

Rabbits are one of the most destructive invasive species in Australia. This video highlights things you should know when considering rabbit warren ripping as part of your pest animal control activities. This video is Part 3 of a five-part series: Rabbit control in Victoria, Rabbit control in Victoria - baiting, Rabbit control in Victoria - ripping, Rabbit control in Victoria - fumigation, Supplementary Rabbit control options in Victoria

This article explains why baiting is necessary, how to use bait stations for protection of other animals, etc., most effective use of bait stations, etc.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pindone is a first generation anticoagulant used to control rabbits in areas where the alternative rabbit poison, sodium fluoroacetate (1080), is either impractical or unsuitable. These include urban and semi- rural areas including hobby farms, golf courses and horticultural areas. Pindone inhibits the manufacture of blood clotting factors (prothrombin), leading to a reduction in the clotting ability of the blood. Large single exposures can result in acute poisoning, however, pindone is highly effective when given as a series of smaller doses over a period of 4 to 12 days. This causes anticoagulant poisoning with a long latent period between ingestion and mortality, resulting in death due to internal haemorrhaging. One of the advantages of pindone is the availability of an antidote in the case of accidental poisonings.

There are currently two chemical forms of pindone; pindone acid (a mixture of keto and enol forms) and pindone sodium (sodium salt of pindone), which are used to prepare baits for rabbit control in Australia. The main difference between the two is that pindone acid has low water solubility while the sodium salt is soluble in water. Based on the differences in water solubility it has been proposed, but not yet proven, that baits based on pindone acid will remain active for a longer period than baits based on pindone sodium. Acid and salt forms of pindone can be regarded as essentially equivalent in toxicity once ingested as gastric acidity liberates the “free acid” from the salt. Both forms of pindone break down to the same end-product in the field and have the same non-target impacts to fauna.