Toxic Foods and Plants for Rabbits

The most dangerous everyday foods for rabbits include onion, garlic, leeks, and chives, plus avocado, rhubarb, chocolate, and anything sugary or processed. Onions and the allium family can damage red blood cells, avocado contains persin, and rhubarb leaves are high in toxic oxalates. Beyond outright toxins, starchy and sugary foods like bread, cereal, and sweets are harmful because they disrupt a rabbit's delicate gut. If your rabbit eats any of these, contact a rabbit-savvy vet promptly.

Many popular houseplants are toxic to rabbits, including lilies, ivy, philodendron, pothos, dieffenbachia, aloe vera, and peace lily. Free-roaming house rabbits will nibble plants within reach, so keep all houseplants well out of hopping and climbing range, or remove toxic species from rooms your rabbit can access. If you are unsure whether a plant is safe, treat it as unsafe until you have confirmed it, since some toxic plants can cause serious illness even in small amounts.

Common toxic garden plants include foxglove, rhododendron and azalea, oleander, yew, daffodil and tulip bulbs, hyacinth, bluebell, buttercup, lily of the valley, lupins, and nightshade-family plants. Bracken, ragwort, hemlock, and deadly nightshade are dangerous wild plants. Never let a rabbit graze an unknown lawn or border, and avoid feeding any plant clippings unless you are certain they are safe. Pesticide and herbicide residues on garden plants are an added hazard for grazing rabbits.

Yes, several fruit seeds and pits should always be removed. Apple and pear seeds, along with the pits of cherries, peaches, plums, and apricots, contain compounds that release small amounts of cyanide. The fruit flesh of apple, pear, and peach is a safe occasional treat, but core out all seeds and remove pits first. The wood of cherry, plum, peach, and apricot trees is also unsafe for chewing, so choose apple or willow branches instead.

Act quickly and do not wait to see if symptoms appear. Remove any remaining plant or food, note what and how much was eaten, and contact a rabbit-savvy or exotic vet or an emergency clinic right away. You can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435, available 24 hours a day, though a fee may apply. Do not try to make your rabbit vomit, since rabbits physically cannot vomit and attempts could cause harm.

Signs that a rabbit may be unwell or poisoned include not eating, no droppings or much smaller droppings, lethargy, a hunched posture, drooling, diarrhea, bloating, difficulty breathing, tremors, or seizures. Because a rabbit that stops eating can quickly develop life-threatening GI stasis, any of these signs is an emergency. Rabbits also hide illness well, so subtle changes matter. When in doubt, contact a rabbit-savvy vet immediately rather than waiting overnight.

Safe chewing woods include apple, willow, pear, hazel, and aspen, all untreated and pesticide-free. Avoid cherry, plum, peach, apricot, and other stone-fruit woods, which contain cyanide compounds, and avoid cedar and fresh pine, whose aromatic oils can irritate a rabbit's airways and liver. Never offer treated, painted, or varnished wood. When buying chew sticks, choose products made specifically for rabbits and small animals so you know the wood is a safe species.