Rabbit killer

Hello,

I'm not an engineer, so please excuse dumb questions.

The area I live in is infested by rabbits. Professional exterminators are expensive, and the varmints seem to know when I'm about with a gun. I have an idea for a device to electrocute them consisting of a 12V car battery charging a capacitor bank, the bank connected to two probes which if shorted by a rabbit would zap it. (I have no pets to worry about).

Am I right in saying that 12V would not supply sufficient charge to kill a rabbit and I would need to boost the voltage across the capacitors using a circuit similar to a camera flash gun or maybe a boost converter ?

Can anyone point me to a circuit design that would do the job ? For safety I would need a facility to discharge the cap, but I presume that's just a switch to short the caps through a resistor.

Any advice appreciated.

google: "solar powered electric fence schematic"

I suppose an electric fence energiser would work, but it produces a continuous pulse which I would think runs the battery down faster. My idea was just charge up a capacitor, or a bank of them until they are discharged by a rabbit making contact with the probes, then charge them up again.

Buy/inspect a cheap fly zapper, then just use more powerful components. Will see if I can get a photo of mine.

I have no pets to worry about

Speaking of pets, that strikes me as a far better solution. Get a few dogs that like chasing rabbits. If you get them from a shelter / rescue / pound you will be solving several problems.

...and the varmints seem to know when I'm about with a gun.

Which means they will also learn to avoid being electrocuted.

Even if it is about rabbits and in Australia, I think "cruelty to animals" could be an issue here.
(If you cannot make a quick, clean kill, please do not try to kill!)

You would need high voltage and relatively high current, certainly not a beginners project.
You, or someone else unsuspectingly handling it, could get hurt.

Furthermore, you would have to dispose of the rabbit to make room for the next, adding mechanical complexity to all your other challenges.

A drop trap in the fence would be simpler, easier and better.

If the room they drop into is filled with CO2, it will be lethal, and have capacity for quite a few customers......

hsteve:
I suppose an electric fence energiser would work, but it produces a continuous pulse which I would think runs the battery down faster. My idea was just charge up a capacitor, or a bank of them until they are discharged by a rabbit making contact with the probes, then charge them up again.

Use the Voltage Step-Up theory from the Electric Fence circuit to learn how to generate High Voltage.

Either:

  1. Run the circuit all 24 x 7 or
  2. Energize the High Voltage only when required.
    Your choice.

Recharge the battery during the day with a small solar panel.

This is very unlikely to work.

Even if it did I bet it wouldn't kill enough of them to make a difference (they breed!) and you're just as likely to kill stuff you didn't want to kill.

Poisoned carrots? Release some ferrets into the area?

Maybe start making canned "Lapin A La Cocotte" to sell. :wink:

I think I'll use an electric fence about 6 inches above the ground in the area the rabbits frequent and see how that goes.

Thanks all for the suggestions

How about a shotgun with a Hare Trigger? XD Sorry, too much Looney Tunes while growing up I suppose.

hsteve:
I think I'll use an electric fence about 6 inches above the ground in the area the rabbits frequent and see how that goes.

Good idea, we've used a few high powered ones that will knock a bull back, sure it would send a rabbit scurrying.
Also if the ground around the fence is wet a much more powerful zap is received.
I'd string the fence at 4" , 7" and 10" as rabbits are contortion artists and great jumpers , small ones learn to squeeze below the 6" line. Or maybe use some 1" holed stainless steel chicken wire as the electric fence in the area needed.

Multiple sentry guns?

Laser turrets. The everything fix. Make sure to get Military grade. :smiley:

Slice of ham aand slice of cheese, some toast.

Mixin me toasties is fatal to rabbits.

More seriously low level electric fences tend to get shorted by vegetation.
A jumpung rabbit is not grounded.
Fur is a good insulator.

I recently purchased a mouse trap that operates at 3 kv.
Totally usless, i can smell ozone myself, mice have acute sense of smell, keeps them out of the room though.

I accept those those limitations, but rabbits don't usually "jump" high in the air, they hop along, and being a much smaller animal than a cow would receive more of a jolt than larger animal.

Given any thought to random (or even motion triggered) sounds?
Perhaps this would work to scare them off.

Personally, I would just use a small caliber rifle (or even an air rifle if licensing is an issue) and have rabbit casserole on a regular basis.

hsteve:
I accept those those limitations, but rabbits don't usually "jump" high in the air, they hop along, and being a much smaller animal than a cow would receive more of a jolt than larger animal.

Yes but not necessarily fatal.
Fences give short duration high volts but not constant current or high charge.

Mouse killer detects volts drop then operates continuously to deliver current.

A fence that did that could easily kill larger animals inmcluding humans.
The mouse killer is totally enclosed for that reaason.

Also bear in mind that a fence designed to kill rather than deter, could end up with a homicide charge depending on local laws.

Do not underestimate the problem of fur either.
Cattle are deterred because the are nosy and use it.
You really need paw contact which need floor level contacts, these would be shorted by rain.