Bamboo, safe for rabbits to eat?

[HTAcres]

I procured my bamboo from Old Oaks Nursery on Etsy. Got several kinds - not cheap but arrived in excellent condition. Not to mention that I planted it about 10 days before the Great Midwest Freeze of 2021 and it survived. There are 1000s of varieties and you will want some that is right for your growing zone. And yes, clumping is best for most people except where I live - the only invasive plant is the mesquite bush. I am hoping it grows a lot this coming spring. Looking forward to having another forage option.

 

[White's family farm]

Bamboo is pretty safe; it's used in all kinds of rabbit treats (ie mats and twigs and such). The few people I've known to use it have all used it sparingly, though.

I haven't used it, though. So I can't give direct experience or why you'd want to ration it. But from what I've seen there's nothing wrong with using a little of it.

 

[HTAcres]

Bamboo is pretty safe; it's used in all kinds of rabbit treats (ie mats and twigs and such). The few people I've known to use it have all used it sparingly, though.

I haven't used it, though. So I can't give direct experience or why you'd want to ration it. But from what I've seen there's nothing wrong with using a little of it.

I rotate my forage - all things in moderation, eh? I hope to sucessfully get a moringa planted as well. Then I will have willow, rose, mulberry, moringa, bamboo, plum and pigweed (and hopefully will identify a few more "weeds" that they can eat).

 

[Zee-Man]

Small gawds and little fishes, be careful when planting running bamboo. In order to keep it contained, it needs an underground barrier two feet deep. We had a neighbor who had it and it got into our yard and took over. I'm really glad we sold that house and moved to town, the bamboo was about ready to eat the house.
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I was just about to add this caution.

 

[Zee-Man]

...There's still that pink creeper crap, uh, "pink trumpet vine" that was in that same patch. Hmm, wonder if that can be fed to bunnies, there's enough of it.
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PFAF doesn't list any known edibility, although they do list it as a diaphoritic and a vulenerary. M. Grieve doesn't mention the plant (Campsis radicans) at all. Hyptis emoryi isn't mentioned to have edibility either but considers it " anesthetic to the esophagus and stomach and helps with irritated stomach linings." (but you have to wonder since the URL is Campsis). However, North Carolina Extension Gardener says "The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds which are the principal pollinator of this plant. White-tailed deer and rabbits eat the foliage." All sources strongly warn of its invasiveness as @hotzcatz has discovered. The sap is a skin irritant.

Personally, I'm going to not get this one.

 

[arachyd]

We also had running bamboo. The roots grow incredibly fast. We kept ours on a tiny hill about 10'x10' and kept a 2' wide x 2' deep trench around it. I had to maintain the trench and prune roots in the morning and evening because if I waited more than half a day they'd reach the other side of the trench. It was beautiful and the rabbits loved the leaves but it got to be too much work when the dogs decided it was fun to run through it, collapsing the trench daily.