I don't know if anyone is still following this thread but I have been toying with a similar idea. In my situation the rabbits would be in a vineyard part of the year and I am concerned that they might nibble on the trunk of the vines and girdle them. Is this a valid concern? I am imagining them mostly being in the vineyard before bud break eating some of the legume cover crop. If they happened to be in the vineyard later than that I don't really care if they eat any suckers at the base of the vine, in fact that would be a good thing. It would only be an issue if they chewed on the bark and damaged the trunk. That would likely be the end of my experiment if it happened. Any thoughts?