Found licorice-smelling sticks in oat hay

[superhero1219]

We feed our buns oat hay and we usually get it from the same place. The bag I just opened has a few "sticks" that smell like black licorice/anise. One of the buns chewing on it, but I have no idea what it is so I took it away from him (mean mommy!). It's not really a twig, it's more of a flat stick. Does anyone have any idea if it's safe for them to eat?

 

[Amy27]

I don't have any idea what that could be. I would have done what you did though and take it away from the bun. Hopefully someone will come along that knows what that maybe.

 

[Maureen Las]

some personbagging the hay probably threw a piece of his licorice in there.

Iwouldn't let the bunny eat it. it's not supposed to be in there

 

[Hazel-Mom]

Can you post a picture of it? It's rather hard to tell just from a description.

 

[maherwoman]

Yep...I always take out anything unhaylike (is that even a word?? lol) from our hay. Not worth it...never know what it is...

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

you get oat hay out of a bag??,.i have never seen that or heard of it,..we are not prevy to oat up here-(seattle)- we only have access to timothy/orchard,bales,..licorice you say??-well did you taste it??,.my cottontail loves licorice but i tell him it is probably bad for him,.he don,t pay me no mind anyway//rr//if you have a bag (google) the manufacture/phone them, find out,.interesting,..sincerely james waller

 

[Hazel-Mom]

FYI, there are several "licorice" smelling herbs that are perfectly safe, both for humans and rabbits. The main ones are fennel, anise, star anise, and of course, licorice.
A related flavour compund is also found in tarragon and in some kinds of basil.
If you are not sure, the best thing to do is contact the company you buy the hay from, and ask.
They should know where their hay comes from, and what might be mixed with it.
Of course, if they say they don't know, that's a bad thing! In that case, I wouldn't trust their product at all.

(ETA There's also another one, "Anise Myrtle", but since that's a rare Australian rainforrest tree, I doubt that could be in your hay )

 

[superhero1219]

Here's a picture of what I found:



I don't buy store bought hay like Katee. I go to a rabbit rescue where they have bales of hay and they bag the flakes for me. It's a win-win. I don't have room for a full bale and the money goes to a good cause instead of Petco. Consequently, I can't just call the manufacturer...

I'm curious to know what it is, so if anyone knows...

 

[Hazel-Mom]

Hard to tell from the little thumbnail picture, and photobucket doesn't want to load for me. I'll try again later.
It definitely is not licorice root, nor licorice candy though. It could be parts of fennel, there's lots of wild fennel growing along the river and in fields near us, in Sacramento.
Could also be basil, but that's not as likely to grow in a field.

You could still ask the rescue where they get their hay. The grower may know what's in his field, or what could have been mixed with his hay when baling. If it is wild fennel, it's safe. Hazel loves it when I find some and bring it home for her
But, better err on the side of caution, and find out first what it is.