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How to Use Rabbit Poop Fertilizer for a Better Garden

March 29, 2017 by Tiffany Davis 82 Comments

How to Use Rabbit Poop Fertilizer for a Better Garden - 5 different ways you can use rabbit droppings in your gardening and compost.

Rabbit poop fertilizer can truly change a garden; and if you have rabbits you have an endless supply of droppings at your disposal. Why not make that waste into something you can use for an amazing garden?

Now I know that most gardeners dread having a rabbit in the garden. Rabbits are know to mow down veggies, burrow holes and generally not a friend to our gardens. BUT they can be. NO, I am not suggesting that you allow some bunnies to run willy nilly through your garden….but rabbit poop fertilizer should.

We have used rabbit poop in our garden from our pet rabbits and meat rabbits for years.

Rabbit droppings are little nuggets of nutrition with phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. It can also contain trace elements of sulfur, calcium, copper and magnesium. Can we say organic super fertilizer?

The secret to our healthy vegetable garden?  Rabbit poop fertilizer! Let me show you how we use it!

So how can rabbit poop fertilizer be used in your gardens?

  1. Straight From Pan to the Garden
    Rabbit poo is not a hot manure so it can be used strait from the source. If you don’t use a lot of bedding (hay is ok) in your pans, you can pretty much take your poo straight to the garden. Sprinkle a little bit of the droppings around your garden and let it slowly release nutrients into the soil. I prefer to bury mine a bit to prevent flies but it isn’t necessary. But don’t worry about a stink, rabbit waste doesn’t have much of a smell to it at all.


  2. Give Transplants a Boost
    When you are digging a new hole for a transplant to your garden, add a little rabbit poop into the whole before putting the plant in. This give the roots and instant fertilizer to tap into.


  3. Compost Rabbit Poop
    Rabbit droppings are wonderful additions to your compost. They will add a rich boost of nitrogen to your compost pile and I have found they break down pretty quickly. This is how I use most of the rabbit waste that we have and it is part of making the rich soil that we use to grow our vegetable garden.


  4. Brew Rabbit Compost Tea
    Rabbit poop compost tea is another fantastic option for that super rabbit poop fertilizer. To make it you’ll want to soak 2 cups of rabbit droppings in a 5 gallon bucket full of water. Keep that tea covered and only uncover once a day for stirring. Make sure you keep your brew as far away from the house as possible because the flies love this stuff! It will take about 3 – 5 days for the poo to completely breakdown, settling at the bottom (it won’t dissolve completely). But keep the brewing tea in a warm, sunny, spot for best results.
    Use the rabbit compost tea to water you plants, giving them an infusion for nutrients. See more about the benefits of compost tea.


  5. Create a Worm Sanctuary
    If you have an outside worm or vermicompost bin you can add your rabbit poop into worm farms; red wigglers especially love rabbit poo. You’ll want to combine the droppings with materials like straw, newspaper and coconut coir.

There you have it – 5 ways to use rabbit poop fertilizer for a better garden. Happy gardening my friends!

How to Use Rabbit Poop Fertilizer for a Better Garden - 5 different ways you can use rabbit droppings in your gardening and compost.

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Comments

  1. Patti S says

    July 13, 2017 at 4:08 pm

    I use a paper bedding in our Bunny’s litter tray, can I put the urine soaked bedding in the composter as well?

    Reply
    • Natalie says

      December 18, 2018 at 8:23 pm

      I have the same question. I’m wondering if I can scoop it all out and into the compost pile. The bedding is paper … it should decompose but I’m not sure about the urine .

      Reply
  2. Sali Taylor says

    September 15, 2017 at 11:03 am

    Does rabbit manure lose it strength if it’s 15 years old? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      September 15, 2017 at 11:30 am

      Probably – never kept it that long. But I’d still throw it in my compost!

      Reply
  3. Nicole says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:36 am

    I use recycled organic recycled newspaper litter as well as hay/straw in the our rabbit’s litter box. Can I still use the rabbit poop, or do I need to use only hay?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      November 1, 2017 at 9:49 am

      I would still use it!

      Reply
    • Rodney says

      May 28, 2019 at 3:32 pm

      Place window screen over the paper liner lift and keep the manure. Urine hoes out with the paper.

      Reply
      • Tiffany Davis says

        May 30, 2019 at 3:42 am

        Great tip!

        Reply
  4. Alan Nightingale says

    November 28, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    Would it work as good if you don’t add straw/hay or does it matter

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      November 29, 2017 at 6:30 am

      Absolutely.

      Reply
  5. Niccole says

    February 16, 2018 at 3:34 pm

    Do you have an issue with the added hay casting seeds in your garden bed?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      February 17, 2018 at 4:47 am

      Yes from time to time we get some growth we don’t want but overall still worth it.

      Reply
  6. Marie MIller says

    March 4, 2018 at 10:37 am

    I have 5 wild rabbits that live in my back yard. Their burrow is underneath the Shed. Our yard is covered with their droppings and they don’t seem to dissolve but remain on top of the grass and appear to be killing of our grass as only weeds are growing in the yard, now.

    Any suggestions as to how I can re-claim my yard without disturbing the rabbits?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      March 5, 2018 at 5:52 am

      Rake up the droppings and put them in a compost.

      Reply
    • Martin Liss Johansson says

      July 24, 2020 at 11:06 pm

      The problem is the urine.. it is kills the vegetation around… I would say it is nearly impossible to get rid of, but you can dig it off and put something else there as a sack of gravels … and then water on top sometimes to soften up the urine. Someone told med tha only way to clean out the greasy rabbitt urine is with vinegar. I never tried and I don’t think it will help the green to grow.
      The best though would be to cathch the animals and put them in cages to control the place the different stuff goes…
      Good luck.

      Reply
  7. Jackie says

    March 9, 2018 at 9:10 pm

    Can you use it around perennials? Always have rabbits in my yard. Sometimes they stay in one spot eating my lawn and their poo just piles up so thought I could scoop it up and through it around my flowers.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      March 10, 2018 at 5:44 am

      Absolutely

      Reply
  8. Russ says

    March 13, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    I’m getting ready to plant potatoes, can I put the pooh right in the trench with my seed pieces?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      March 14, 2018 at 6:24 am

      Sure, it isn’t a hot fertilizer so it shouldn’t hurt your seed pieces at all.

      Reply
    • Martin Liss Johansson says

      July 24, 2020 at 11:08 pm

      I used Rabbit poops for my potatoes and it didn’t grow better there than on the lines without… I think the best way for potatoes is the tea…

      Reply
      • Tiffany Davis says

        July 26, 2020 at 6:19 am

        I think rabbit poo tea is the unsung hero for our gardens. I’m using it more and more.

        Reply
  9. helen Aall says

    April 21, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    i was wondering if you had any idea if it can be used for succulents??

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      April 22, 2018 at 5:25 am

      I use it with my aloe vera plant.

      Reply
  10. John Schafer says

    May 15, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    I captured a renegade rabbit in my backyard 3 yrs ago. Have been using the pellets pretty much as you suggest. My question is can I use the pellets in a screened pot for my aquatic plants?

    My feeling is it would release too much nutrients to the pond and cause an algae outbreak. What are your thoughts?

    Thank you,

    John

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      May 16, 2018 at 4:38 am

      I have heard you can and that you can’t. I don’t have enough experience there to really advise. I would get with someone that knows more about those plants specifically.

      Reply
    • Patrick Dempsey says

      April 19, 2019 at 6:59 pm

      Don’t do that. Even though rabbit poop is rich in nutrients it still contains nitrite and nitrate. When it breaks down in the water it will mix the bad chemicals into the water and it will kill your fish. If you don’t have fish and just want to feed aquatic plants, it should be ok, but a little goes a very long way.

      Reply
  11. Jessie Harris says

    May 16, 2018 at 11:54 am

    I have pet rabbits, can I put all the litter in the garden including hay and pee?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      May 17, 2018 at 5:19 am

      Yes but the hay could cause weeds (aka hay) in the garden. I had that happen with some lasagna gardening.

      Reply
    • Mary says

      March 9, 2021 at 5:06 pm

      I have lot of plain cardbord beddin with poop and pee n
      Mixed in what can i do with it??

      Reply
      • Tiffany Davis says

        March 10, 2021 at 6:13 am

        Line a garden bed with it or compost.

        Reply
  12. BioPowertrain says

    May 19, 2018 at 7:09 am

    How much rabbit manure is too mucb? Can I mix qujte a bit in my soil or should I only scatter a limited amount on the surface?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      May 19, 2018 at 10:23 am

      It isn’t a hot manure so you really can’t overdo it; at least not in my experience.

      Reply
    • Crystal says

      April 16, 2019 at 5:55 pm

      Can u use rabbit manuor with grass seed. To start a lawn

      Reply
      • Tiffany Davis says

        April 17, 2019 at 4:52 am

        I would think so!

        Reply
  13. Jen says

    August 6, 2018 at 8:09 am

    We use pine shavings as bedding. Adding the old bedding with the rabbit manure should be fine right?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      August 6, 2018 at 8:46 am

      As long as there is no treatment on it, it should be fine.

      Reply
  14. Diane Tuttle says

    August 7, 2018 at 8:54 am

    Is rabbit poo good for making Hydrangeas Blue. I have an area I want to plant BLUE hydrangea’s this fall. I want to prepare the soil NOW. ( Aug). is this a good fertilizer to use? How about Dahlias?

    Reply
    • Leah T says

      October 9, 2018 at 1:13 pm

      I was told that putting nails soil turns the flowers blue. Its the iron i believe

      Reply
  15. Rosa loving says

    August 13, 2018 at 4:50 pm

    What is the ratio of coco coir to rabbit poop for a red wriggler worm bin? Does it need to be composed first?

    Reply
    • Martin Liss Johansson says

      July 24, 2020 at 11:13 pm

      Actually, for worms…
      put an old tire on the ground, put first some dry strawinsid the tire and an inch on the bottom.. then fill up with all you can get from the cage. if it is dry?pour water on top, cover up… check a few weeks later,if no worms? I would be more than surprised!…

      Reply
  16. Alex says

    November 29, 2018 at 6:33 am

    I used rabbit poop to plant tomatoes in my garden. The plants initially flourished very well but later the leaves started crumbling and becoming smaller. The flowers started withering and falling. May I know what could be the possible cause?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      November 29, 2018 at 6:37 am

      There are so many factors to possible cause this but I don’t think any of them would be because of the rabbit poop. My first thought is you may have a fungus growing.

      Reply
    • Julie says

      December 29, 2018 at 2:59 am

      My tomatoes and watermelons had the same issue and I have never used rabbit manure. It’s something else.

      Reply
  17. Natalie says

    December 18, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    Hi! I have pet rabbits and use paper bedding. Can I scoop the urine soaked paper bedding along with the poop straight into the compost pile? I was thinking of putting it in a flower bed and covering with soil.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      December 19, 2018 at 1:35 pm

      I do as long as it isn’t chemically treated.

      Reply
  18. Kenneth shively says

    January 24, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    What is the ph of rabbit manure

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      January 24, 2019 at 6:14 pm

      N- 2.4 P- 1.4 K- .60

      Reply
  19. Dorothy Stephenson says

    January 29, 2019 at 4:55 pm

    Great post with wonderful information! I’ve recently moved to a new home and miss my old garden. I’m researching for ideas to create raised beds when the weather gets warm and starting to produce my own compost. I have rabbits, so I’m looking forward to “gardening with them.” Thanks for the advice!

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      January 30, 2019 at 2:44 pm

      Keep me posted on your progress Dorothy!

      Reply
  20. raelene brown says

    February 8, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    i have two rabbits and they have a paper based product for their toilet area which i clean daily and keep for my garden. i have put this loverly stuff on everything from cactus thru to vegies and everything grows wonderfully. thankyou my bunnys.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      February 9, 2019 at 6:15 am

      I love it!!!

      Reply
  21. Royce says

    February 17, 2019 at 9:05 am

    This is great, I wish to use the rabbit compost tea on for my fodder production to feed goats and rabbits, I leave in a tempret region,(Nigeria) hope it’s ok?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      February 18, 2019 at 11:51 am

      Works for me in the hot desert of Arizona so it should be fine!

      Reply
  22. mahesh says

    March 6, 2019 at 5:04 am

    Thank you so much for Beautiful update.
    I have 2 rabbits . so every day I am getting Plenty of fertilizers.
    Recently I have started YouTube Channel “Terrace Farm”. On building Terrace Farming and Gardening.

    I will Definitely use this fertilizer.

    Thank you Once Again 🙂

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      March 6, 2019 at 9:02 pm

      Great for pots on terraces too!

      Reply
  23. Patrick Dempsey says

    April 19, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    My rabbit manure smells like it is covered in urine. Is there a way to wash it through? Or will the urine affect my garden?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      April 20, 2019 at 4:38 am

      No the urine has nitrogen and is good for the garden!

      Reply
    • Adrienne says

      April 2, 2020 at 8:41 pm

      I just let the rabbit poop air dry in a paper bag for a day or two before tossing it into the veggie garden

      Reply
  24. Menna says

    May 3, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    So useful.

    Moved to a new house recently that had rabbits and a guinea pig living in the greenhouse!!! . The garden wheelie bin is full of their waste (from the last 3 years)and has composted well. Was puzzling how best to get rid of it.

    All the above posts say it’s a good fertilizer. So just wanted to check if it Is this ok to use, even with the guinea pig waste mixed in?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      May 5, 2019 at 3:06 am

      I don’t have any personal experience using guinea pig waste. But they are herbivores, so I don’t see there being any issue with it.

      Reply
  25. Katie says

    May 8, 2019 at 1:51 pm

    Hi! I’m new to composing and to using rabbit manure. Wondering if it’s ok to put wood stove pellets , hay and the rabbit pellets and urine right into composter? I buy the wood stove pellets from fleet farm in a big bag. They work great for soaking up the urine. I haven’t seen many forums about using the wood pellets.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      May 11, 2019 at 5:14 am

      Hi Katie! As long as the wood pellets are untreated, they will be fine in your compost. Hay is ok as well but if your compost doesn’t get hot enough, sometimes it can sprout in your garden. Rabbit urine is a-o-k for the compost too!

      Reply
  26. metulburr says

    September 24, 2019 at 6:59 am

    I used rabbit poop for my veggie garden this year. Everything grew much better. Thank you.

    Reply
  27. Kathleen S Guest says

    October 9, 2019 at 2:09 am

    I have a friend who raises rabbits. I’m buying bunny berries from her for my garden. I was planning to til them into the soul in the fall. Is this ok or should I apply them in the spring when I plant my garden?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      October 10, 2019 at 11:57 am

      I think you could do either!

      Reply
  28. Doris Scarbrough says

    March 1, 2020 at 11:12 am

    We are planting onion plants. Can we mix rabbit poo and wood chips with compost ?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      March 9, 2020 at 10:29 am

      Rabbit poo for sure, I have never done the wood chips.

      Reply
  29. Lisa says

    April 2, 2020 at 7:23 pm

    I’ve got s rabbit and my grandson named her cocoa pebbles lol her poop is helping my redwigglers eat well n my garden real happy🤗😊

    Reply
  30. Janice says

    April 15, 2020 at 1:50 pm

    I use wood pellet bedding. Does the rabbit poo need to be separated?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      April 18, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      Not unless the wood is treated.

      Reply
  31. amy handler says

    April 15, 2020 at 8:08 pm

    we have lots and lots of rabbit manure from cleaning out a big hutch – theyve moved inside. it is mixed with hay and urine. can i use too much as top dressing for my fruits and vegetables? i am also making tea with it. just want to make sure i am not going to hurt the harvest if i use too much. i have top dressed my strawberry beds already. can i do that more than once? can i top dress all berries and all veggies? thanks so much!

    Reply
  32. Kt says

    April 17, 2020 at 9:41 am

    I was wondering if putting rabbit waste in the garden would attract other rabbits? My female rabbit is fixed, so maybe that means she doesn’t smell as fertile, but would this still attract male rabbits?

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      April 18, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      I have never heard that.

      Reply
  33. Bea Didio says

    April 30, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    No one has mentioned if using Rabbit manure in my garden would attract more Wild Bunnies. We have had problems with the rabbits coming from the woods around out Apartment Complex and eating everything. Thank You for helping.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      May 8, 2020 at 11:41 am

      I have never had that be an issue. Rabbits are pretty territorial so I’d think that would be a deterrent.

      Reply
  34. Trisha says

    April 8, 2021 at 10:24 am

    My friend has tons of rabbits that the poop is nonstop however there is so much of it some of it gathers mold on it is it ok to use the rabbits poop with mold on it in the garden will that hurt anything

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      April 8, 2021 at 11:48 am

      Hi Trisha! Nope, that mold is part of the breaking down process and won’t hurt your compost or garden.

      Reply
  35. Denise says

    September 19, 2021 at 5:55 am

    I am wanting to make poop tea, but the rabbit poop has lots of rabbit feed mixed in with it. These are fair rabbits. Do I need to seperate the poop from the feed before making the tea? If so what’s the best way to do this.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      September 20, 2021 at 10:49 am

      You don’t have to but you’ll have a stronger tea without the feed in it.

      Reply
  36. Rei Garnet says

    February 7, 2022 at 1:20 am

    Thank you for this, I have a flemish giant, and they produce up to a kilo of poop per day!

    Reply
    • Tiffany Davis says

      February 9, 2022 at 8:09 am

      Great for your garden!

      Reply
  37. Robin says

    April 4, 2022 at 5:50 pm

    Don’t pour vinegar on your grass it will die for sure. That’s what I use as a weed killer!

    Reply

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