Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in 2011. Readers have told us the bunnies are back, so here again are tips for dealing with them.

The calls to the Division of Wildlife share the same notes of astonishment and frustration: “The rabbits are taking over … they’re eating everything … what can I do?”

In Larimer County, CSU extension agent Alison O’Connor marveled at the extent of the damage she’s seen. On her trips to help homeowners diagnose lawn problems, she’s seen evidence of the fluffy, long-toothed culprit.

Sometimes, she’s come close to the perpetrators.

“They don’t even move,” she said. “They seem to kind of smirk and wink at you, don’t they?”

Scott Grimes at South Suburban Parks and Recreation says a new native perennial plot at South Platte Park has turned into a bunny buffet.

“They’re eating plants I wouldn’t expect. I’ve seen them eating barberry and euonymus and woody shrubs, eating them right down to the ground,” he said. “The fresh leafy flowers, the new primrose, the harebells, just seem to be a salad bar for them.

“We have 600 acres of grassland they could go eat. But they seem to like the new perennials best.”

What’s a homeowner to do?

Quick fixes are few.

“As far as treatment? I got nuthin’,” O’Connor said, not completely joking.

DOW district wildlife manager Jerrie McKee recommends prevention first: Don’t offer rabbits the kind of cover and hiding places they crave. Tidy up. Trim weedy patches and sprawling shrubs. Ground-level birdbath? Raise it. Close off potential rabbit refuges such as spaces under porches.

Once rabbits have settled into an area they find hospitable, O’Connor said, they can be tough to evict. Stinky repellants may work, but must be reapplied after every rain or sprinkler session.

Exclusion — basically, fencing rabbits out — entails using chicken wire or hardware cloth. Bury it 6 inches into the ground, she said. “They can burrow into astonishingly small spaces.”

If your lawn is rabbit-damaged — telltale signs are rabbit feces or gnawed-short, browning areas — the damage can be worse than dog-urine spots, O’Connor said. The remedy is the same: Increase watering to help flush out the urine; bump up fertilization schedules to help grass re-grow; and accept that you may need to resod or reseed those patches.

Rabbits do seem to prefer bluegrass to fescues, perennial rye or other tougher-bladed grasses. She also wondered if letting lawns grow taller — which is always a good, water-wise practice — is akin to rolling out a rabbit welcome mat.

Also: That neighbor cat you keep chasing out of your yard? Meet your new ally.

O’Connor believes she hasn’t had rabbits at her house in Windsor because two neighbor cats like to hang out in her front yard (and her backyard is securely fenced).

So how do you attract someneighbor cats with attitude?

“You could plant catnip,” O’Connor suggested, “but you might have to fence it off with chicken wire to keep the rabbits from eating it.”

Susan Clotfelter: 303-954-1078, sclotfelter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/susandigsin

Rabbit stats

Species: Mountain, desert and eastern cottontails

Life span: 80 percent are killed by predators in their first year

Reproduction: Two to six litters per year, each containing up to six young

Habitat: Low brush (there’s even a shrub called rabbitbrush)

Food: Woody or green vegetation close to ground level

Predators: Coyotes, foxes, hawks, owls (adults); weasels and rattlesnakes (young)

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Environmental Studies