Supermarkets can only offer a small selection of what they need in their diet and a lot of greens grown for us are either too starchy or high in calcium and oxalates to be fed in large quantities to rabbits daily.
That’s basically why we became foragers. We wanted to provide our buns with the best diet nature could provide - and an enriching selection of fresh, garden-grown or field-picked greens was the most natural and sustainable way to go. If the opportunity presented itself, we went out and found wild-growing food because it’s as close as you get to the diet rabbits evolved with, and offers the variety of vitamins, minerals, textures and tastes that they would choose themselves. What some might see as pesky weeds, we see as nature’s pantry and pharmacy. Knowing how delicate (and amazing) the digestive system of a rabbit is, we’ve spent years getting savvy with what makes them poop in the best possible way. Hands down, wild-foraged greens restore harmony to the lagomorph gut.
If you’ve ever picked your bun a bunch of grass or dandelions, then you’ve already foraged. The next step is to add to that menu. There are so many things you can pick and snip as you enjoy the fresh air. Take it slow and really get to know one plant at a time. You’ll soon be feeling proud of sourcing free, fresh and healthy food – as well as enjoying a deeper connection to nature. You might even like to try tasting it yourself, such as young dandelion and hawthorn leaves in a salad, or a fresh brew of nettle and blackberry tea.
Forage we get on with:
The list of rabbit-friendly forage is long, but some of it is seasonal and situation dependent. The following plants are the Monch herbal heroes, found everywhere in Britain, growing in hedges, along footpaths and roads, in communal parks and gardens - and they have a long season, which really helps!
The serious stuff:
- Find good plant identification books, websites or mobile apps with plenty of photos and pictures to help you learn every growth stage of the plant. If you’re on private land, ask for the property owner’s permission to forage first.
- Don’t be greedy. Nature is a pantry, but it’s there for everyone and everything. For example, dandelion flowers and willow catkins are a vital spring food-source for bees because they start flowering so early in the year, and tall grasses are the breeding and feeding ground of lots of endangered insects. If you leave plenty of the plant behind, it will still be there for you, with even more healthy growth, another day!
- Wash all the leaves before feeding. There are, unfortunately, plenty of things in the air and rain that could be harmful. Even along country lanes, pollution, pesticides and poop might be present, so invest in a salad-spinner to freshen leaves up in cold water, rinse and spin to remove the excess water.
- Make the forage quick and easy with a pair of small snippers for thicker stems, rose-pruning gloves (for bramble & nettle leaves) and a carrier bag.
- Other than grass, try to avoid feeding the same plant every day, and no more than a couple of handfuls. This keeps the nutrition varied. Hay should remain the bulk of the diet, available all day.