Questions and comments about plant safety for rabbits.

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RE: The Common Fig Tree (ficus carica)
I found your thread about different plants safe to eat while looking to see if I could feed my fig branches and leaves to my rabbits. I finally found the answer that I felt was from a reliable source.
According to the University of Florida, IFAS Extension: The common fig tree (ficus carica)is a favorite food of rabbits. I will be feeding a little to my rabbits to see if they enjoy. Thank you for starting this discussion, I have found it very informative. :lilbunny:
 
That's good to know, RabbitWalker. Please give us an update on how your rabbits take to eating common fig leaves. I'm fairly good at getting information about plants in Zones 3-6, but the vegetation further south is so different.
 
Speaking of vegetation farther south... :)

Here's a list put together a recently of forage plants I feed my rabs, for my own records and to share locally with people interested in rabbits. I wanted to put this out there, since it could be useful to anyone else from the tropics or subtropics trying to puzzle out what to feed.

Cheers!

:bunnyhop:
Some Local Cut-And-Carry Forage Plants for Rabbits
(Note: the primary part of the plant consumed may be assumed to be the green leaves and tender stems of the plant, unless otherwise specified in the entry)



Legume-family plants (cultivated and wild, including trees)
-Ha’ole Koa (Leucaena leucocephala, nutritious and abundant weed tree, but limit amounts because of toxicity) Pal. good
-Orchid Tree (Bauhinia variegata, fed to livestock in S. Asia), Pal good
-Hitchhiker Plant (I believe this to be Alysicarpus vaginalis aka Alyce Clover) Pal ok
-Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata, all cultivars, harvest at flower stage for highest protein) Pal very good
-Pidgeon Pea (Cajanus cajan, referenced as a good tropical substitute for alfalfa) Pal good
-Partridge Pea (Chamaechrista nictitans) Pal good

Other wild, weed, or landscaping plants
-Guinea Grass (tender younger leaves, not the fully mature ones) Pal. Good
-Buffalo Grass, pal. ok
-Hibiscus (H. rosa-senensis, growing tips and leaves) Pal. low
-Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) Pal good
-Honohono Grass (Commelina diffusa) Pal ok
-Ti Plant (Cordyline spp.) Pal very good

Other cultivated plants, including agricultural and horticultural
-Kale (introduce carefully to rabbits unaccustomed to green food) Pal. Very good
-Cilantro, Pal very good
-Basil (common culinary and also lemon basil varieties) Pal very good
-Tulsi (Indian Holy Basil) Pal very good
-Lettuce (limited amounts, contains virtually no fiber) Pal very good
-Lemongrass, Pal ok
-Nasturtium (leaves and flowers), Pal good
-Sugarcane (leaves, also chopped stem portion can be used as an energy supplement) pal good
-Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas, leaves and vines, also roots can be used as an energy supplement) pal good
-Buckwheat, pal very good
-Arugula (rabbit forage is a good use for older plants past their harvesting prime) pal good
-Carrot (greens, also root can be used as an energy supplement) Pal good
-Beet (root only, can be used in moderation as an energy supplement) Pal ok
-Mulberry (Morus spp., scientifically verified as very nutritious) Pal good

Notes about this list:

This list is by no means exhaustive; I may well have forgotten to include a couple of things, and also there are many more plants grown and growing locally that are suitable for rabbits. I have included in this list only those forages that I have personally fed successfully at least once, and in most cases many times on a regular basis--nothing here is recommended on hearsay or secondary reference. There are also other forages with promising potential, such as Moringa oleifera and Wing Bean, which are reportedly used elsewhere and will grow well here, and which I hope to incorporate into feedings in the future, but which I have not included here since I have no personal experience with them yet. I have also seen comfrey recommended as rabbit food in many sources, but while it grows very lushly and abundantly here, my rabbits will not eat it, fresh or wilted.

At the end of each entry is my own rough observation of the palatability of each forage (represented by the abbreviation “Pal.”). I thought this might be useful or interesting to impart, but please keep in mind that this is a very subjective evaluation based solely on my own casual observation of which greens my rabbits, in general, consume most eagerly. And while I tried to be consistent, it wasn’t always easy. Preferences may vary from rabbit to rabbit. In general, the young weaned bunnies are much less picky about their forages, and will often eagerly consume things that their parents usually find uninteresting, such as hibiscus and orchid tree leaves. Part of it surely has to do with what the rabbits become accustomed to, so others may find their own rabbits to have completely different preferences. Furthermore, high palatability should not necessarily be assumed to be indicative of superior nutritional value in a forage.

I have listed plants by their most common local names, but have included Latin names where I was able or where I thought it helpful for clarity.
 
MaggieJ":3nwduocj said:
Good work, Ramblingrabbit! Including the Latin names is always a help. Thanks for posting... It will take me a bit of time to sort through it all, but it's great to have your input!

Gee, thanks! :)
 
Have a few questions! I have a few unidentified plants, may I post their pictures here? If so, do I use IMG?

Otherwise, I'm wondering if anyone knows if Silktree mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) foliageis okay for rabbits to eat? If so, leaves, seed pods, bark, twigs/branches? It's added to my list of crazy Southeastern USA foliage along with kudzu, so I'm quite curious. I know goats can eat them. I know to avoid the roots because they are counted as a hallucinogenic drug (botany is pretty metal). Thoughts?
 
CSPR, it would probably be best to start a new thread for your plant identifications. You can also get information on plant toxicity by googling the Latin name plus the word toxicity or toxic to rabbits.
 
Right, okay. :oops: I'll do that then. And, yeah. I've tried, but not much luck. Really, as far as I can tell, the tree in mention is fine for goats and people, so probably rabbits? IDEK. I'll see if any other Southerners know.
 
Hi Ramblingrabbit...I'm in Kauai & wonder if you know if what we call Lawai fern is safe & nutritious. I've scoured the internet & can't find info on it. I think, not sure, that the official name is Alsophila cooperii Aglaomorpha. These names get mixed up with tree ferns, but the one I mean is a ground cover with leaves that form on thick surface runners. Very common in landscaping. Large, flat, lobed leaves about 2 to 3 feet long, which have dots of spores on the underneath side. Thanks for sharing your research.
 
Anyone know if kiwi vines and leaves are safe for rabbits to eat? The kind I have are Actinidia deliciosa, also known as fuzzy kiwi or Chinese gooseberry.
 
Wandalea":2uz3im5t said:
Hi Ramblingrabbit...I'm in Kauai & wonder if you know if what we call Lawai fern is safe & nutritious. I've scoured the internet & can't find info on it. I think, not sure, that the official name is Alsophila cooperii Aglaomorpha. These names get mixed up with tree ferns, but the one I mean is a ground cover with leaves that form on thick surface runners. Very common in landscaping. Large, flat, lobed leaves about 2 to 3 feet long, which have dots of spores on the underneath side. Thanks for sharing your research.

Oh, hey! I'm on Kauai too! :eek: I know the one you mean. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find much about any ferns at all one way or the other. Googling I've done suggests that some ferns may be toxic, others safe, some more or less nutritious, but without being able to find any specifics--in other words, it was not helpful (also, annoyingly, googling "rabbit" and "fern" together brings up a bunch of irrelevant references to "rabbit's foot fern"). :x And so I haven't used them at all, because I never like to feed anything unless I have reliable confirmation of it's safety, just because I'm really cautious that way, and when there is so much foliage to choose from around here, why take such chances, I figure?

The closest I get is that I have anecdotal evidence of someone in the state feeding common sword fern to chickens, but mine would never touch it... :? I doubt that helps much.
 
Are the black or dark purple mulberrys trees safe to feed. Its probably already been discussed but I can't find anything on the colored ones.
Terry
 
Tagcon":20crjj32 said:
Are the black or dark purple mulberrys trees safe to feed. Its probably already been discussed but I can't find anything on the colored ones.
Terry

None of the information I've seen distinguishes between any of the mulberry species (genus "Morus")--suggesting they're all safe and equally nutritious. Everything I've seen so far always just refers to "Morus spp." For example: http://www.pjbs.org/pjnonline/fin312.pdf
 
ramblingrabbit":11pbyff6 said:
Tagcon":11pbyff6 said:
Are the black or dark purple mulberrys trees safe to feed. Its probably already been discussed but I can't find anything on the colored ones.
Terry

None of the information I've seen distinguishes between any of the mulberry species (genus "Morus")--suggesting they're all safe and equally nutritious. Everything I've seen so far always just refers to "Morus spp." For example: http://www.pjbs.org/pjnonline/fin312.pdf

As far as I know, RamblingRabbit is correct... but you cannot expect us to know what mulberry you are referring to. You need to google it to find the Latin name and then ask us about safety once you have identified it.
 
anyone know if sweetcorn plants are good for bunnies? I have picked out my plot of sweetcorn and the plants dried up all nice in the sun, is it worth my time to cut them and stack them in the shed for winter feed? or should I rotor-till them under?
 
tomfc2":2btia6lk said:
anyone know if sweetcorn plants are good for bunnies? I have picked out my plot of sweetcorn and the plants dried up all nice in the sun, is it worth my time to cut them and stack them in the shed for winter feed? or should I rotor-till them under?

Interesting synchronicity--I just started feeding some of my sweetcorn plants to my herd. I've talked to people who feed sweetcorn plants to cows. And since it's basically a grass, I can't imagine any reason it would be harmful. Except for the sugar content--I've noticed sweetcorn plants themselves are quite SWEET (try taking a bite of the leaves or stems). Which suggests to me that it should be incorporated with moderate caution--although the high water and fiber content should help offset that some, I should think. Even so, I attempt to go light on carbohydrate rations (roots and whatnot) with feedings incorporating sweetcorn plants.

I hope somebody with more experience can advise you too and maybe shed some more light on this--I'd be curious as well... :)
 
thanks I am feeding pellets and marsh hay (bailed grass) along with garden waste, and trying to figure out how much of the garden can be dried in this hot sun we are having, and stored for bunny's varied diet this winter. so far all my watermelon, squash, and pumpkin vines can be dried by throwing them over the fence to hang and as they will be in direct sun I am sure that there will be no mold as they are thick and fleshy and would dry slowly inside, I would be concerned that they would mold if dried in our shed. I also go through the vines and remove any dead leaves or vine pieces.

I am just getting in to meat rabbits for our family we just have 2 buck and 2 does, of the Giant Chinchilla breed, I bought bunnies from the breeders who showed at the Wisconsin State Rabbit Breeders Association show, to make sure I was getting good quality bunnies even if the one pair only took 2nd place :shock: they costed us a decent penny but I hope they will return the investment.
 

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