Humans love to share about everything they eat, with their pets. Rabbits in particular get a large share from their big human friends’ dining plates. They are not going to say no to your generous offers of food. You will find it hard to resist them as well if your friends kept pushing food items in front of you with affection. It is not a pet rabbits’ fault, what he or she eats. However, the human is responsible for safety. If you own a rabbit, it is up to you to ensure that it does not eat anything dangerous by chance. You need to research every food item that your rabbit is eating, or might eat. One eatable that intrigues many people is mushroom. Humans love mushrooms, but can rabbits eat mushrooms is the question to which we find an answer in this discussion.
A word about mushrooms
Let us kick start this discussion by talking a bit about mushrooms. We all know that mushrooms are not vegetables. Oh, wait. Some of you did not. Yes, folks, it is true. Mushrooms belong to the fungi family of organisms. Now, the first thing that pops up in the mind when you hear the word fungus is mold on bread. Or on certain other things. However, mushrooms are positive, the cutest member of this group. They have enchanted the humans through spice, and poison in the case of death caps and toadstools. Jokes apart, mushrooms have maintained their presence well enough in your kitchens, for many decades now. If we talk about the varieties of mushrooms, we will never get to the main point of this discussion, which is, can rabbits eat mushrooms?
Why mushrooms are popular anyways?
Speaking strictly from a nutritional point of view, mushrooms have to offer you a lot. The most likable thing about the edible mushrooms is that their fat content is extremely low, as is the calorie level. Mushrooms are also not fiber-filled, like some of the other vegetables. The key attraction in a mushroom, however, is the vitamins that it is enriched with, as well as certain other micro and macronutrients of extreme importance. For example, these minerals include copper and magnesium.
Then there are antioxidants, which play an awesome part in detoxifying your body. All these benefits must surely mean that mushrooms cannot be that bad for your rabbit!
Can rabbits eat mushrooms?
NO, THEY CANNOT. RABBITS CANNOT EAT MUSHROOMS. Write this statement on a big chart, and hang it in front of your rabbits’ hidey-hole. You must never offer a piece of mushroom to your pet rabbit, no matter how big or small it is. This is the simple answer, and if you are in a bit of a hurry, well you might as well stop reading here. HOWEVER, you are bound to miss the WHY aspect of this story. Why rabbits cannot eat mushrooms? What happens if they eat one by mistake? Most importantly, what measures need to be taken in case your pet bunny has eaten mushrooms? All of that is discussed in the upcoming passages!
Why rabbits must not eat mushrooms
Yes, a few mushroom varieties are edible. However, in general, mushrooms are still considered poisonous fungus. They are toxic and can cause poisoning, in both humans and rabbits. If you have a garden of your own, you might have noticed that in the rainy season, certain mushrooms of unique morphology grow at an alarmingly fast rate. These wild species of mushrooms are not suitable for consumption, for the very reason that we have just, mentioned. In such a case, if you have a pet rabbit, it would be prudent to weed out such poisonous mushrooms from your garden. Some of the toxic mushroom kinds include Psilocybin and Inocybe. These are only some of the poisonous varieties of mushrooms; the whole catalog will need a separate space to be discussed.
Symptoms of mushroom poisoning
You have not given your rabbit any kind of mushrooms, not even the pizza toppings. Yet, you are worried sick because the poor bunny looks dreadful. How do you know if it is a case of mushroom poisoning or not? Well, some symptoms indicate poisoning. You must look for them. Your rabbit might act all lazy and languid. The pet might lose its appetite. Never seen before apathy might hold your pet in a lazy position, all day. The body temperature fluctuates between extreme ends. If there are seizures, you do not need to look for any more symptoms. This is a case of positioning, probably mushroom poisoning. Hell, it might have happened in your backyard!
What to do in case your rabbit eats mushrooms by mistake?
You have identified poisoning. Good, very good. However, you must not play the fool by playing the veterinarian. The vet knows a lot more about mushroom poisoning than you do. So, ditch any quack practices that might leap to your mind, and get the vet on board immediately. If possible, let your vet know about your fears on the phone. Oh, and it would not be unwise to take a sample of the mushroom that you think your rabbit might have swollen by mistake. There are many fungus varieties out there; every toxin has a different course of treatment. You taking the piece of mushroom will only speed up the recovery process.
Curing mushroom poisoning
You should also know about the diagnosis and treatment of mushroom poisoning. The process begins only when your vet has established that your beloved furball is indeed suffering from mushroom poisoning. Sometimes, the vets do not even ask for blood testing. Symptoms like seizures are enough to tell the true story. Anyhow, coming back to the treatment, the first thing to do is to stem the flow of poison. The more body sites this toxin reaches, the more trouble your poor rabbit is likely to face. Usually, gastric pumping is the way to reduce toxin flow. Other methods are employed as well sometimes. In case your rabbit is struggling to breathe, the vet is forced to adopt drastic measures like artificial breathing.
Usually, with the help of proper medications and prayers, rabbits make full recovery within a matter of days, weeks sometimes. However, if your pet has not swallowed too much of the toxin, it is good news for you. The recovery will be a matter of merely a few hours. However, you must let the right man for the job do his or her job.
Conclusion
Well, that is all for now. We hope that we managed to teach you a valuable lesson today. DO NOT GIVE RABBITS MUSHROOMS. They are just not their food folks. You might have seen a wild species eating wild mushrooms on your TV. However, that rare case does not apply to your pet rabbit. Also, remember the bit about not giving your pet any amount of mushrooms, not even the pizza toppings. But the most important thing is, do not to panic if the incident happens by mistake. Just take your pet to the bet; those are the guys who can help you the most! Folks, a life depends on your actions, please be careful in your dealings with the poor bunny!