Can Rabbits Eat Mushrooms?

Can rabbits eat mushrooms? No. Rabbits are herbivorous but they can’t eat all the vegetables. Most of the mushrooms are toxic for rabbits. There are many types of mushrooms toxic for humans and some of them are not toxic for humans but they can lead to serious health issues in animals like rabbits. Wild mushrooms are deadly for rabbits. You may be curious about giving mushrooms brought from a store. But they are still dangerous for your rabbits whether it’s raw or cooked.

Rabbits need a totally different food diet and nutritional requirement compare to humans. As rabbit lovers, we should know bad foods for rabbits along with good foods. This article helps you to understand why shouldn’t we give them mushrooms & all the other information you need to know about mushrooms.

Let’s start without any delay!

Extra Information About Mushrooms

Even if we called mushrooms vegetables, it’s not. Mushrooms are a type of Fungi. Nowadays there are more than 15000 mushroom species found all around the world. Most of them are poisonous for humans and animals. Most mushrooms have a generally common structure. They have steam and a cap. These fungi act differently from plants. They don’t need sunlight to make energy like other plants. Agaricus bisporus (white button, cremini, portabella) is most widely used for cooking. These mushrooms are produced commercially in mushroom farms.

Wild mushrooms are mostly grown everywhere. They contain high toxic muscimol and muscarine is a high toxic compound in mushrooms. They can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, visual disturbances, salivation, and hallucinations. Some mushrooms can even lead to death by hepatic and renal failure.

Mushrooms also have good medical properties. Traditional Chinese medicine uses these mushrooms for many illnesses. According to the latest research, mushrooms can help to reduce blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, enhance the immune system, and many other health issues.

According to the USDA National Nutrient database, Mushrooms (brown, Italian)

or Crimini (raw) 100g contain

Energy	94 kJ (22 kcal)
Carbohydrates	4.3 g
Fat	0.1 g
Protein	2.5 g
Calcium	18 mg
Iron	0.4 mg
Magnesium	9 mg

Type Of Mushrooms 

• White button
• Crimini
• Portabella
• Shiitake 
• Enoki 
• Maitake
• Beech

 All these types of mushrooms are common edible varieties only for humans. These types can be dangerous for rabbits even if they safe for humans.

GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT : RABBITS & MANGO

Are Mushrooms Good For Rabbits 

Very few varieties of Mushrooms are good for humans. For Rabbits, it’s really bad. Mushrooms are harmful to rabbits and they can be led to serious problems. Do not ever let your rabbits eat mushrooms. They will be having a hard time digesting and they will lose appetite.

Rabbit’s bodies can’t handle the small amount of toxic in mushrooms. Even if they eat a small amount, it can be deadly for rabbits. Mushrooms are not a vegetable, it’s a fungus. Rabbits don’t have enzymes that help to digest fungi like mushrooms.

Like mushrooms, there are other toxic foods for rabbits, but we think they are good for rabbits. some of them are coconut, oats, guinea pig food, cat foods, chocolate, popcorn, etc.

Avoid Feeding mushrooms to your rabbits. It’s unhealthy food for them. Take all precautions to keep away your rabbits from mushrooms.

Do Rabbits Eat Mushrooms?

Don’t ever try to feed mushrooms even to check whether they like it or not. It’s up to you to protect the health of your pet. We need to care for rabbits always more than other pets. Unlike dogs and cats, rabbits need more attention in their health and diet.

Rabbits’ main sources should be hay. We should prioritize hay in the regular diet plan. Overall nutrition can be cover by hay. Unlike humans, fiber is essential for rabbits. It can prevent bad bacteria from forming in the intestines. Some of the bacteria can lead to critical health issues in rabbits. This is why we should give priority to hay. But rabbits can’t live eating hay all day long. we must add veggies and fruits to their daily diet. Mushrooms are off the menu from rabbits’ diet. 

Why Mushrooms Are Bad For Rabbits?

There are several types of toxic including in mushrooms that are harmful to rabbits. These things are toxic even if we cook the mushroom. When it’s cooked it only reduces a small amount of toxicity.

Toxic compounds in Mushrooms:

• Amanitin
• Orellanine
• Muscarine
• Gyromitrin
• Ibotenic acid
• Muscimol
• Corrine
• Psilocybin

Symptoms Of Mushroom Poisoning To Rabbits

Mushroom poisoning for rabbits is rare to compare to dogs and other household pets. According to the mushroom’s variety, the symptoms can be changed. Sometimes if rabbits eat a high portion of mushrooms symptoms can arise within 30 mins. Take immediate action and go to your vet and get medical treatments as soon as possible. If you’re unable to identify the mushroom whether it’s poisons or not, bring a sample of mushrooms to your vet to identify the risk of mushroom poison to your rabbit.

Mushroom poisoning mainly causes organ damage and neurological damages. Other symptoms may include,

• Diarrhea
• Lethargy
• Reduced appetite
• Thirstiness
• Changes in breathing and heartbeat rate
• Excessive thirst
• Dizziness and stumbling

If you see rabbits eat Mushrooms somehow, please don’t wait until they show symptoms. Quickly go to the vet and get treatments. Try to remove Mushroom toxic dose from rabbits’ body fast as possible. It helps your rabbits to get quick recovery.

Foods That Harmful For Rabbits

Try to avoid these foods from your rabbit’s diet. These things can be harmful and can lead to serious problems in rabbit’s health.

• Bread
• Cookies
• Yogurt drops
• Avacado
• Silverbeet
• Cereal
• Walnuts
• Oatmeal
• Chocolate
• Peanut Butter
• Potatoes
• Rhubarb
• Meat

Best Common Healthy Diet To Feed Your Rabbit

We need to make a good meal plan for rabbits. We need to provide them with good quality foods. Before feeding rabbits with new food, check whether it’s good for rabbits. As a good Rabbit owner, check whether you cover all the guidelines mention below. It’s a general food guide for rabbits.

• Good Quality Grass Hay -I recommend Timothy hay is the most popular/good, all-around unlimited offer to your rabbits. Orchardgrass, meadow fescues are also good for rabbits. Hay is the main food supply. Hay will help your rabbits to stay healthy and strong and maintain a healthy digestive system.
• Fresh Water – Ensure rabbits can have clean, freshwater 24/7. Water bows are most commonly used to supply water for rabbits.
• Provide Good Quality Leafy Greens – Provide them with 5-6 varieties of safe washed green vegetables, weeds, herbs daily (arugula, basil, kale, cabbage, etc.). Try to introduce new greens with small portions.
• Treats & Fresh Fruits – For the safety of rabbits only provide 1 -2 tablespoons per day. Feed carrots, apples, blueberries, etc.
• Provide Good Quality Pellets – Is good to have a small number of healthy pellets daily. There are too many products out there, keep it in your mind to supply quality and healthy foods for rabbits

(source -.https://www.rspca.org.uk/)

Summery

Rabbit’s bodies can’t handle even the smallest amount of toxic in mushrooms. Even if they eat a small amount, it can be deadly for rabbits. There are several types of toxins included in mushrooms that are harmful to rabbits. These things are toxic even if we cook mushrooms.

Avoid feeding mushrooms to your rabbits. It’s unhealthy food for them. Take all precautions to keep away your rabbits from mushrooms. As rabbit lovers, we should know bad foods for rabbits along with good foods. I think this article helps you to know everything about Mushrooms.

Thank You !!!!