Why Do Rabbits Eat Seedlings at Dawn?

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Why do rabbits eat seedlings at dawn? Mostly because that is when rabbits are most active, and tender green growth is what they prefer to eat. The University of Maryland Extension page says rabbits are “crepuscular, which means you are most likely to see them in your garden at dawn and dusk when they are most active.” It also says rabbits “may find a wide variety of favorites foods in your garden,” including “leafy greens, tender shoots, flowers, and occasionally herbs.” Those two facts explain most of the pattern. The sources do not explain why seedlings in particular draw more attention than mature plants, and this article does not claim they do.

Quick answer

Dawn and dusk are peak feeding times. UMD Extension and Wikipedia both describe eastern cottontails as mostly crepuscular.
Tender green growth is preferred. Wikipedia says eastern cottontails “prefer tender herbaceous vegetation.”
Fences and tree guards are the main control. UMD says “exclusion methods are the most effective management technique when dealing with rabbits.”

How we chose these sources

We needed a source on the species that is not a retail or product page. The University of Maryland Extension fact sheet is a university publication on eastern cottontails in gardens, and it covers feeding, damage and control. We used Wikipedia only for biology, specifically the species’ activity pattern and diet. We did not use Wikipedia for control methods. Both pages were fetched and read on 2026-10-27.

When rabbits feed

The UMD fact sheet says rabbits “are most likely to see them in your garden at dawn and dusk when they are most active.” It also says rabbits are “relatively quiet animals,” so a gardener is more likely to notice damage than to hear the animal. The Wikipedia entry gives the same timing for the wild population: “Eastern cottontails are mostly crepuscular and nocturnal, foraging primarily at dawn, dusk, and night.”

This timing has a practical effect. A gardener who checks in the late morning may see no animal and no fresh damage, yet the feeding may have happened before sunrise. The sources do not measure how much of a garden’s damage occurs at dawn compared with the rest of the night, so the timing alone should not be used as proof of who ate a plant.

The Wikipedia entry also notes that cottontails “can be seen during the day, particularly in overcast or foggy conditions.” A rabbit seen at midday on a grey day is therefore not unusual.

What rabbits prefer to eat

Wikipedia says eastern cottontails “feed primarily on a wide variety of plants, with some studies documenting 70–145 plant species in their diet.” It adds that they “prefer tender herbaceous vegetation, such as grasses, clovers (Trifolium spp.), crabgrasses (Digitaria spp.), and wild rye (Elymus spp.).” The UMD page makes the garden version of this point. Rabbits eat “leafy greens, tender shoots, flowers, and occasionally herbs,” and also “some fruits and vegetables such as berries and carrots.”

The UMD page also lists what rabbits tend to skip. It says rabbits “tend to pass on juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and other such plants.” That gap matters for planning. A bed of tomatoes can be less exposed than a bed of lettuce or young beans, but the sources do not give a full list of resistant plants.

Wikipedia’s diet note is from a wild population. The UMD note is from garden observation. The two sources agree on the general pattern, which is soft green growth first. They do not agree on any single plant that is always safe.

Why seedlings are exposed

A seedling is a tender green shoot, which is the category the sources name as preferred. A young plant also has few leaves and little cover. The sources do not say that seedlings are chosen over mature plants, and they do not measure preference by plant age. What they do say is that rabbits feed on tender shoots and tender herbaceous vegetation.

Rabbits also use cover while they feed. UMD says that “They prefer to live on the edge of forests where they have some protection from predators.” Wikipedia adds that the eastern cottontail “is a territorial species that relies on speed and agility to evade predators.” A garden next to brush or a forest edge may therefore be closer to a rabbit’s home range.

How to limit damage

UMD says that when damage is small, action is often not needed. It says “Discovering the presence of a few rabbits and their minimal damage is not a cause for concern and rarely requires action.” When damage is significant, the page recommends exclusion. It describes “a small 3-4-foot-tall chicken wire fence with 1-inch holes around your garden.” It advises that “You will want to bury at least six inches of the fence six inches deep and pointing away at a 90 degree angle, so that the rabbits cannot dig beneath it.”

For individual plants, UMD says “put the protection about 1 to 2 inches away from the tree trunk and ensure that it is at least 3 feet high.” That advice is about tree trunks, not seedlings, but the same idea of a physical barrier applies to small plants. The page also suggests moving herbs and rabbit-preferred greens into containers placed out of reach.

Habitat changes are another option. UMD says “Rabbits typically prefer to hide in brush at the edge of forests,” and that “Removing excess vegetation where rabbits take shelter is a good way to limit their populations nearby.” It also says that “Planting gardens far away from the forest edge is also a good way to reduce damage from rabbits to gardens.”

Check the damage before blaming rabbits

UMD gives an important caution about the evidence. If a gardener sees bites on tomatoes, cucumbers or squash, the page says “it would be wise to check for groundhogs.” Teeth marks alone do not identify the animal. Look for tracks, droppings, the height of the damage and whether the cut is clean or torn. These are the kinds of checks extension guidance points toward, though the sources do not give a full identification key.

What we could not verify

What the sources do not say

The sources do not explain why seedlings are eaten at dawn rather than at dusk or at night. The Wikipedia entry gives all three as feeding times and does not rank them. Neither source measures how many seedlings a rabbit eats in a night, or how many seedlings survive a rabbit visit. Neither source gives a repellent recipe or a timing schedule for protective covers, and this article does not offer one.

The UMD fact sheet covers the eastern cottontail. Other rabbit and hare species may behave differently, and the sources do not say whether local populations in every region match these patterns.

Frequently asked questions

Are rabbits most active at dawn?

Yes, according to the sources. UMD Extension says rabbits are “most likely to see them in your garden at dawn and dusk when they are most active.” Wikipedia says eastern cottontails are “mostly crepuscular and nocturnal, foraging primarily at dawn, dusk, and night.”

Do rabbits eat seedlings?

Rabbits eat tender green growth, and UMD lists “tender shoots” among their favorite foods. The sources do not single out seedlings in a separate study.

Which garden plants do rabbits avoid?

UMD says rabbits “tend to pass on juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and other such plants.” It adds that no plant is totally rabbit proof, because other food can change the choice.

Is a fence the best way to protect plants?

UMD says exclusion methods are “the most effective management technique when dealing with rabbits,” but only when damage is significant. For a few rabbits and minimal damage, it says action is rarely needed.

Could something else be eating my plants?

Possibly. UMD says that if bites appear on certain vegetables, “it would be wise to check for groundhogs.” Confirm the animal from tracks, droppings or the damage pattern before choosing a control.

Sources

University of Maryland Extension, “Eastern Cottontail Rabbits in Gardens and Home Landscapes” (FS-2024-0703). https://www.extension.umd.edu/resource/eastern-cottontail-rabbits-gardens-and-home-landscapes-fs-2024-0703 (opened 2026-10-27)
Wikipedia, “Eastern cottontail.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_cottontail (opened 2026-10-27)