• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Beech is it safe?

tulsi

Wise Old Thumper
I have been giving my rabbits and guinea pigs beech twigs with leaves on which they all love.

Saw online that beech wood is on the poisenous list but that the leaves are ok????

Anyone know any thing about this?

Sould I take off the stems/twigs and just feed the leaves?
 
I have never fed Beech, but only because we don't have any here. I have always thought that it is OK (both wood and leaves), but on checking now have seen that some sites say otherwise. Where did you see it was poisonous?

When I've found in the past an inconsistency between different sites I try to check other wood/leaves that are also listed on the sites to see how accurate they are with wood/leaves known to be definitely safe or poisonous.

It is very difficult to find a trustworthy site which covers safe and poisonous woods for rabbits.
 
I have never fed Beech, but only because we don't have any here. I have always thought that it is OK (both wood and leaves), but on checking now have seen that some sites say otherwise. Where did you see it was poisonous?

When I've found in the past an inconsistency between different sites I try to check other wood/leaves that are also listed on the sites to see how accurate they are with wood/leaves known to be definitely safe or poisonous.

It is very difficult to find a trustworthy site which covers safe and poisonous woods for rabbits.


I've mentioned before that Twigs (aka Parsnipbun) has said that feeding beech is safe :D

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/lant-toxicity-the-problem-with-lists
 
Personally I wouldn't feed beech. It's one of those ones that I've seen listed as both safe and unsafe and it just intuitively doesn't 'feel' right to me as the leaves are a very hard and waxy consistency. I fed it once several years ago and a bun choked on a piece; I had to swing her downwards over my arm to free it. Arguably she could have been eating anything when that happened, and it just happened to be beech, but I do think the consistency and texture of the leaf contributed to it. There are so many things that are genuinely safe and good to feed without any question over it, that personally I would leave out anything which is even vaguely debatable.
 
Personally I wouldn't feed beech. It's one of those ones that I've seen listed as both safe and unsafe and it just intuitively doesn't 'feel' right to me as the leaves are a very hard and waxy consistency. I fed it once several years ago and a bun choked on a piece; I had to swing her downwards over my arm to free it. Arguably she could have been eating anything when that happened, and it just happened to be beech, but I do think the consistency and texture of the leaf contributed to it. There are so many things that are genuinely safe and good to feed without any question over it, that personally I would leave out anything which is even vaguely debatable.

I’m with you on this :thumb:
 
Yes. I didnt cut any beech leaves today. Shame though as they all loved it. Oh well they will 'just' have to put up with willow, hawthorn, bramble and ash!
 
Mine used to eat a fair amount of beech as it was the dividing hedge between gardens when I lived in that rented house with the big garden. They've not had any for 2 years now but I did include some in todays forage intended for winter feeding. Because my bunnies ate it readily I'm inclined to believe it is safe. My three are very savvy about plants. Whenever I pick a random sprig of something I didn't mean to (eg buttercup, berries on hawthorn etc) it will often be left by all of them
 
Yes. I didnt cut any beech leaves today. Shame though as they all loved it. Oh well they will 'just' have to put up with willow, hawthorn, bramble and ash!


They still have a fair selection!

Shame not to feed it as two reputable sources say it's fine - Twigs Way (a Garden Historian and also has a rabbit sanctuary) and Medirabbit, whose website I trust.

But you have to go with what you feel is right :)
 
It's a tricky one isn't it, there's a difference between 'safe' meaning 'not toxic' and 'safe' meaning 'unlikely to cause harm in any way'. I also get a bit perplexed that it never seems to be actively mentioned, so the photo on the medirabbit page is captioned to be of rabbits eating beech, but beech isn't listed in the 'safe trees' list...same for parsnip bun's foraging book. Does anyone have the 'gardening for rabbits' book, is it mentioned in there? Eileen Walthall, who wrote 'wild nutrition for pet rabbits' says she wouldn't feed it.

In the absence of it appearing in any of the commonly cited lists of safe things, I'd make the assumption that even if it is safe, it probably isn't delicious, otherwise as it's such a common tree, it would be in all the books as recommended food and our bunnies would be shovelling it down like they do with willow and apple :)
 
Last edited:
It's a tricky one isn't it, there's a difference between 'safe' meaning 'not toxic' and 'safe' meaning 'unlikely to cause harm in any way'. I also get a bit perplexed that it never seems to be actively mentioned, so the photo on the medirabbit page is captioned to be of rabbits eating beech, but beech isn't listed in the 'safe trees' list...same for parsnip bun's foraging book. Does anyone have the 'gardening for rabbits' book, is it mentioned in there? Eileen Walthall, who wrote 'wild nutrition for pet rabbits' says she wouldn't feed it.

In the absence of it appearing in any of the commonly cited lists of safe things, I'd make the assumption that even if it is safe, it probably isn't delicious, otherwise as it's such a common tree, it would be in all the books as recommended food and our bunnies would be shovelling it down like they do with willow and apple :)

It is not in the list of safe trees in the "Gardening for rabbits" book, but it is not in my view a comprehensive list. Listed are Apple, Crab Apple, Damson, Hazel, Pear, Quince and Willow.

It's interesting your observation regarding the Medirabbit site, which shows rabbits eating Beech, but doesn't include it in their list of safe trees. You'll note also that Medirabbit advises no stone fruits, whereas Frances Harcourt Brown says Plum is OK and Twigs says Damson is OK.

I would put Beech in the same category as I do all stone fruits for my rabbits i.e. I think there's a very good chance that they are all OK, but I have access to so many other different woods and leaves and so prefer not to include them.
 
The interesting thing about branches from trees bearing stone fruits is that the current thinking is that they are toxic whilst still attached to the tree, but not after they are cut and dried (for at least a month).
 
It's no wonder we all get so confused, when there is so much conflicting/changing information is it :lol: I still think that if it was (a) definitely safe and (b) delicious, it would definitely be on all the lists as it's such a common tree!
 
The interesting thing about branches from trees bearing stone fruits is that the current thinking is that they are toxic whilst still attached to the tree, but not after they are cut and dried (for at least a month).

It can all get unnecessarily complicated :lol: What's the source of this new information? That is going to apply to Blackthorn as well then. Not that I feed that, but thumps used to collect the leaves and feed them straight away as far as I am aware.
 
Yes I've asked the same question about blackthorn before too, and just been told 'yes it's weird isn't it, that's the exception to the rule!' Maybe for whatever reason the toxin levels are much lower in that plant, therefore at the quantities given it's fine. It's all a mystery!
 
Back
Top