An aromatic herb or an edible flower can turn the daily hay ration into something more appealing, but there's one thing to be clear about before you start: for a rabbit, these are an extra, never the base of the diet. The base is, and will remain, hay available at all times.
Offering varied plants makes sense. In a mountain meadow like ours, dozens of species live side by side, and that diversity is part of what makes the hay good. Reproducing that variety in small doses —a marigold flower, a few dried nettle leaves, a few chamomile heads— enriches the diet, stimulates the animal's sense of smell and encourages the more reluctant rabbits to eat. But a rabbit's digestive system is designed to process long fiber continuously, and any addition that crowds out hay works against it.
The golden rule: fiber comes first
Hay should always be available and make up most of what a rabbit eats. Herbs and flowers are an extra offered in small amounts, a small handful a day at most, and always in addition to the hay, never in its place. If you notice your rabbit eating less hay because it prefers the extras, cut back on the extras.
Herbs and flowers it can eat
Among the plants considered safe for a rabbit in moderate amounts are marigold, chamomile, dried nettle, dandelion, plantain, carrot tops, basil, parsley in small amounts, mint, thyme and raspberry leaf. Most can be given fresh or dried; mixed into the hay, dried is more convenient, since they keep without any risk of moisture.
How to introduce them without surprises
A rabbit's digestive system is sensitive to sudden changes. Introduce one new plant at a time, in a small amount, and wait a few days, watching the droppings, before trying the next one. Normal droppings and an unchanged appetite for hay are the sign that everything is fine. If soft droppings or gas appear, or the animal stops eating, remove the extra and go back to hay alone.
Which to always avoid
There are plants and foods a rabbit should never eat. Among them: avocado, rhubarb, raw potato and the leaves of nightshades such as tomato, along with onion, garlic and most ornamental garden plants, which are often toxic. Outside the plant category, fruit and sugary vegetables should be kept to a strict minimum: too much sugar easily throws the cecum's flora off balance.
When to see the vet
Whenever you're unsure if a plant is safe, and whenever your rabbit stops eating or passing droppings for more than twelve hours, see a vet who specializes in exotic animals. A rabbit that isn't eating is an emergency, not something you fix by changing its food.
