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can rabbits eat radish???

Clairabow

Warren Scout
I decided to get a new veggie for my rabbits today and have bought radish's but have now been told they shouldnt eat it is this right??? If they cant eat the radish can they eat the green bits??
 
My rabbits eat the whole radish too.

Wasn't it radishes that Peter Rabbit was stealing in one of the Beatrix Potter stories?
 
According to Rabbit Welfare it's just the tops:
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/going_green_oct_06.pdf

Remember, just cos bunnies are shown eating something on TV or in a book doesn't mean it's good for them. Bug Bunny eats carrots all the time but as we know they're sugary and should be given in moderation.

Very true, but just because one website said it's bad doesn't mean they all will. I must have seen it on a safe list before I gave it to mine, but they've all been fine; and they love it too.
 
Did a search for radishes and rabbits but could only find people saying not to give them to them - although no one actually says why not, which is a bit annoying.
 
Radish contain quite a high level of arsenic in the root.Which maybe is the reason why they are not good for bunnies
 
In Virginia Richardson's Rabbit Nutrition book, it lists radish tops as a safe food. It also includes radish and radish tops on the list of moderate sources of calcium, which implies that they are OK to feed but not in excess obviously.

Would arsenic not rule out humans eating the root too?
 
platns will only pick up arsnic if it is in the soil. Spinach & carrots & beans (although also not good for bunnys) all generally contain higher levels of arsnic if grown in contaminated soil. I don't have data on other veg as arsnic trials seem to stick to those ones.
 
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