Your rabbit can safely eat any part of the strawberry, including the leaves. “You can remove the leafy parts if you so choose,” Tullio said. “Just remember wild rabbits eat the whole strawberry and it's completely safe, but why not spoil your bunny?!”
Strawberry leaf is a herb that makes up the diet of wild rabbits. So if you want your rabbit's food to be as close as possible to the original diet, strawberry leaves are a quality dish for him. They can be sprinkled on your pet's hay or given by hand as a completely natural treat.
Rabbits often nibble away the tender green shoots of strawberry plants and other garden crops as they first appear in early spring. The flowers of strawberry plants are also favored by rabbits, and these pests may strip strawberry plants of blossoms in springtime, preventing any fruit from growing.
Weight gain – strawberries have a relatively high sugar content so eating too many strawberries will increase the risk of weight gain and obesity. In turn, obesity increases the risk of several diseases including arthritis and fly strike. Gut problems – bunnies have a very sensitive digestive system.
Strawberry leaves are indeed edible and safe to eat. They have a mild, slightly tangy flavor, making them an intriguing ingredient to experiment with in various culinary preparations. Moreover, strawberry leaves carry numerous health benefits that will surprise you!
A: No, do not feed the leaves from strawberries to your pup. For one thing they are bitter and not tasty so your dog will probably not enjoy them but more to the point, while non-toxic, strawberry leaves are difficult to digest and can lead to stomach or digestive troubles.
Strawberry Tops Have Health Benefits
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, strawberry leaves are high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium, as well as contain tannins, which helps with digestion, nausea, and stomach cramps.
Apricots, peaches & plums – cyanide in seeds/pits, high-sugar fruits. Onion bulbs, chives and garlic – can cause fatal gastric upset. Parsnips – contain psoralens, which are poisonous to bunnies.
“A small acorn-size amount of seedless tomato per day is perfectly fine for a rabbit older than 12 weeks of age,” Henson said. So in general, tomatoes are an OK fruit to share with your rabbit, just as long as it's a small amount and the flesh part of a seedless tomato only.
Yes, it is safe for rabbits to eat cucumber! Most rabbits will love the fresh taste. Rabbits can also eat cucumber leaves. Before feeding cucumber to your rabbit, wash it in cold water to remove pesticides.
The use of free-range colony style rabbits allows for a more sustainable and ethical treatment standard for alternative meat production. Their manure is an excellent option for nutrient source for strawberry production.
The Answer Is Yes! Rabbits can indeed enjoy watermelon as a treat. This juicy fruit can be a delicious and hydrating addition to their diet when offered in moderation. Watermelon contains high water content, which can help keep rabbits hydrated, especially during hot weather.
You shouldn't give your rabbit strawberries too frequently, but instead give him the berries sparingly as a treat. “It is best to only feed them to your rabbit as a special treat,” Tullio said. “For example, once or twice a week.”
Garden-grown human foods that rabbits shouldn't eat include Apple Pips, Garlic, Onion, Potato Plants, Rhubarb (all of it), and Tomato Plants. Most evergreen leaves are poisonous to rabbits and some lighter coloured lettuces (e.g. iceberg) can harm them too.
Particularly good vegetables include the dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce, bok choy, mustard greens, carrot tops, cilantro, watercress, basil, kohlrabi, beet greens, broccoli greens, and cilantro.
These foods are poisonous for your rabbit and could make her ill: Potatoes, daffodils, tulips, rhubarb, lillies, mushrooms, avocado, broad beans, sweet peas, buttercup, kidney beans, jasmine, foxglove and iceberg lettuce.
This may come as a shock, but you should avoid feeding your rabbit light-colored lettuce, including iceberg, as it can contain lactucarium, a chemical that can be harmful to your bunny's health if ingested. Iceberg lettuce also contains mostly water and will add little to no nutrition to a diet.
Avocados contain a compound that is known as Persin, and this is toxic to rabbits (and many other pets) even in fairly small quantities. It has many vitamins and minerals that might otherwise be healthy, but because of this toxin, you should never give it to your rabbit.
Hay: The staple of a rabbit diet
As grazing animals, rabbits need to have an unlimited supply of fresh hay daily. You'll want to feed your rabbit grass hays. Good types of grass hay for bunnies are timothy, orchard grass, brome, and oat hay.
Treats should be healthy foods too, and only given in very small amounts, such as when training (e.g. teaching your bunny to use the litter box). Good treats are small amounts of fruit such as strawberries, bananas, raspberries, pineapple pieces, apples without seeds, and melons.
Because rabbits require a high fiber diet with little fat, cheese is not suitable for them. Furthermore, cheese contains lactose, which rabbits cannot digest properly, and this can lead to diarrhea, stomach cramps, and gas buildup.
But can dogs eat strawberry tops? They can, but they may not like them. The leaves are non-toxic and contain a few vitamins and minerals that the flesh doesn't, but they taste a little bitter.
The hull or calyx is the green leafy top of the strawberry, which is generally removed before cooking or serving.
"However it's important to note that as leaves become older, the ORAC value decreases, so the leaves of fresh strawberries are likely to provide the highest antioxidant value.”