Enchanted Lions  

Safe & Toxic Foods

The following website has some very good information about food and hay intake.  You should not feed rabbits Alfalfa Hay as it is very high in Calcium.  Rabbits have a hard time digesting high caclium levels and it ends up turning to crystals in their kidneys.  You will see signs of this by watching their bottoms as well as their litter pans.  You will see dark colored urine, and/or crystals or a chalk like substance collecting.  This can lead to a sludge build up of mineral crystals or kidney stones that are too large to pass.  The only way to remove them is via surgery.

 Medirabbit is a good website for food and care of rabbits.

The following is a list of foods that you can and should not give to your rabbit.  This list comes directly from The British Rabbit Council.

** Make sure that any foods listed below have not been sprayed with chemicals or pesticides before giving them to your rabbit.  Wash anything you can first **   If you are not sure, then don't feed it to them.

Vegetables/Herbs/Hays:

• Alfalfa sprouts
• Apple Mint
• Artichoke
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Basil
• Beet Greens (tops)
• Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage)
• Broccoli leaves and stems (Note: broccoli can cause gas in some bunnies, and it is high in calcium, so it should not be given to bunnies who have any urinary tract problems, such as bladder sludge)
• Brussels sprouts
• Caraway
• Carrot tops
• Celery (especially the leaf) (Note: to avoid any potential problems, slice the celery against the grain so the veins aren't stringy)
• Chard
• Chives (in moderation)
• Cilantro (no roots)
• Clover & clover sprouts
• Collard greens
• Cucumber
• Dill
• Endive
• Escarole
• Fennel
• Grass Hay
• Green pepper
• Lemon Balm
• Lettuce: romaine, green leaf, red leaf (no iceberg)
• Lilac
• Marigold
• Marjoram
• Mint
• Mustard greens
• Orchard Hay
• Parsley
• Peapods (flat)
• Peppermint leaves
• Pineapple-mint
• Pineapple-sage
• Radicchio
• Radish sprouts & tops
• Raspberry leaves
• Savory
• Sage
• Sweet potatoes
• Timothy Hay
• Turnip greens (tops)
• Watercress
• Wheat grass
• Zucchini

• Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts
  
  
  
  The following fruits may be fed to your rabbit in small quantities:

• Apple (no seeds) – Skins are the best.
• Banana
• Blackberry (leaves, stems, fruit)
• Blueberry
• Cantaloupe
• Craisins
• Grapes
• Honeydew
• Melon
• Orange (remove the peel because of pesticides)
• Papaya (not the seed)
• Peach
• Pear
• Pineapple
• Plum
• Pumpkin
• Raisin
• Raspberries (leaves, stems, or fruit)
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes (fruit only; greens are toxic)
• Watermelon

Feed only in small quantities:

• Alfalfa Hay Fresh or Dried (high calcium content & high protein – legume hay)
• Beets (high sugar content)
• Carrot Root (high sugar content)
• Corn Fresh or dried
• Dandelion greens & flowers  (high calcium)
• Green Beans
• Grains
• Kale (high in calcium)
• Nuts
• Peas fresh or dried
• Spinach (high in calcium)
• White and Red Potatoes
• Whole Seeds

Foods that are toxic to rabbits:

• Oxalates (causes pain and swelling of mouth and throat, swollen tissue can restrict breathing or cause suffocation.)
  • Begonia
  • Caladium
  • Calla lily
  • Diffenbachia
  • Dumbcane
  • Jack in the pulpit
  • Philodendron
  • Schefflera

• Minor Toxicities (causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea)
  • Aloe vera
  • Amaryllis
  • Bird of paradise
  • Birch
  • Boxwood
  • Cedar
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Daffodil
  • Daisy
  • Eucalyptus
  • Galiola
  • Hydrangea
  • Haycinth
  • Iris
  • Juniper
  • Redwood tree
  • Rananculus
  • Sweet pea
  • Sweet William
  • Violas

• Extremely Toxic (one leaf can kill)

• Angels Trumpet
• Azalea
• Bamboo Shoots
• Beech mast
• Black Acacia and Locast
• Bleeding Heart
• Box
• Carmellia
• Carnation
• Carolinia Jasmine
• Castor Beans
• Christmas Beans
• China Berry
• Clementis
• Coffee Tree Plant
• Cyclamen
• Dahlia
• Daphne
• Delphinium
• Easter Lily
• Elder
• Elderberry
• Feverfew
• Flax
• Four-o-clocks
• Geranium
• Gorse Seeds
• Gupsophelia
• Heavenly Bamboo
• Helleborus
• Hemlock
• Holly Berries
• Ivy
• Jerusalem cherry
• Kidney Beans (raw)
• Laburnum
• Lantana
• Larkspur
• Licorice plant
• Lily of the valley
• Lima Beans (raw)
• Lobelia
• Milkvetch
• Milkweed
• Millet
• Monkshood/Monkswood
• Morning glory
• Mountain laurel
• Narcissus
• Nightshade Loeander
• Oak
• Pea family
• Pig weed
• Poppies
• Potato plant
• Pivet
• Rhododendron
• Rhubarb (plant or leaves)
• Snowdrop
• Soy Beans (raw)
• String of pearls
• Tea Leaves
• Thorn apple
• Toyon
• Tulips
• Vinca
• Wintergreen
• Winter Ivy
• Wisteria
• Tew

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