Bamboo, safe for rabbits to eat?

[RabbitPhotoGirl]

Is bamboo safe for rabbits to eat?

Where I'm gonna have them it'll be hard to shade them from the west sun in the evening so I'm trying to think of a fast growing/faster than grape vines and cheap ways to do so with a plant. But before buying it, I wanna make sure it's rabbit safe since the cages would be sitting in front of it and the leaves may get nibbled on (fed to them if it's safe for them).

 

[MaggieJ]

Some bamboos at least are safe for rabbits. If you want me to do research for it, I need the botanical (Latin) name for the type of bamboo you are thinking of planting. The nursery or garden centre should be able to provide this.

 

[a7736100]

I have running bamboo which rabbits can eat. If you are not careful you'll end up with a bamboo jungle.

 

[RabbitPhotoGirl]

I'm mostly finding it from criagslist, since I don't know of any nurseries in the area (haven't searched for any) and the garden centers just have 'lucky bamboo'. After I do some research on the nurseries in my area and see if any sell them then I'll get back to ya on what type. All plants that get bought are normally from wal-mart or the local farm store which doesn't carry but a few plants for summer.


bamboo jungle you say? sounds like a good idea... tons of things can be done with them that would help out around the farm too. Can cut it and use it to make things... like a nice summer bunny barn or a nice bunny sale barn... might have to try that now.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

I have running bamboo which rabbits can eat. If you are not careful you'll end up with a bamboo jungle.

Oh Please-- do you have the scientific name on that? I have aplan-- and if things work out--the dirt has absolutely NO shade!!!

 

[RabbitPhotoGirl]

Bambusa Multiplex 'Willowy', the Willowy Bamboo - http://www.willisorchards.com/product/W ... tegory=300
Blue Henon Bamboo - http://www.willisorchards.com/product/B ... tegory=300
Golden Bamboo - http://www.willisorchards.com/product/G ... tegory=300
Black Bamboo - http://www.willisorchards.com/product/B ... tegory=300
Robert Young Bamboo plant, Phyllostachys viridis - http://www.willisorchards.com/product/R ... tegory=300

Those would be the ones I'd be interested in planting behind the rabbits. I know some don't have the botanical name but thats what they had on the site, I'll probably edit this to add them after I research more for the names. Black Bamboo is the main one that I'd want to know about if it's rabbit safe since I can get it locally.

 

[KelleyBee]

I have running bamboo which rabbits can eat. If you are not careful you'll end up with a bamboo jungle.

I have a grove of running bamboo gifted to me by my neighbor’s patch which has now spread across a good portion of the rear of my yard. I like the idea of using this nuisanc for my rabbits. Maybe this use will change how I feel about the encroachment. how much if this food source have you found a rabbit can safely consume?

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Bamboo is just a giant grass. My rabbits love it

Liz

 

[KelleyBee]

Bamboo is just a giant grass. My rabbits love it

Liz

But there are even species of grass that would be considered less than ideal, even quite unhealthy for rabbits. Species in the saw grass family, for instance, can cause mouth damage. As for bamboo, there are many varieties. I’m going to have to do some extensive research, I think. The fact that your rabbits do well on whichever variety of bamboo you have is good to know. Can you elaborate? Do you happen to know if your bamboo is the running or clumping kind? Is it grown indoors or outdoors? How much/often do you feed bamboo to your rabbits? I’ve got lots and lots of the stuff out there, which is why I’m so curious, but don’t want to over feed and cause harm.

 

[Preitler]

The only bamboo I've ever heard of to not be fed to rabbits is a decorative plant ,lucky bamboo (Dracaena braunii), which, botanically, isn't a bamboo at all.

I don't know anything of the sweet grass family that isn't ok for rabbits.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Our bamboo seems to clump. I am not really the one to ask. I tend to let animals figure things out LOL. Possibly to their detriment, since I know animals can eat things that aren't good for them, but I figure they wouldn't have survived too long if they weren't somewhat able to know what to eat. Things that cause problems seem to be either man-made (antifreeze) or decorative plants, usually not native. For instance, rabbits can eat cactus. I assume they will not bite where the spines are, and they'll figure it out. If it hurts their mouth, they'll probably stop eating it. I make sure they always have hay and pellets so they aren't eating out of desperation.

We haven't gotten to the point that I'm feeding cactus, but one of their favorite treats is banana peels! They don't seem to like winter squash though. The chickens are really miffed because the rabbits get all the good stuff now.

I have fed them branches from various trees, which they LOVE. One tree, I'm not even sure what kind of tree. We do have a peach tree (I think, a stone fruit in any case) and I feed them branches from that, but I don't leave them in the cages so long that they chew the wood very much. (until one day when I will forget to take them out and we'll see what happens)

They also seem to like dried leaves ... huh.

See, I just don't have the right attitude about this. So I should bow out of this conversation for sure! If my post is too long, feel free to delete it.

 

[Preitler]

I am not really the one to ask. I tend to let animals figure things out LOL

Me too . When they have the choice, they know best. They eat and nibble half through the online toxic lists, for example, ivy has been eridicated in my yard. They know what they need and what they can stomach when they get the chance to learn it. I mean, they evolved to cope with everything botany throws at them, and some toxins are actually usefull.

One can get paranoid reading all those lists, in reality, they know better anyway. If given the chance to learn through a as diverse diet as possible.

Winter squash is a matter of taste, it's definitly not their favorite, but with persistence I get most of mine to eat it eventually.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Me too . When they have the choice, they know best. They eat and nibble half through the online toxic lists, for example, ivy has been eridicated in my yard. They know what they need and what they can stomach when they get the chance to learn it. I mean, they evolved to cope with everything botany throws at them, and some toxins are actually usefull.

One can get paranoid reading all those lists, in reality, they know better anyway. If given the chance to learn through a as diverse diet as possible.

Winter squash is a matter of taste, it's definitly not their favorite, but with persistence I get most of mine to eat it eventually.

THANK YOU! I almost didn't post my comment. People are so 'sensitive' these days, I figured I'd be banned LOL.

I just went out and picked the icky winter squash remnants out of the floor of the cage LOL not even the babies liked it.

Liz

 

[Zee-Man]

I tend to be a little more cautious. I like to do a little reading before giving a new food. I like anecdotal/empirical evidence over hearsay lists. @MaggieJ has a list on this forum which is 100% empirical, all foods she or others on this forum have given rabbits. One can't always get a scientific background so we are kind of forced to rely on the rabbit's hind brain to know what their hind gut can handle.

THANK YOU! I almost didn't post my comment. People are so 'sensitive' these days, I figured I'd be banned LOL.

LIZ! LOL

 

[eco2pia]

Phyllostachys (running bamboo) is easy to identify in all it's versions, and is safe and very very beloved of my rabbits. It can appear to "clump" when young, etc. See link for ID tips. Bamboo Species Identification: A gallery of grasses - Bambu Batu

 

[a7736100]

Oh Please-- do you have the scientific name on that? I have aplan-- and if things work out--the dirt has absolutely NO shade!!!

I probably have Phyllostachys nigra

https://bambubatu.com/black-bamboo-phyllostachys-nigra-and-others/

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I've been planning on getting bamboo, maybe ill be able to give a few pieces to my rabbits

 

[hotzcatz]

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.

We had some sort of giant bamboo in that yard along with the running stuff. We ate the big bamboo, it had delicious bamboo shoots and I fed that to the buns. Didn't seem to hurt them any. They didn't get any of the running bamboo since the big bamboo was so much closer to their hutch.

"Lucky bamboo" isn't a bamboo at all, but don't let that get out into the yard, either. I had a huge patch of that to eradicate, it took a long time to get it to cease and desist. 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.

If you live in a warm climate, ti plants next to the bunny hutch provide a lot of really easy to harvest bunny forage that doesn't try to take over the yard or eat the house.

Mulberry is another good choice, that grows well, produces tasty berries for people as well as bunnies as well as tea can be made from the leaves. Also the leaves can be put in people salads, they're very nutritious, too. Mulberry will grow big enough to shade the hutches, too. Another plus for mulberry.

 

[KelleyBee]

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.

We had some sort of giant bamboo in that yard along with the running stuff. We ate the big bamboo, it had delicious bamboo shoots and I fed that to the buns. Didn't seem to hurt them any. They didn't get any of the running bamboo since the big bamboo was so much closer to their hutch.

"Lucky bamboo" isn't a bamboo at all, but don't let that get out into the yard, either. I had a huge patch of that to eradicate, it took a long time to get it to cease and desist. 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.

If you live in a warm climate, ti plants next to the bunny hutch provide a lot of really easy to harvest bunny forage that doesn't try to take over the yard or eat the house.

Mulberry is another good choice, that grows well, produces tasty berries for people as well as bunnies as well as tea can be made from the leaves. Also the leaves can be put in people salads, they're very nutritious, too. Mulberry will grow big enough to shade the hutches, too. Another plus for mulberry.

We are the victim of a thoughtl neighbor, too, who landed runn bamboo at the very back of his yard which abuts the back of our yard. He planted it for a screen to slow down his golf balls that he would drive from his back porch while sipping some sort of alcoholic beverage. He was an alcoholic. Unfortunately, we were unaware of the situation when we bought the house. Weve been here since2005 and it has encroached about 30 to 50 feet into our yard since moving in. what is giant bamboo? This stuff we have is really big. Also, you said you ate it, too? am stuck with the stuff, which is why I would like to be able to make lemonade (the whole “when life gives you lemons” strategy). Until this year, I really didn’t have easy access to the bamboo, but I can easily get to it now and want to learn how to harvest it for use….dry those long stems, maybe learn how to construct items from it, etc., which is why I posed the question of also feeding to the rabbits.

 

[HTAcres]

Our bamboo seems to clump. I am not really the one to ask. I tend to let animals figure things out LOL. Possibly to their detriment, since I know animals can eat things that aren't good for them, but I figure they wouldn't have survived too long if they weren't somewhat able to know what to eat. Things that cause problems seem to be either man-made (antifreeze) or decorative plants, usually not native. For instance, rabbits can eat cactus. I assume they will not bite where the spines are, and they'll figure it out. If it hurts their mouth, they'll probably stop eating it. I make sure they always have hay and pellets so they aren't eating out of desperation.

We haven't gotten to the point that I'm feeding cactus, but one of their favorite treats is banana peels! They don't seem to like winter squash though. The chickens are really miffed because the rabbits get all the good stuff now.

I have fed them branches from various trees, which they LOVE. One tree, I'm not even sure what kind of tree. We do have a peach tree (I think, a stone fruit in any case) and I feed them branches from that, but I don't leave them in the cages so long that they chew the wood very much. (until one day when I will forget to take them out and we'll see what happens)

They also seem to like dried leaves ... huh.

See, I just don't have the right attitude about this. So I should bow out of this conversation for sure! If my post is too long, feel free to delete it.

HAHAHA My chickens should talk to your chickens...those rascally rabbits....

I tend to take your attitude as far as feeding my animals though I will admit that I have done more "is it okay to eat" research for my rabbits than any other animal. Until I bought the milk cow.