Growing a garden in the backyard has its pros and cons. One of the most irritating cons is that deer, rabbits, and other herbivores keep sneaking and stealing your crops.
And now, you might be wondering how to scare them away without killing them? A great solution is applying the best deer and rabbit repellent onto your plants, and here are the six top-rated picks on the market:
Here are the best deer and rabbit repellents you can buy in 2024:
- Best For Flower Beds: Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent Concentrate
- Best For Vegetable Gardens: Plantskydd Animal Repellent
- Best For Long-Lasting Protection: Safer Brand Concentrate 5972
- Rain-Resistant: Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate
- Snow Resistant: Everguard ADPR032
- Highly Effective: Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent
| 6 Best Deer And Rabbit Repellents | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For Flower Beds | Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent Concentrate | |
Best For Vegetable Gardens | Plantskydd Animal Repellent | |
Best For Long-Lasting Protection | Safer Brand Concentrate 5972 | |
Rain-Resistant | Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate | |
Snow Resistant | Everguard ADPR032 | |
Highly Effective | Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent | |
Best For Flower Beds: Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent Concentrate
- Ideal for flower beds – pollinator-friendly & harmless to flowers
- Optimal herbivore prevention - repelling in three ways: touch, odor, and taste
- Safe to animals and plants – 100% natural ingredients
- Not water-resistant
- Very stinky smell
This all-natural animal repellent product is an effective yet humane way to prevent deer and rabbits without harming them and protect your plants.
The way it works is using predators' side products, dried blood, and irritating-smell plants to trigger biologically and genetically ingrained fear in deer and rabbits.
While many other repellants only affect herbivores through two ways - smell and taste, this product repels in three ways, composed of touch for optimal results.
A notable thing is that despite the strong smell, it is very pollinator-friendly and safe for flowers. Plus, it lasts very long - up to two months per application.
| Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent Concentrate Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 Ounces |
Type | Concentrate |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Wintergreen, onion, fish oil, clove, whole egg solids, dried blood, and garlic |
Highlight Features | pollinator-friendly & harmless to flowers repelling in three ways: touch, odor, and taste |
The Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent Concentrate becomes an instant tester favorite this year thanks to its effective herbivore prevention yet pollinator-friendliness, making it ideal for flower beds.
Best For Vegetable Gardens: Plantskydd Animal Repellent
- Perfect for vegetable gardens – Pollinator-Friendly & Safe on vegetables
- Reliable - made in the US & OMRI-listed
- Not have mulch odor – granular type
- Not for 2’+ high vegetation
- Easily washed away after rains
If you can't stand the terribly stinky odor of animal repellent liquid products, then this granular type might be a great alternative.
The Plantskydd Animal Repellent is OMRI-listed, proudly made in the US, and proven tested to be safe on vegetables and pollinators.
Dried blood is the one and sole ingredient of this product, which is easy to control what you're spraying on your plants. Thereout, it does not use any animal parts.
This product is recommended for 2' high vegetation or under.
| Plantskydd Animal Repellent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 3.5 pounds |
Type | Organic Granular |
Active Ingredients/ Action | 100% Dried Blood (Porcine and/or Bovine) |
Coverage | 1,750 square feet |
Highlight Features | Pollinator-Friendly & Safe on vegetables made in the US & OMRI-listed granular type |
For protecting the vegetable garden from deer, rabbits, and other herbivores, the Plantskydd Animal Repellent can’t be beaten.
Best For Long-Lasting Protection: Safer Brand Concentrate 5972
- Able to last up to 90 days per application
- Huge coverage & bang for bucks – coverage of 4,000 square feet
- Smell horrible
This natural animal repellent works based on taste and smell. It uses potent ingredients like dried garlic and putrescent egg - things that deer and rabbits hate the most to scare them away.
But making the product stand out to us is its extra coverage and longevity.
On average, 32-ounce animal repellent products cover only 320 to 500 square feet (such as Safer Brand's 5935 and 5981 versions), but this one can cover up to 4,000 square feet. Its longevity is 90 days (approximately three months) while other counterparts usually last 8 weeks as maximum.
Overall, it is the best for the money.
| Safer Brand Concentrate 5972 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 oz. |
Type | Concentrate |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Garlic, capsaicin & related capsaicinoids, putrescent whole eggs solids, other ingredients. |
Coverage | up to 4, 000 sq. Ft |
Highlight Features | Able to last up to 90 days per application coverage of 4,000 square feet |
The Safer Brand Concentrate 5972 scored exceptionally high marks in longevity and coverage in our testing, which gives it a slot in this review list.
Rain-Resistant: Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate
- Rain-resistant after the liquid already dries out
- Not harm plants, animals, or human - scent- and taste-deterring formulas
- Able to cover a large area – featuring 6,000-square-foot coverage
- Last only three weeks
- A bit pricey
Most animal repellents share one drawback in common - they hardly last after a rain or storm, which requires reapplying. If you live in a highly humid region or during the rainy season, this would be quite inconvenient.
Don't worry, we have this option for you, the Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate.
It is claimed to resist water after applying 5 or 6 hours on dry vegetation. About the smell, you might notice an odor after applying but once the liquid is completely dried, it's only pungent to herbivores.
| Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 40-Ounce |
Type | Concentrate |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Garlic, Putrescent egg solids, meat protein, & Urine from mammal predators |
Coverage | 6,000 sq. ft |
Highlight Features | Rain-resistant, scent- and taste-deterring formulas 6,000-square-foot coverage |
The Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate is ideal to be used in humid tropical climates or during rainy seasons as it’s rain-resistant.
Snow Resistant: Everguard ADPR032
- Perfect for winter – a snow-resistant proven commercial formula
- Safe to kids and pets – plant-based ingredients & no offensive odors
- Convenient to apply - spray nozzle and easy-to-grasp bottle design
- Wish the bottle was more quality
The Everguard ADPR032 distinguishes itself from the competition for its proven commercial formula that is snow-resistant and has no offensive odor to be safe for kids and pets.
If you just want to scare deer and rabbits without harming any animals, this product is also for you, based on its 100% plant-based ingredients and no animal parts used.
During our tests, it worked beautifully just as those repellents made of putrescent egg solids and lasted up to 8 weeks during the winter as advertised.
We also appreciate the added spray nozzle and ergonomic bottle for easy grasp.
| Everguard ADPR032 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32oz |
Type | Spray |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Garlic and cinnamon oils, clove, and thyme |
Coverage | 500 sq. Ft. |
Highlight Features | snow-resistant proved commercial formula plant-based ingredients & no offensive odors spray nozzle and easy-to-grasp bottle design |
The Everguard ADPR032 is a snow-resistant deer and rabbit repellent product made of 100% plant-based ingredients. It’s proven-tested to last up to eight weeks per application during the winter.
Highly Effective: Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent
- Easy to transport – bottle design with a carrying handle
- 400% more effective than other brands - university-backed formula
- Safe for kids, plants, and animals - biodegradable ingredients
- Heavy & bulky
- Wide bottle neck - Difficult to measure accurately in small batches
Saving the best for last, the Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent has been a longtime favorite of our testers.
At 5 gallons, it covers a large area up to 28,000 square feet. The ergonomic bottle design with a carrying handle makes it easy to transport.
But the best part is its university-backed formula - which is proven to be 400% more powerful than other brands yet still safe for kids, plants, and animals thanks to its biodegradable ingredients.
Lastly, it can be used all seasons.
| Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 1 Gallon |
Type | Concentrate |
Active Ingredients/ Action | potassium sorbate, sodium lairyl sylgate, mint oil, white pepper, garlic, & whole egg |
Coverage | 2 Acres (28,000 Sq Ft) |
Highlight Features | bottle design with a carrying handle university-backed formula biodegradable ingredients |
Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent is a highly effective product that we've found.
How To Choose The Best Deer And Rabbit Repellent?
The Way That The Product Keeps Deer And Rabbit At Bay
All the deer and rabbit repellent products that we tested work by either of these two ways:
- Relying on scents and pheromones of carnivores
- Relying on extracts and essential oil of the plant that deer and rabbit don’t like
Based on our experience, the first way is more effective in repelling deer and rabbit, with less time for these herbivores coming back. However, as many of these products are made of carnivore parts, which is controversial in humanity.
That’s why the second way is coming into place.
Bonus: The most effective plants that both deer and rabbit stay away from are lavender, snapdragons, daffodils, forsythia, lilac bush, and marigolds.
Type
When it comes to deer and rabbit repellents, there are two common types to consider:
- Granular
- Liquid
Granular repellents don’t smell as bad as the liquid and they don’t require complicated applications during the spring and summer. However, they are less effective due to less coverage on your plants plus they don’t work if deer or rabbit decides to take a taste.
The liquid repellent is on the contrary.
Safety
You should make sure that the chosen deer and rabbit repellent product contains no toxins and also meets all the safety standards to not cause harm to your pets, kids, or even the herbivore.
It is not only about humanity but also about the local ecosystem because if a deer or rabbit eats your plants – which are covered with toxin repellents, they die outside of your property.
And if a predator, like foxes or cougars, eats them, secondary poisoning happens and kills them, too.
Which Brands Make The Best Deer And Rabbit Repellent?
Bonide
Becoming membership of the ADAMA Group under the Syngenta Global organization makes BONIDE a very reliable brand when it comes to deer and rabbit repellents. Besides, this is one of the longest-standing brands with over 90 years of expertise in this industry.
Plantskydd
Another dependable brand where you can find high-quality, earth-friendly plant protection products is Plantskydd, with more than 30 years experience. Their products are proudly made in the US and have wide market acceptance in both Canada and USA.
Safer Brand
Not only renowned in pest control products but Safer® Brand is also a trusted brand in plant protection products. They've got over 30 years of experience in this field, so they know how to make quality products that can solve problems quickly with little to no side effects on animals or earth.
FAQs
Does deer repellent work against rabbits?
It depends on the brand and product line. Some effective deer repellent products that can also work against rabbits, squirrels, and other herbivores are:
- Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellent Concentrate
- Plantskydd Animal Repellent
- Safer Brand Concentrate 5972
- Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent Concentrate
- Everguard ADPR032
- Nature's Mace Deer & Rabbit Repellent
Should I use liquid or granular deer and rabbit repellents?
Each type of deer and rabbit repellent has its pros and cons, therefore, you should determine your needs to find out the right one.
Liquid deer and rabbit repellents are easy to apply and effective for 24” high vegetation while granular ones last longer and don’t smell bad.
Will deer and rabbit repellent harm my plants?
No, they won’t. Deer and rabbit repellent products these days are certified for quality and safety to vegetation. Besides, it uses smell to scare herbivores away without having to take a bite to be repelled.
How often should I reapply deer and rabbit repellent?
We would say that it depends on the product you choose and the weather conditions. During dry seasons, reapply in 4-8 weeks. During rain seasons, reapply every week or two weeks.
Will the rabbit repellent keep wild animals that I like from coming to my yard?
To know if the rabbit repellent that you use works against the wild animals that you like from coming to your yard, you should look at the product descriptions:
- Which animals does it work against
- Do its ingredients repel the animal that you like from visiting your backyard?
In general, rabbit repellent products made of carnivores parts and dried blood will work against most other herbivore animals whilst plant-based products might not.
Conclusion
We hope the information in this buying guide sparks an interest in a more humane solution to scare herbivores away from your garden. The six best deer and rabbit repellents in this review are hand-picked from years' real-life testing, which is trustworthy.
