Foraging for your bunnies brings a lot of benefits to them & you:
- The wild foods provide a variety of different plants which help to maintain a good diet.
- The food is free.
- They are boredom breakers, giving them something new & interesting to taste, chew, smell & eat.
- All of the above can help keep your bunny healthy & happy so no stress & worry over a sick bunny & no vet bills.
There are however, some things you have to be careful of.
Make sure you correctly identify the wild plants, some are poisonous to rabbits. So do your research well & if in any doubt leave it.
Think about where you are taking the plants from.
Is it a dog walking route?
Is there traffic passing?
Both these things will have contaminated or polluted the plants.
Is there anything else in the area that could have contaminated or polluted?
Maybe there is a farm nearby or another industry, might have used pesticides, insecticides or other environmental poisons. Some gardeners use chemicals so make sure you know the plants are clean. On bridle paths horse manure is going to be present.
Are you allowed to forage?
If it’s private land make sure you have permission. Otherwise stick to publicly accessible land. However, make sure it’s not protected, a site of special scientific interest or a nature reserve, the plants there should be left alone.
Below are a few of the most common plants you may find for your bunny:
I really excellent website for explaining about plant toxicity & picking wild plants is by Frances Harcourt-Brown a European & RCVs Recognised Specialist in Rabbit Medicine & Surgery. Click the link to go to her site.
Reviewed: Dec 2022.