List of Safe Trees?

[SMR]

I know apple type tree limbs and weeping willows are ok, but what other kind of tree limbs and leaves are OK for rabbits to munch on?

 

[MaggieJ]

You'll find many safe trees listed in our SAFE PLANTS sticky:

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

 

[Frecs]

Some trees I have local (like in my yard) that are not mentioned on the Safe Plants List are:

pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
oak
dogwood (Cornus florida)
wild black cherry (Prunus serotina)

(I live in coastal southeast NC if that helps)

Are these safe for rabbits?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I just read that stone fruits (plums, peaches, nectarines, etc.) are not safe for bunnies. I think I need to buy more apple trees!

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

The stone fruits are generally listed as dangerous due to the naturally occurring Cyanide within the seed itself-- and I know of few animals that can break through the 'stone' to get to the seed.. Apple seeds have the same natural cyanide-- and are not digested if ingested. I have seen intact apple seeds in the droppings of horses, cows, and sheep--- we tend to not worry about apple seeds ourselves, well, they ARE a bit like unpopped corn kernels-- hard as rocks and painful to chew on!

 

[MaggieJ]

Some trees I have local (like in my yard) that are not mentioned on the Safe Plants List are:

pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
oak
dogwood (Cornus florida)
wild black cherry (Prunus serotina)

(I live in coastal southeast NC if that helps)

Are these safe for rabbits?

I don't know much about some of these. Pecan may be useable... you'll have to do some research.

Some people say oak is okay... Others say no. No personal experience with it and it may depend on what kind of oak.

Wild black cherry bark is a strong medicinal. As stone fruit trees are generally considered toxic, I would definitely not feed black cherry.

The problem here, of course, is that living so much further north, we have different trees and shrubs for the most part. Maybe someone down your way can help more.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Oh, the dogwooods (Cornus) can make a beautiful jelly from the fruit-- dont know how the twigs and branches are for rabbits-- I haven;t seen any groundhogs or rabbits tall enough to eat them--

 

[Frecs]

Good point about the wild black cherry being a strong medicinal. I plan to use it for human medicinal purposes since the wild birds graciously planted them for me.

I found the following list of safe and unsafe tree woods Safe woods (I've added notes on the side as pertains to my original question and thoughts about my yard/area):

apple
arbutus
ash
aspen
bamboo --> I can forage for this
blackberrry
blackcurrant
cholla
cottonwood
crabapple
dogwood --> have in my yard
elm
grapevine --> will be growing muscadine grapes but that is a different plant so...more research
hawthorn
hazelnut --> one recently planted in my yard and one across the street
kiwi --> will be growing hardy kiwi...
magnolia
manzanita
mulberry --> can forage for it
pear --> when I forage pears off neighbors' trees that they don't want I'll remember to gather some branches
pecan --> happy happy -- something to do with all my pecan branches!
pine - kiln-dried white
poplar
quince
rose hip -- will have plenty of these
sycamore
willow (but not white willow) --> Have Carolina Willow growing in my ditch...

Toxic Woods

almond
apricot
beech
birch
black locust
black lotus
blackwood
box elder
buckthorn
cashew
cedar
cherry
chesnut
china berry Chinese snake tree chokeberry
citrus woods - orange, lemon, grapefruit, etc.
cypress
ebony
elderberry
eucalyptus
fir
ginkgo
hemlock
holly --> have these, figured they were toxic...
honey locust
hydrangea --> have these, noted...
juniper
kumquat
laurel
mahogany
mango
manufactured/glued woods like plywood or fiberboard
maple
mesquite
myrtle --> have these, noted
nectarine
oak --> bummer
oleander --> unfortunately, have one...these are HIGHLY TOXIC
peach
pine - fresh, pressure treated, red -- kiln dried is thought to be safe
pinecones
pistachio
plum
redwood
sandalwood
sequoia
spruce
teak
walnut
weeping fig
white willow
yew

 

[MaggieJ]

Pretty good list. Just would like to note that according to this paper from the World Rabbit Science, white willow (Salix alba) is fine for rabbits.

http://world-rabbit-science.com/WRSA-Pr ... -Rizzi.pdf

 

[hoodat]

My rabbits are kind of indifferent to willow leaves but they love chewing on twigs and branches. White willow contains a natural form of aspirin which is a blood thinner but unless you feed it in huge quantities it does no harm and possibly some good.

 

[Rihanna]

So, I am curious, what is your opinion? Forget about this list, what is your opinion about http://www.treestypes.com, which is the best for rabbits? I have a site with all this trees types, but I don't mean much to me, I am more an experience fan, that the simple list.

 

[Dood]

which is the best for rabbits?

Best for what? There is no perfect food and variety is 'best'.

Willows are popular because they grow fast and can handle a lot of trimming. Mulberry is pretty high in protein and another popular tree forage for bunnies but they are much slower growing and more delicate than other species.

My area used to be an orchard in the 1800's so I have lots of apple and pear trees that I prune and feed to the rabbits. When we cut ash for fence rails the rabbits get the side branches and I trim my neighbors weeping willows for free as long as I can keep the trimmings for my animals.

 

[akane]

http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml applies to rabbits too. Only thing you want to watch is if the leaves are safe since that list is for perch wood that has the leaves stripped off it. Many berry vines and bushes are safe as well. They don't mind the thorns.

 

[HareyHounds]

Frecs, did the lists you found have any references to verify the information?
The reason I ask is because I noticed birch on the toxic list but I feed it to all of my rabbits (usually every day) and have never seen any sign of toxicity. They absolutely love the bark and they're also quite partial to the leaves.
I checked very thoroughly before feeding it to them and every source I've found listed it as being a very safe tree to feed.
From glancing through the "toxic" items on that list, I can see several others that are usually listed as safe so perhaps not a very accurate list?

 

[Frecs]

The list very likely needs to be modified. From my experience with such lists, if there is any part of a plant/tree that is "toxic" (even if only to some but not all consumers) then it is on the toxic list. OR it can be an issue with similar common names applying to several trees some of which are toxic and others are not. So, as with most such lists, there is room for research and verification. It is one reason I've be dubbed by some on here "Feedipedia Frecs" because my go-to source now is Feedipedia.org...as they provide citations to support their information.

I don't know much about trees so I'll ask a potentially dumb question: do you have the botanical/scientific name for the birch tree you feed to your rabbits? Do you feed leaves, bark, wood, berries/fruit or all of the above?

(Feedipedia does have a listing for "African Birch" but no information regarding it being fed to rabbits. http://www.feedipedia.org/node/701)

 

[The_Dutchess]

I have fed my rabbits birch and maple a few times and they were fine...<br /><br />__________ Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:02 am __________<br /><br />I have fed my rabbits birch and maple a few times and they were fine... I fed the bark of both trees and I don't know the scientific name of either.

 

[HareyHounds]

The list very likely needs to be modified. From my experience with such lists, if there is any part of a plant/tree that is "toxic" (even if only to some but not all consumers) then it is on the toxic list. OR it can be an issue with similar common names applying to several trees some of which are toxic and others are not. So, as with most such lists, there is room for research and verification. It is one reason I've be dubbed by some on here "Feedipedia Frecs" because my go-to source now is Feedipedia.org...as they provide citations to support their information.

I don't know much about trees so I'll ask a potentially dumb question: do you have the botanical/scientific name for the birch tree you feed to your rabbits? Do you feed leaves, bark, wood, berries/fruit or all of the above?

(Feedipedia does have a listing for "African Birch" but no information regarding it being fed to rabbits. http://www.feedipedia.org/node/701)

I have two types of birch. One is silver birch (Betula pendula) and the other is white birch (Betula pubescens). Both are European natives, not sure if that makes any difference.
I feed leaves, sticks and any seeds that are on the sticks- but the seeds do seem to be an acquired taste. I have one rabbit who won't touch them (but he's not overly fond of birch in general) while I have another who will eat everything and then when she's finished, try to steal more from the rabbit who lives next to her by pulling his unfinished pieces through into her own run.
The only part I haven't tried feeding is the roots but mostly because that's too much work and would probably kill the trees (both are only fairly young trees).
In terms of contraindications.. most sources seem to agree it's a mild diuretic so I suppose not suitable for all rabbits. Having said that.. most trees and many plants also have diuretic properties so I'm not sure really how significant that actually is.
According to Wikipedia, birch sap is also used to make a sweet syrup (like maple) so I suppose that might explain why some buns like it more than others.

 

[akane]

The mdvaden link has a paragraph on birch saying Betula species is high in salicylates and I'm assuming intends to say that small amounts are fine.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1009987-overview

 

[HareyHounds]

The mdvaden link has a paragraph on birch saying Betula species is high in salicylates and I'm assuming intends to say that small amounts are fine.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1009987-overview

How much of that metabolised from a raw source is questionable though*. From a quick search, besides willow, peppermint, dandelions, rosemary and thyme are also fairly strong sources of salicylates.
I think a good rule of natural feeding would be to feed everything in moderation and seasonal, where possible.

*The few studies I found on salicylates in rabbits involved IV pumps and pure salicylate diluted in saline, straight into the blood. Not exactly a natural route of ingestion as it bypasses many of the body's means of breaking it down. Sort of reminds me of the studies they did using comfrey and rats- young rats, pumped with absurd amounts of the alkaloid in question. It certainly caused hepatic cancer but anything ingested in such ridiculous amounts is likely going to cause serious damage. Another interesting factor was species- in humans and rats, comfrey doesn't seem safe to ingest but it's been widely used as forage for sheep for centuries. I'd be very interested in seeing any studies done with rabbits fed raw salicylate sources (and allowing the does to deliver naturally) and not just piles of bark- all the parts a rabbit would naturally eat if it happened upon some. From my observations: leaves first, followed by twigs, followed by bark, finally seeds.

 

[Frecs]

Don't even get me started on the absurdity of "scientific" research on herbs and such. If the powers that be don't want us using something, they will create the "proof" that it is harmful. Comfrey has been beneficial browse for like...ever...plus a very beneficial medicinal for humans for centuries. (sensoring the remainder of my soapbox speech.)

Regardless of what some list says -- if your rabbits eat it and don't die or otherwise have negative reactions to it then it is a useful portion of a varied diet.