To most folks, they're a noxious weed. These aggressive plants grow everywhere, even in sidewalk cracks. I'm told by certain people that dandelions also emit a poisonous gas that kills the surrounding vegetation. Whether or not that's true, the broad leaves of these weeds steal precious sunlight from neighbouring plants.
Provided that they haven't been sprayed with herbicide or have parasite larva from animal droppings hidden within their leaves, dandelions are healthy for bunnies to eat. Of course they need to be given in moderation as they contain a large quantity of calcium. This mineral causes sludgy urine which might lead to urinary tract problems. Rabbits also can have runny stools if they eat too much of those greens.
From my
When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With Bunnies memoir, here's a cute vignette of one bunny's joy at receiving freshly picked dandelions.
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I couldn't help but laugh when I gave Neutrino some spring dandelions. He was thrilled and he dragged the entire plant out of his cage and ate the weed there instead. He eyed me warily whenever I stood too close.
"I'm not going to steal it from you," I admonished.
I noticed that Neutrino only acted that way with exceptionally good food. He never once ran with hay in his mouth. What made me most happy was that those goodies didn't cost anything.
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When a Man Loves a Rabbit is filled with many more fascinating stories of life with house bunnies. These vignettes range from the tragic to the hilarious. Please click on the link to my books for details about both of my paperbacks. You're also welcome to
contact me directly for more information.
Bunnies leave us with such wonderful memories. It's funny how he only got greedy when the food was really good, thats one smart bunny.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at how he worried you were going to take the dandelions back from him. He must of thought you would of liked a salad for yourself.
I need to get outside and harvest some for my bunnies, Lily likes the yellow flowers.
I always thought dandelions were pretty. It's too bad they're so noxious, but I'm glad your bunnies enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteDandelions are by no means a noxious weed. This is hyped up so you can be sold more Roundup and nonsensical, inhumane, and disgusting products like it. I eat dandelions from March until November. They do not emit a poison that kills other plants either, as my entire garden is FULL of dandelions, I made sure to grow more of them, and all the plants are flourishing. This is because dandelions are nutrient accumulators, they pull up calcium, iron, and many other nutrients from the soil and then the rotting leaves turn into a slow release fertilizer. Hardly noxious, more like a companion plant...
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