Kohlrabi?

[we3pnuts]

Can bunnies eat the leaves from kohlrabi? My husband just brought some home. He asked if the bunny could eat it. I looked it up on HRS and it is not on their list. It's also not on the poisonous list either.

:anyone:

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Gosh, what is it? I've never heard of it. Do you know what family it's in, that will help us determine whether it's safe or not too.

Here's what I found on Wikpedia:

"Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group) is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage which has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik-like shape. The name comes from the German Kohl ("cabbage") plus Rabi ("turnip"), because the swollen stem resembles the latter. Kohlrabi has been created by artificial selection for lateral meristem growth; its origin in nature is the same as that of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts: They are all bred from, and the same species as, the wild mustard plant.

The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem in particular can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet. Except for the Gigante cultivar, spring-grown kohlrabi much over 5 cm in size tend to be woody, as do fall-grown kohlrabi much over perhaps 10 cm in size; the Gigante cultivar can achieve great size while remaining of good eating quality."

Sounds like it could cause gas...Let's see what others have to say...

 

[naturestee]

It's edible, and my rabbits love the leaves! It's actually the same species as cabbage, kale, collard greens, and broccoli. They're all just different cultivated varieties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi

 

[we3pnuts]

AngelnSnuffy- Thanks for looking it up! I'm sure it could give gas to some buns. The ones that get it more often from the related foods. They may want to stay away from it.

Naturestee - I had a feeling itmight be safe. I read your reply last light so I gave her a tiny bit in her salad for dinner......man she loved this stuff! She ate it first out of everything else and chomped it down in seconds :eats:. This morning she seems perfectly happy, so no sign of an upset tummy (doing binkies, eating her dry food, begging for attention). My husband loves kohlrabi so I think I may make it part of her reg. diet.

Thanks for the help!

 

[naturestee]

Forgot to add that kohlrabi is a favorite with the wild rabbits here. Last year they at the tops and then dug up the roots- twice! This year we got smart and put an old rabbit cage on top to protect them.

 

[rabb1tmad]

Cool, this is really good stuff to know. I've thought about Kohlrabi before but I wasn't sure. My buns love Kale and they don't suffer from gas so I guess they'll be well into this.