Are oak leaves safe?

[fuzzy9]

I'm finding alot of oak leaf bits in some of the hay bales I have. They are all dried, and brown. I'm trying to pick them out, but I wonder if they are safe for them, and I don't have to keep picking them out? I don't know what species they are, the only thing I can tell is it's definitely oak, and they have the rounded edges, not pointy.

 

[Dood]

They are safe but bitter tasting as they are very high in Tannins so the rabbits probably won't eat them.

Feeding plants high in tannis is supposed to repel intestinal parasites so if they do eat them its a bonus

 

[akane]

Small bits are fine but they contain alot of tannic acid which can cause health problems if they eat too much. Usually though that means feeding them handfuls of whole leaves.

 

[fuzzy9]

Thank you for the responses!

I won't worry about it then, they seem to break up pretty small because they are dry. I think I'll still pick out the big pieces though........just glad they aren't poisonous!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have read on several lists that oak is unsafe. However, we are surrounded by oak trees here, and when the wind blows leaves into the cages they are immediately devoured.

I also had a pet mini Rex that had hollow oak logs in her pen to use as shelter, and she chewed all of the bark off of them with no ill effect.

 

[Cspr]

I've fed oak leaves along with a lot of my forage. Rabbits aren't as fond of them as mimosa saplings or sugar maple leaves, but they seem fine, as everyone else has said. Didn't know they could protect against intestinal parasites, though! Wowza. I wonder what the other safe plants I feed my buns do. I have an herb list, but I feed everything from stinging nettle leaves to Queen Anne's Lace stems.