saw an article in one of the weekend papers where a woman killed four of her pet rabbits by giving them avocado.
it is also poisonous to many other animals as well.

http://www.people.co.uk/news/news/tm...name_page.html

Aw poor things. I didn't know that but I'd always look up something before giving it to my rabbit.

hardly shocking really, there is plenty of information out there that says not to feed avocados, this woman was just unlucky really, should have done her homework.

and why guacamole is in that article - who would give that to a pet anyway?!

I didn't know avocado was poisonous to rabbits.

I know lilies are poisonous to cats and chocolate is poisonous to dogs.

You are also not supposed to feed them lettuce as well it also has toxins in that can kill a rabbit.

Didn't know that - though other posts might give a clue that I am not a rabbit person.

But it highlights how little information is out there for the average pet owner. It would be nice if vets, pet shops and breeders gave out this information.

If it wasn't for the internet I'd never have known that onion is poison to dogs and cats, and grapes are poison to dogs. I knew about the chocolate and Lily pollen from newspapers and word of mouth.

Perhaps vets should hand out this type of information when people take their pets for vaxination - Rabbits get Myx vaccines don't they? So avocado could be mentioned.

rabbits get vaccs if you choose to have them - i have 6 and none of them have been jabbed for myxi or VHD, i'm just careful with my hygiene.

most sources on feeding rabbits, books etc advise not to give fruits as a rule, due to all the sugar in them.

generally, it's not the vets place to say, unless the offending dietary item becomes a problem, it's the owners place to do the research.

a heck of a lot of these things are in books, leaflets and obviously available on the net, it's the fact that most owners don't care to research their animals before they get them which is the problem.
- i know i didn't do this, as most of my animal gains were unplanned, spur of the moment things.
(my first bun i fell in love with at an auction - i'd recently gone through a very difficult break up and as that little bunny was the first thing to put a smile on my face after that, my mother bought him for me)
but when i had sorted them accommodation, food and water, i went straight out and found out what i needed to know about that animal.

why a bunny fosterer did not have a list of safe and unsafe foods really does not inspire confidence.

the problem is that it's not that the information isn't out there - it's that the majority of people just don't access it.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_dise..._plants_en.pdf

And also:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=57

I agree - and it's so easy nowadays there's no excuse for not looking it up on the internet.

Do you ever give yours fruit? I know it's not great for them, but mine used to love half an apple as a treat. I also got advised to feed an ill one bananas by the vet, but he wouldn't eat them.

I'm sure I read somewhere that avocado plants are total nasties, and that some parts of them are toxic to people, too.

HALF an apple?!!

that's a bit much, unless you have a giant bun?

mine get very small amounts, but that is because i also give it to my guinea pigs and would feel rotten leaving them out!

i usually cut them up so that one apple goes around 16 animals - each getting a similar sized piece

usually they get spring greens/cabbage/ a small amount romaine lettuce
or carrots
sometimes they get a small slice of a corn on the cob
these are the only things they get semi regularly

they also get banana peels some times, usually in summer, as i just throw them over the fence for them when i'm done eating the banana

bananas are a good recovery food, though.
i had a very slim guinea pig who managed to get his weight back up with bananas - though he enjoyed the peel a lot more than the fruits

The apples were an irregular treat, and these were mostly big Silver Foxes we're talking about.

oooh not that I would really give them Avocado but i didnt realise it was poisonous for them!

I Looked up when I got my two rabbits what I should feed them also, I agree with a previous poster who says that it does not inspire confidence when a bunny fosterer does not know these things, its not hard.

My two get cabbage, carrots, parsnips, brocolli, and they absolutly love rockett and watercress. I did used to give them green beans but then read that these where posionous so stopped that immediatly.

I get them a fruit mix which i mix with their regular food as they are not to keen.

I have to say im quiet proud of how well and healthy they both are as these are my first ever bunnies.

But also as an owner it is my duty to find out as much as I can for their health as rabbits are prone (from my limited understanding) to eat anything whether it be good or bad for them!!!