Plants Toxic to Rabbits (UK Complete List)

If you let rabbits exercise on the lawn or in the garden, you need to know what’s growing nearby. Many common UK garden and house plants are toxic to rabbits — some fatally so. This list is curated from RWAF, PDSA and House Rabbit Society guidance.

If You Think Your Rabbit Has Eaten Something Toxic

Call a rabbit-savvy vet immediately — do not wait for symptoms. Many toxins cause silent organ damage for hours before signs appear. Take a sample of the plant with you if you can.

UK out-of-hours emergency vets: Vets Now (0333 011 2349) or your usual practice’s emergency line. Save the number in your phone now, before you need it.

Highly Toxic — Never, Ever

  • Avocado — all parts. Persin causes cardiac failure.
  • Bracken — carcinogenic; common in UK woodland.
  • Bryony (white & black) — severe gastrointestinal poisoning.
  • Buttercup — toxic when fresh; dried in hay is fine.
  • Daffodil — bulbs, stems, flowers. Vomiting, convulsions.
  • Deadly nightshade (belladonna) — fatal.
  • Foxglove — cardiac glycosides; can be fatal.
  • Hemlock — rapidly fatal.
  • Hyacinth — bulbs especially.
  • Iris — rhizomes especially.
  • Ivy — common, climbs walls; toxic to rabbits.
  • Laburnum — all parts including seed pods.
  • Lily of the valley
  • Lupin — seeds especially.
  • Oleander — extremely toxic.
  • Privet — very common as hedging.
  • Ragwort — liver damage; common in UK fields.
  • Rhododendron & azalea
  • Rhubarb — leaves and stalks both.
  • Wisteria
  • Yew — berries and needles, fatal.

House Plants to Keep Away

  • Aloe vera
  • Amaryllis
  • Cyclamen
  • Dieffenbachia (dumb cane)
  • Mistletoe
  • Philodendron
  • Poinsettia
  • Pothos (devil’s ivy)
  • Snake plant (Sansevieria)
  • Tulip bulbs
  • Spider plant — not strictly toxic but causes diarrhoea

Foods Never to Feed

  • Onions, garlic, chives, leeks
  • Chocolate, caffeine, alcohol
  • Iceberg lettuce
  • Potatoes (raw, especially green or sprouted)
  • Tomato leaves and stems
  • Bread, pasta, cereals, biscuits
  • Meat, dairy, eggs
  • Apple pips, cherry pits, plum stones (cyanide)
  • Mouldy hay or vegetables of any kind
  • Anything with added sugar or artificial sweeteners (especially xylitol — fatal)

Safe Garden Plants (Genuinely OK to Forage)

  • Dandelion (leaves and flowers, not roots)
  • Plantain (the weed)
  • Chickweed
  • Clover (in moderation — gassy)
  • Nettle (wilted, not fresh-stinging)
  • Apple, pear, hazel and willow leaves & branches
  • Bramble (blackberry) leaves — rabbits love them
  • Cleavers (sticky-weed / goosegrass)
  • Rose petals and leaves
  • Lavender (small amounts)
  • Marigold (calendula)
  • Sunflower leaves

Symptoms of Plant Poisoning

Any of these after possible exposure = vet, now:

  • Drooling, foamy mouth
  • Loss of appetite, not touching hay
  • Lethargy, hunched posture
  • Diarrhoea or sudden lack of droppings
  • Convulsions, twitching, head tilt
  • Difficulty breathing

Practical Tips

  1. If you don’t recognise it, don’t let them eat it.
  2. Mow the lawn before run-time — grass clippings left in a pile ferment quickly and cause severe gas.
  3. Never feed wilted greens that have been on a hot car seat or sat overnight in a sealed bag.
  4. Foraging from roadsides is risky — exhaust particulates and pesticides accumulate in leaves.
  5. Print this list and stick it inside a cupboard near where you prepare their food.

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