Rabbits will often happily eat fresh herbs. This can be a good dietary supplement for them to increase their available vitamins and minerals. There are however a few herbs to avoid for rabbits you should be aware of.
Many herbs also have medicinal benefits or can support good health effects for your herd.
Some herbs are great regular inclusions in your rabbit’s feed plan. Plantain, dandelion, and black berry leaves are all great ones to use.
Echinecea, nettles, and plantain and can all be fed to enhance your rabbit’s immune system. Chamomile, dandelion, and raspberry leaves are great supports for healthy digestion.
Chamomile is also good for calming down rabbits, especially to help them get along with other rabbits in a colony or house rabbit environment. And if you need a good pain reliever, willow bark and chamomile are both great options.
Culinary herbs that we use as humans are safe for rabbits, including basil, cilantro, dill, lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme. There are however quite a few herbs and plants you should NEVER feed to your rabbits as they are poisonous.
Herbs To Avoid For Rabbits
- Agave (leaves)
- Aloe
- Amaryllis
- Bloodroot
- Bluebonnet
- Blue-green algae
- Buttercup
- Belladonna
- Chives
- Elder
- Eucalyptus
- Ginger
- Hemlock
- Hog wort
- Holly
- Jasmine
- Lily of the valley
- Milkweed
- Mistletoe
- Nutmeg
- Oak leaves
- Poppy
- Ragwort
Some herbs are fine for adult rabbits, but should be avoided for pregnant or lactating does. Pregnant and nursing does should never be fed lavender, marigolds, mint, parsley, or sage. These herbs are great for other situations however!
Also be cautious in feeding fresh greens to young kits. Young rabbits should never be fed mint, and you should not start feeding them too much too soon. A good first green for young rabbits is plantain. It supports digestive health, so will not give them diarrhea as easily as other fresh greens.
Have fun feeding your rabbits fresh greens! If you want more details about how to use herbs for your rabbits and the benefits individual herbs provide, check out our guide Herbs For Rabbits!
Sources:
https://riseandshinerabbitrydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/medicinal-herbs-for-rabbits.pdf
http://www.edelweissranch.com/natural-rabbit-remedies.html
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/herbs.html
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