While some species of beech are dangerous for rabbits, this is not the case with the hornbeam. Here you can find out why this is the case and which parts of the plant you can safely feed to rabbits.
Are hornbeams poisonous to rabbits?
Hornbeams (Carpinus betulus) are not poisonous to rabbits and do not pose any danger. You can safely feed leaves, twigs and fruits of this plant to your rabbits as they do not contain any toxic substances.
Are hornbeams poisonous to rabbits?
Hornbeams (Carpinus betulus) arenot poisonous for rabbits. While some parts of the common beech contain toxins, this is not the case with the hornbeam. So you can easily plant a hornbeam hedge around your garden and then let your rabbit hop around the garden. This tree poses no danger to your rabbit.
Why is hornbeam non-toxic to rabbits?
The hornbeam is not a beech at all, but rather aother type of tree Botanically speaking, you are dealing with a birch tree. This does not contain any toxic substances. As you may know, in some countries even birch sap is made into drinks. Your rabbit is unlikely to be interested in these. Many other parts offer the animals a good and he althy source of food.
Which parts of the hornbeam can I feed to rabbits?
You can feed the leaves as well as thebranchesandfruits of the hornbeam to your rabbit. The leaves and twigs provide the animal with beautiful greenery and can be harvested from the plant during the warm time of the year. After the hornbeam blooms, small nuts grow on the tree. You can also feed these to your rabbit.
How do I recognize the leaves of the non-poisonous hornbeam?
The leaves of the hornbeam are coarseflutedandgreen While beech trees can have both green and dark red leaves, the hornbeam always grows a green leaf. This leaf is streaked with tactile scars. This makes it seem quite rough. In contrast, the surface of beech leaves is quite smooth.
Tip
Feed cutting material
If you prune the hornbeam or hornbeam hedge in spring, you can feed the cutting material to your rabbit. However, you should then use a cutting tool that does not leave any gasoline residue in the cuttings.
