Managing Rabbits

Rabbit sitting beside some grass

Rabbits are declared the worst invasive species in Australia and cause extensive damage to pastures, crops, native vegetation, and infrastructure.

In Victoria rabbits cost us approximately $200 million in lost production every year and impact the health of hundreds of native fauna and flora. Within 18 months one pair of rabbits can breed to become 184 rabbits, therefore consistent control is vital to maintaining the health of our local environment.

Managing rabbits effectively regenerates our ecosystems, increases our farm yields and productivity, improves our soil and water and keeps our cultural heritage areas healthy.

Effective control requires persistent effort from both landowners and Council—here's what you need to know.

Managing rabbits on private property

Property owners are responsible for controlling rabbits on their own land. This includes residential properties, farms, and rural land.

Why rabbit control is your responsibility

  • Under Victorian legislation, landowners must take reasonable steps to prevent pest animals from spreading
  • Rabbits don't respect property boundaries—your neighbour's efforts can be undone by rabbits on your property
  • Coordinated control across multiple properties is far more effective than isolated efforts

Please refer to the rabbit management guide for more information to help you manage rabbits on your property. 

 

What Council can't do

  • Control rabbits on private property
  • Enforce rabbit control on private land (this is Agriculture Victoria's role)
  • Provide free rabbit control services to landowners

 

Rabbit Management Guide

We have developed a rabbit management guide for private property owners to support in rabbit control.

You can download the Rabbit-Management-Guide.pdf(PDF, 340KB) here.  

 

Track rabbits with RabbitScan

RabbitScan is a free community tool that helps everyone track rabbit activity across Indigo Shire.

What you can record

  • Rabbit sightings and numbers
  • Warren locations
  • Damage to pastures, crops, or vegetation
  • Control activities you've undertaken
  • Signs of rabbit disease (important for tracking disease spread)

 

Why use it

  • Helps Council and Agriculture Victoria understand rabbit distribution
  • Tracks the effectiveness of control efforts
  • Identifies outbreak areas
  • Builds a community picture of rabbit pressure
  • Your data helps inform regional rabbit management strategies

 

How to use RabbitScan

  • Website: www.feralscan.org.au/rabbitscan
  • Smartphone app: Download "FeralScan" from your app store
  • Takes less than 5 minutes to record sightings
  • Photos and GPS coordinates are automatically captured

 

 

What does Council do?

Our responsbility

Council undertakes rabbit control on Council-owned and Council-managed land only, including:

  • Council reserves and parks
  • Selected Council roadsides
  • Council facilities and buildings

Report rabbits on council land

Spotted rabbits or warrens on Council roadsides, parks, or reserves?

Report it:

Include the location, number of rabbits or warrens observed, and photos if possible.

 

Our control methods

We engage qualified, licensed pest controllers who use:

  • Harbour removal - destroying warrens and burrows
  • Appropriate control techniques - shooting, trapping, and fumigation
  • Safe disposal methods

We do not use baiting due to the risks posed to members of the public, pets, and native wildlife.

 

Rabbit-Management-Guide.pdf(PDF, 340KB)

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