Can rabbits eat bay leaves and stems?

[bobostar]

Hi all,

I have a new lionhead rabbit. I think she's 3 months old. I have a bay plant in my garden that always gets overgrown. Can I give her the leaves and stems to chew on. If so, do I need to dry them out first?

Thanks so much for the info.

 

[Hazel-Mom]

Hi bobostar, where do you live, and what species of bay do you have in your garden?
There are different species of bay, also called laurel, and some are toxic.
Not only that, but some species of plants have "bay" or "laurel" in their name, but are not even related to bay laurels.
Again, some of those are toxic.

So please have your plant identified properly before using any of it.

BTW, laurels are listed as toxic for pets, so it would probably not be a good idea to feed it anyway.

 

[bobostar]

Hi, thanks for replying.

I live in Vancouver Canada. I'm not sure of the exact species of bay plant, I'll have to check on that. I bought it at a garden centre in the herb section. It's the kind of bay plant that you would usein cooking....don't know if that helps.

If bay plants are known to be toxic, then are the ones where we use the leaves in cooking a different kind of bay plant?

 

[Hazel-Mom]

No, it's probably the Bay Laurel for cooking then.
Those leaves are not toxic, in small quantities. But even we don't really eat them, aren't they most often removed after cooking?
At least, when you use the whole leaves they are.
Thing is, not everything that we can eat, is also good for pets.
Your bunny would probably not be harmed by taking a few nibbles off a leaf, but I still wouldn't actually feed it the bay leaves.
Not sure whether they'd even like the taste anyway

 

[bobostar]

Thanks again for the info. I guess I'll just stick to giving her the willow branchesthat I've been picking up off the ground by the beach.