Are persian sheilds rabbit safe?

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ipoGSD

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Persian Shield / Strobilanthes dyerianus

Does anyone know if this plant is safe for rabbits? I plan on planting some out front of my home but they will need trimming from time to time. If the trimmings are safe, I'd offer them to my bunnies. But I have no clue if they are. I looked up if they were edible but cant find any info on it.

Does anyone know? Ty :)
 
Going by the information on this site, it doesn't sound promising as a food for rabbits. Most plants that are resistant to deer foraging are undesirable for rabbits. In addition, it says the sap can cause dermatitis and warns not to ingest.
https://austinbotany.wordpress.com/2014/07/

Curious as to why you would consider planting something that is not hardy in your zone. Admittedly, I consulted only this one website, but it says Zones 10-11, which doesn't sound like Connecticut to me.
 
First I love the looks of them, they are gorgeous lol and secondly they do fine here until fall, then they die off due to the cold. If I lived in a warmer zone they would live year round and bloom in the winter.

And good to know that the bunnies shouldn't have any. Tyvm for the info :)
 
There really is not much on it. It is listed on nontoxic houseplant lists and used by a few people in reptile enclosures but it doesn't seem any site has detailed info on ingestion or keeping it around herbivorous animals. Past posts I saw on other forums did not have anyone coming up with more info on safety or not. Probably the least information I've ever turned up on a plant.
 
So it's safe to say dont share with the bunnies if we don't know otherwise. And wow, these plants can get pretty big. I wouldnt want to constantly trim them. I have a hard enough time with my dart frog vivs and I choose plants that dont grow big lol

Great info tho, tyvm akane!
 
There can be many compounds in plants that are not directly toxic but with enough ingestion will cause a decline in health. Several plant compounds even mimic hormones in the body that can be helpful or harmful. CBD products from hemp or marijuana with the thc that causes all the psychoactive properties removed contains cannabidoids that can replace the endocannabinoids in mammals for improved mental health, sleep quality, and reducing pain or inflammation. Phytoestrogens on the other hand are typically considered bad for overly stimulating estrogen receptors beyond what the body produces and leading to reproductive related issues. At small amounts or in certain situations these things will do nothing but in other situations such as breeding small animals that tend to eat a lot of fresh food if they can those unknowns in the plant could contribute to vague problems breeders already spend lots of time tracking down before deciding if it's a genetic issue in the herd. There are some sites that will report the main chemicals known to effect the body even when it's not commonly used for ingestion or if it's high in an otherwise harmless compound but I can find nothing.

I have test fed things I was uncertain about to one or 2 animals if it was already around or easy for me to collect for feeding but it's a gamble that might not be worth the headache. More commonly I do that for guinea pigs that benefit greatly from a diet of fresh foods or use the guinea pigs as "guinea pigs" to find good chewing wood for their chinchilla relatives who constantly need a source of fresh wood for destruction or they'll rip apart the softer aluminum wheels and dismantle the water bottle springs in boredom. It's not really worth the potential risk for rabbits that are hard to adjust to fresh food, do fine on dry diets you can buy in bulk, and are just as happy to get a new source of hay or some grain based horse treats as greens.
 
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