Last Updated on March 13, 2023 by Marjon Ramos
Verbenas (Verbena) are not toxic to rabbits. Just make sure that your rabbit is eating enough hay if they accidentally ate some verbenas because it cannot meet the required fiber a rabbit would need per day.
While verbena is safe for rabbits to eat, you should still avoid making it a part of your rabbit’s regular diet.
There’s better, more nutritious food out there for rabbits.
Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain the topic in more detail:
Table of Contents
Would rabbits intentionally eat verbena?
Yes, rabbits would intentionally and gladly eat verbenas.
Wild rabbits regularly consume wild verbenas when they have nothing else to eat.
Risk of overfeeding verbena to rabbits.
While verbena themselves are not poisonous to rabbits, overfeeding them to your rabbits, on the other hand, could lead to the following conditions:
- GI stasis: Gastrointestinal stasis is possible when your rabbit is eating verbena in lieu of hay. Make sure that you’re not replacing your rabbit’s main diet (hay, veggies, and pellets) with verbena.
- Diarrhea: Diarrhea is also possible when you feed your rabbits too many nasturtiums in one meal. The lack of fiber would likely soften your rabbit’s stool and lead to true diarrhea.
- Soft uneaten cecotropes: Feeding too much unnecessary food like verbena to your rabbits could also lead to uneaten cecotropes due to the lack of fiber in your rabbit’s diet. This can be fixed by feeding large amounts of fiber (hay) for several weeks to a month.
Healthy alternative to verbena.
Here are some alternatives to verbena that are safe to give to rabbits:
Conclusion
Giving verbena to your rabbits is safe as long as they’re not eating it in lieu of hay.
If your rabbit accidentally ate some verbena, just feed them a lot of hay to prevent triggering any digestive problems.
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