Trees trimmings for rabbits

[BoxerMom]

Right now my rabbits are on a pellet and alfalfa diet, every day I provide them with fresh grass for them to nibble on, they love it! (We don't spray chemicalsor anythiing). Ok so here's my question: what tree trimmings are OK for rabbits? I am finding unlimited resources on plants/fruits/veggies that are OK or toxic, but I'm having a hard time finding much about trees. We have many trees in our yard, but so far I've only given them sticks from the apple trees (yes I know seeds are poisonous

We have several other kinds of trees, some I can identify some I can't. I was hoping I could find a list of toxic trees so I can look at a picture and compare to the ttrees in my yard. I have a pine tree and mountain ash (I'm assuming those two aren't safe). a birch, and two maples.

 

[akane]

Generally what's safe for parrots is safe for rabbits since the parrot people are quite paranoid and the animals are far more sensitive to things
http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml
I would not feed birch leaves though. To use maple you have to be 100% sure of your species ID or else remove the bark because the bark on some maples is bad. There is a paragraph on that page about both birch and maple.

I usually post my pics and ID questions to
http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/

There are also a few tree identification guides online
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/?TrackingID=908
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/forsite/Idtree.htm

 

[MaggieJ]

Sugar or silver maple are okay... Not sure about other varieties. Birch is supposed to be safe but I've never fed it because we don't have any.

Willow, poplar, elm, mulberry, hackberry, apple and pear are all safe. There is a SAFE PLANTS list in the Natural Feeding forum. It's a sticky so easy to find. And it has botanical names for easy checking to make sure you have the right thing.

 

[BoxerMom]

Thanks, this really helps! I'm also very paranoid about what I feed my animals, I have to double- and triple-check everything before I feed anyone anything. Though my rabbits are breeders for my meat supply, I still feel I have a duty to keep them happy, healthy, and treated with respect, so I want the best possible care for my bunnies! I'm really enjoying how helpful everyone here is, thank you all very much!

 

[ladysown]

no to red maple.

 

[Miss M]

Though my rabbits are breeders for my meat supply, I still feel I have a duty to keep them happy, healthy, and treated with respect, so I want the best possible care for my bunnies!

Hear, hear!!!

 

[BoxerMom]

I was able to identify all my trees but one. I *think* it's a type of maple, but I'm not going to feed it to them since I'm unsure. Between all the other trees, I probably have a years worth of sticks anyway.

 

[Brody]

that's great boxer's mom ..

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

no to red maple.

which 'red' maple are you saying no to? The native to North Amrica-- Acer rubrum, or the European species-- with the very dark leaves-- Acer platanoides. The first, has a red leaf petiole, with a green leaf- the second, is also commonnly called 'Norway, crimson,. King crinmson, etc, and has very DARK leaves-- purlpe red in color!

My rabbits, as well as sheep, have eaten plenty of Acer rubrum leaves-- both fresh and dry,

 

[MaggieJ]

Terry, you've demonstrated perfectly why we really need to use botanical names for the plants we feed the rabbits.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Terry, you've demonstrated perfectly why we really need to use botanical names for the plants we feed the rabbits.

As an Environmental Science major- and even before then, I KNEW that common names are often misleading and duplicated. This becomes more of an issue when dealing with imported plants whose common name may be totally different in the country of origin.And common names (like grey tree frog) do not always indicate the true species!! Common names even differ within regions of a state-- In fact, in the two hemispheres, there is confusion with SCIENTIFIC names!!! There is a move to make the names more uniform, but the science geeks can't agree on whose names to use as the official name!

Now, here is something that really throws a wrench into the works-- and I use my last name as an example--- my last name is a Hungarian name, and it is a bird-- a species that has no ENGLISH translation. So, most Hungarian speaking people I know, translate it to English as 'a small bird' or 'small sparrow' Now, switch two letters in my last name-- the nationality changes from Hungarian to German--- so what happens to plants that are transported across boundaries?

So yes, scientific names are a must-- as not all plantains look like bananas!!!

 

[MaggieJ]

LOL. I'm always saying "Plantain, the lawn weed - not the banana thing" and I think I've posted the link for Plantago major a couple of zillion times.