Is natural bamboo okay for bunnies to eat ?

[roxyllsk]

My friend has a ton of bamboo that grows around her property. Her goats absolutely love to eat the greens.

I collect willow branches from her house as she does not spray her trees and the bunnies love chewing these branches. She does not spray the bamboo either.

Does anyone know if this is safe for bunnies to eat ? I was thinking as a treat, stalk and greens both.

 

[RabbitGuru]

You have to be careful with bamboo, the stalks can be too fibrous for their system and it can cause intestinal problems (goat have stomachs made from steel and can eat almost anything). A few of the greens, in moderation, should be fine. Just be careful not to over feed these or they can cause diarrhea.

 

[roxyllsk]

I was thinking of it as an occasional treat-type thing.

Do you think if I cut the stalks in 1/2 inch pieces and just gave them a few it would be okay ? They are hollow and I thought it would be fun for the bunnies if I stuffed them with hay.

I'm always trying to keep things interesting for them. One of my bunnies is very, very curious - she is all over anything that is new and different in the cage.

 

[RabbitGuru]

I would think that the 1/2 inch sections would be fine, that way your breaking down the sides of the bamboo so that the fibers aren't very long. Give it a try & just keep an eye out for any changes in their poo or dietary track.

And have fun! I know keeping a curious bunny busy can be a lot of work

 

[roxyllsk]

Whoops I realized that I should have said '1 or 2 inch' sections ... not 1/2 inch sections.

I'll give them a bit this weekend and see what they think

 

[Ryes]

Whoops I realized that I should have said '1 or 2 inch' sections ... not 1/2 inch sections.

I'll give them a bit this weekend and see what they think

I was wondering how your rabbits liked the bamboo? I ran across sweet bamboo sticks and then saw your post. I've got a rabbit that's always looking for something new.

 

[Preitler]

Do you know the latin name for that "sweet bamboo"? Can't find anything, too common as a brand name...
There are a few plants called bamboo that actually aren't real ones and aren't rabbit food, like lucky Bamboo (Dracaena braunii/sanderiana).
I would suspect that the mentioning of sweetnes implies that it's edible.

If it is real bamboo (bumbusoideae family) it's a kind of the sweetgrass familiy and usually ok to feed.

 

[Ryes]

@Preitler, here is the item I saw. I don't know what the latin name would be. Thanks for the input.

 

[Preitler]

if it's marketed for pet use, it's ok.

[rant]
I just can't wrap my head around that rabbit food stuff is marketed like this, minuskule amounts in a lot of plastic, quite likely transported half around the globe burning a lot of fossile fuels, just because it's dirt cheap and can be sold to more ... detached? ... customers elsewhere. "natural" is pure greenwashing there. Natural feed for rabbits is what you find next to your own doorstep.
[/rant]