The introduction of pellets for feeding rabbits was welcomed by many breeders as a cheap, easy way to feed stock. Pellets and water offered the basic requirements for the rabbits plus the time taken to distribute the food among the stock were minimal.
The sudden price increase of the pellets has left many rabbit keepers with the problem of keeping the feed bill within acceptable limits.
Many, remembering how they fed their rabbits in pre-pellet days, are going back to those methods. This was to use household scraps as a mash dried off with bran. Time consuming, but more economical and very sustaining. In addition to cereals such as oats, wheat or barley and any available green food. On this sort of diet rabbits were kept in good condition, fit for showing at all times.
So that owners of rabbits may avail themselves of suitable green foods the following list of safe and unsafe materials has been compiled extract from the BRC website.
The following list contains names of plants that are safe to feed to bunnies
The plant names are hyperlinked to a page that will give you a detailed description of the plant as well as a picture to help you identify it when you see it. The information page also offers a suggestion on where you are likely to find it.
Avens or Geum
: Argrimony
: Bramble
: Bindweed
: Bishop's Weed or Ground Elder
: Burnet
: Butterbur
: Cow Parsnip or Hogweed
: Clovers
: Coltsfoot
: Convolvulus
: Chickweed
: Crosewort or Maywort
: Dandelion
: Dock (before seeding)
: Groundsel
: Hawkweed
: Heather
: Hedge parsley
: Knapweed
: Knotgrass
: Lucerne
: Mallow
: Mustard
: Nipplewort
: Sea Spinach
: Shepherds Purse
: Sour Dock or Sorrel
: Thistles
: Vetches or Tares
: Watercress
: Yarrow
:
AVOID feeding the following
If you do not know what the following look like just click on the name and it will take you to a picture and description of it.
Arum
: Anemone
: Black Nightshade
: Bluebells
: Buttercup
: Bryony
: Cochicum (Meadow Saffron)
: Corn Cockle
: Celandine
Deadly Nightshade
: Docks (in seed)
: Dog Mercury
: Figwort
: Foxglove
: Iris
: Fools Parsley
: Ground Ivy
: Hemlock
: Henbane
: Poppies
: Scarlet Pimpernel
: Spurges
: Toadflax
: Travellers Joy
The following plants are good to FEED
Click on the name of the plant for details on how to grow. There are also tips on how to grow some of these in plant pots
Artichokes Jerusalem (Leaves and Roots)
: Beetroot
: Brussel Sprouts
: Beans and Haulms
(not Scarlet runners)
: Chicory
: Cauliflower
: Carrots
: Cabbage
: Celery
: Horse Radish
: Kales
: Kohl-Rabi
: Maize
: Mangolds
(after 25 Dec)
:
Parsley
: Parsnips
: Strawberry
: Swedes
: Sainfoin
: Savoy
: Spinach
: Sunflowers
The links we have provided is only a small sample of what you can find if you research the plants. We hope that our guidelines will help you.
AVOID The following plants
If these are fed to rabbits they will make them very ill.
Mangold tops
: Mangold roots (before Dec)
:
Tomato leaves,
Potato tops
: Lettuce
FEED the following flowers without harm.
Asters
: Borage
: Calendula
: Centaura
: Daisies
: Galega
: Geranium
: Geum
: Helenium
: Hollyhock
: Honesty
: Lupins (not seeds)
: Marguerites
: Marigolds
: Michaelmas Daisies
: Nasturtium
: Rose
: Stocks
: Sunflowers
: Wallflowers
It is best to AVOID the following plants
Acacia,
Aconite,
Antirrhinum,
Arum,
Anemone,
Columbine,
Daffodil,
Dahlia,
Delphinium,
Feverfew,
Gypsophelia,
Helleborus,
Hyacinth,
Iris,
Larkspur,
Lily of the Valley,
Linarias,
Lobelia,
Love-in-a-Mist,
Monkswood,
Poppies,
Snowdrop,
Tulips
It would appear that our research reveals all plants grown from bulbs are dangerous to rabbits therefore it would be better to avoid them altogether.
FEED
Practically all deciduous trees (excepting very fresh growth of young leaves and twigs),
Blackberry,
Rose,
Raspberry Canes,
AVOID
Most evergreen trees and shrubs, Acacia,
Box,
Elder,
Beech mast,
Gorse seeds,
Laburnum,
Oak,
Snowberry,
Plum,
Ivy.
Before feeding your rabbits with any wild plants make sure they haven't been contaminated with pesticides or other chemicals. We suggest that you also research other feed that is natural to your rabbit.
Although we have taken great care in our research of the information given above, please note it is our research that has worked for us. Therefore we cannot accept any liability for any mishaps.
There is also information given on the British Rabbit Council website were; a lot of this was taken from. You will find many other interesting facts about rabbit keeping and showing just click on link above to go directly to the site.
