# white clover poisonous?



## Ariel72 (May 27, 2011)

I've started my 6 week old NZ X Cali's on fresh greens including white clover.  I just read that that white clover is poisonous for rabbits and should never be fed.  Does anyone else fed this or know of it being poison?  I thought I was doing a good thing for my rabbits and definitely don't want to cause them harm.

 I'm trying to feed my rabbits as naturally as possible with free choice grass hay, a variety of wild and cultivated greens and roots (gradually building up to that to prevent diarrhea) and a really good pellet as a supplement (free choice right now) to balance things out.


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## wsmoak (May 27, 2011)

I'll be interested in the replies.  I've been picking handfuls of clover (with the white rounded flower) from the yard for my two [generic feedstore] rabbits.  They're still alive so far, but it isn't a large percentage of their diet.

-Wendy


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## Ariel72 (May 27, 2011)

I've just worked mine up to a hand full of the stuff a day, so far.


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## elevan (May 27, 2011)

I have a field of white clover that the wild rabbits gorge themselves on and they are healthy, big and multiply like crazy...I don't really think you have a problem


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## hoodat (May 28, 2011)

White clover is an excellent green for rabbits. A large part of my rabbits diet is red clover which is nutritionaly about the same as white. Be sure the clover doesn't come from a lawn that has been treated with chemicals and you should be fine. There is only one time when clover can be poisonous and that is when there is a lot of dead thatch under it. That can breed a fungus that can be harmful. To be sure run over it once with a thatching rake or iron tined garden rake to pull out and compost or otherwise dispose of dead thatch. It only has to be done once or twice a year.
Some of the clovers can be harmful but red, white or crimson clover is a diet rabbits thrive on. A large part of my rabbits diet is greens that I either grow specifically for them or gather wild. Nothing beats free food and I know it has no GMO ingredients. I keep pellets available all of the time as a backup but my rabbits barely touch it if they are getting plenty of greens.


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## aggieterpkatie (May 28, 2011)

Maybe you're thinking of alsike clover? Sometimes it can be toxic, like with horses.


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## patandchickens (May 28, 2011)

I do not know whether this is also the case for rabbits, but white clover (in fact, pretty much all clovers, even alfalfa!) appear on typical "plants poisonous to livestock" lists on account of they can *occasionally* contain nitrate (or is it nitrite? I forget) levels high enough to cause poisoning. This is not common at all, though; it is mainly a problem of VERY rapidly and lushly growing legumes. Most people just try to avoid running their livestock on pure stands of lushly growing legumes, and it is usually ok.

There is also a fungus that can affect white clover (among others) that causes slobbers in horses, I do not know anything about how it would affect rabbits tho.

As with most things, moderation is probably the key.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat


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