Eucalyptus leaves are toxic to many animals, but can rabbits eat eucalyptus leaves?
Rabbits should not eat eucalyptus leaves or bark due to the toxins they contain. The leaves are difficult for rabbits to digest and are low in nutrients. Avoid adding eucalyptus to a rabbit’s diet. There are many other healthy options that won’t cause your rabbit harm.
In this post, we will look at the toxins and nutrients in eucalyptus leave and what will happen if your bunny does eat some.
Can rabbits eat eucalyptus leaves
No, rabbits should not eat eucalyptus leaves or bark. The leaves are difficult for rabbits to digest and they are low in nutrients. Eucalyptus leaves also contain harmful toxins such as tannins, terpenes, and phenolics.
These toxins can cause gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, vomiting, and anorexia.
In extreme cases, they can lead to liver damage and even death. If you have a eucalyptus tree in your yard, make sure to keep your rabbit away from it.
There are plenty of other safe and healthy foods that they can munch on instead. For example, rabbits like to eat baby spinach.
When chopping up some vegetables to feed to your rabbit there are some to avoid, such as rabbits cant eat corn in any form.
Do rabbits like eucalyptus
Rabbits love to eat eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus are low in nutrients so it’s surprising that rabbits will choose to eat eucalyptus leave at all. Even though they are potentially dangerous, rabbits will and do eat them, and enjoy them.
Are eucalyptus leaves toxic
Eucalyptus leaves are well-known for their strong, medicinal smell. This is because they contain high levels of tannins, terpenes and phenolics – all of which are Types of toxins.
But don’t worry, these toxins are not harmful to humans unless ingested in large quantities. Rabbits, on the other hand, have very different digestive systems and the toxic elements can cause real problems for them.
Thus, it is best to avoid feeding eucalyptus leaves to rabbits altogether.
There are a surprising number of foods that contain toxic substances for rabbits. Rabbits can’t eat dock leaves and a number of other leaves because of their toxic levels, so always do your research first.
Will your rabbit be safe if they eat eucalyptus leaves
As mentioned, eucalyptus leaves are low in nutrients and contain toxic elements that really don’t sit well with a rabbit’s delicate digestive system.
Despite, all this, rabbits do like to eat the leaves and will if given the chance. So, what happens if they do consume some? will your bunny be ok?
There have been reports carried out where rabbits, due to their environment have eaten large quantities of eucalyptus leaves despite their toxic nature and been perfectly fine.
However, this does not mean that it is safe for them to do so and we would always recommend keeping your rabbit away from eucalyptus leaves altogether.
If your rabbit does manage to eat some eucalyptus leaves then its best to monitor your rabbit and if you see signs of unusual behavior or distress then call your veterinarian for further assistance.
Wrap up
So, can rabbits eat eucalyptus leaves? Rabbits should not eat eucalyptus leaves or bark due to the presence of harmful toxins. While rabbits do enjoy eating eucalyptus leaves, these leaves are low in nutrients and can cause gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, vomiting and anorexia.
In extreme cases, they can lead to liver damage and even death. If you have a eucalyptus tree in your yard, make sure to keep your rabbit away from it. There are plenty of other safe and healthy foods that they can munch on instead.
Rob is a long-time advocate of animal rights and despises any animal mistreatment. He has 4 pet rabbits and loves them all dearly. To treat rabbits properly is to care for them deeply!
