A garden plant that is safe for your rabbits and guinea pigs

You can collect a variety of garden plants / weeds to feed rabbits and guinea pigs. When animals are trapped in a hut during bad weather, thank you for cutting out a handful of mixed weeds. However, they prefer relatively short grasses to coarse and long grasses. Of course, the supply of wild plants varies from season to season, with the most options in spring and early summer. Before feeding the plants, make sure they are unlikely to be toxic. If in doubt, it is best to ignore the plant unless you are absolutely certain that it will not harm the strain. As a general guide, all of the following are safe to use as food.

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus): Rabbits that especially like young leaves. Old leaves can also be provided, but if these are also fed, be careful not to leave the thorns on the stems. This is not a problem if one of the prickly varieties grown is available.

Chickweed (Stellaria media): There are various forms of chickweed, and their distribution can be fairly localized. However, it is a lush growing plant under good conditions and produces small white flowers.

Clover (Trifolium species): It is not an easy plant to collect in bulk because it often occurs sporadically in the grass area and is usually fed with grass. It is also common in hay.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara): This plant and its flowers are easily ingested by both rabbits and guinea pigs. It grows on all kinds of soil.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Easy to grow from rootstock if needed. It can provide both flowers and leaves, but this plant is said to have a laxative effect, so it is desirable to provide it with other items. As the summer progresses, the leaves tend to die and brown spots may appear on the surface. It is probably best to avoid the leaves in this state. Despite being kept in a protected and moist environment, the plants continue to grow from most of summer to autumn. Other similar plants that are usually available a little later in the season are the sowthistle (Sonchussp.) And Lapsanastrum (Lapsanacommunis) in various forms.

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris): A common weed that can act as a laxative, but is often contaminated with white or reddish fungi on the underside of its leaves. Do not use such affected plants as food for rabbits and guinea pigs.

Mallow (Malva sylvestris): More likely to be encountered in grassy areas than the average garden, but still useful for feeding purposes.

Plantain (Plantago species): Various morphologies are recognized, and due to the long seed heads that grow in late summer, the plant is sometimes referred to as the “rattail”. Some types have wider leaves than others.

Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris): Traditionally used by rabbit zookeepers as a natural means of preventing scouring, this plant is very characteristic when it is in bloom. It has small white flowers, followed by a characteristic triangular seed pod on the central stem.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Also known as millfoil. This plant has delicate feather leaves and complex flower heads. Yarrow is most prominent at the end of summer.