As you may already know, rabbits like to chew on just anything they can find, especially greenery. That’s why it’s not out of place to see your rabbit wanting to munch on your indoor plant, not minding whether the plant is toxic or not.
If you own a pothos plant, it’s normal to be scared when you notice that your rabbit is starting to gnaw on it. You tend to have questions like, “can my rabbit eat pothos?” Are pothos plants toxic to bunnies?” and many more similar questions?
Yes, pothos can be pretty toxic to various species, including rabbits. These plants contain a specific substance called calcium oxalates, which is dangerous to the rabbit’s health. Among other things, the toxic effects of pothos plants can make it difficult for the rabbit to swallow due to an enlarged throat.
Do you have more concerns about what pothos plants are, how they can affect your rabbits, and how you can stop them from eating these plants? Then, this guide is for you.
What Is a Pothos Plant?
Typically a heart-shaped home plant, pothos is green in color with a hint of yellow, white, and occasionally a light green indentation.
Due to its ease of cultivation, pothos is primarily planted for domestic usage; It is also easy to maintain, so you can readily find them used as houseplants in many homes.
Despite containing toxins that can harm the body system of your pet rabbits, the pothos plant can serve many other purposes in a home. Let’s examine the numerous applications of pothos to see why you can’t throw them out completely.
1. Air Purification
Despite containing toxins, a study conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mentioned pothos as one of the top houseplants that purify the air and remove toxins.
With the pothos plant, It would be difficult for harmful elements to thrive in a home.
2. Thrives in any Light Condition
One of the most challenging parts of being a plant parent is finding the perfect lighting to manage your indoor plants. It’s even more complicated if you have many houseplants to care for; the plants may have different light preferences.
That is where pothos makes a great choice. These houseplants tend to be comfortable with any level of light you give them; more reason they are called the ‘no light plant.’
So, regardless of where you place them (dark or bright spot), you should expect your pothos plant to continue blooming.
3. Easy Propagation
While propagating a pothos plant, you can end up growing more of it at no cost. Most times, all you need to do is to get a pair of sharp scissors in your spare time. The process is generally straightforward.
How Can You Prevent Your Pet Rabbit From Eating Pothos?
From the information above, you can see that getting rid of the pothos plant in your home is not always necessary. There are several techniques you can implement to keep your pet rabbit safe from the pothos plant, and below are some of them:
1. Keep the plant out of reach
Keeping your pothos plant out of reach is relatively easy, especially if you had initially kept it on a high surface. To ensure that the rabbit doesn’t come close to the pothos plant, you can place it on a tall bookshelf. You can also keep the plant in any area of your home that is out of bounds to pets.
For example, your kitchen window would be a perfect spot to keep the plant; rabbits are not particularly good jumpers, so it would be hard for your pet to reach it.
2. Conceal the plant
To conceal your pothos plant, you need to put something over it, particularly if it is placed in an area of the house that the rabbit can easily access. You can also keep your pothos plant in a cage or a plastic bag that you are sure your rabbit cannot get through.
Since it won’t seem accessible when you do this, your pet rabbit won’t make it a mission to approach the plant.
3. Spray The Plant
This is another practical approach you apply when looking to keep your pet rabbits away from your pothos plants. For this method, you will need a repellent spray containing the ingredients to frighten your pet rabbit.
After using the repellent spray on your plant, please sit back and watch the rabbit immediately avoid it.
Related Post: Can Bunnies Eat Cooked Carrots?
What to Do If Your Pet Rabbit Eats a Pothos Plant?
If your rabbit starts to develop negative symptoms from consuming the pothos plant, you must take them for treatments as soon as possible. When it comes to their health, rabbits are unpredictable. So, you must always stay vigilant to prevent them from incurring permanent damages.
The following are steps you can help save your rabbit after it digests the pothos plant:
1. Find Out The Quantity of Pothos Plant Consumed
Since you already know that your rabbit ate a pothos plant, you need to figure out the exact quantity they consumed. Keep in mind that this discovery process can be daunting, so you need to be patient while at it.
If you find out that your pet rabbit ate a huge amount of this toxic plant, take immediate measures that can help to restore the whole health of your rabbit.
2. Hydrate the Rabbit Pellets
One of the immediate steps you can take toward saving your rabbit’s life is ensuring that their food is soft enough. How? By hydrating the feed. Feeding the rabbits with hydrated pellets will boost their nutritional intake and flush away toxins from their body system.
Whether this procedure works or not, you must try everything you can to see that you give your bunny a wide chance of survival.
3. Visit a Vet
When every other thing fails, do not hesitate to take your rabbit to an experienced veterinary doctor. The vet will have to run a thorough diagnosis on your rabbit and find out the exact problem and the level of damage that has been done.
Depending on the issue, the vet may prescribe some drugs as well as offer additional tips that will help protect your pet rabbit’s health.
Other Plants That Are Toxic For Rabbit Consumption
Aside from the pothos, some other plant species should never be eaten by your pet rabbit. That’s because even the tiniest amount in your rabbit’s digestive system can cause severe harm. What are these plants? Let’s see them below:
1. Bulb Plants
Bulb plants, more specifically those belonging to the Allium Sativa family, fall within the category of dangerous plants that your pet rabbit should not have access to.
The good thing is that while rabbits can detect the fragrance of certain bulb plants, like garlic, they detest them. If you ever need to keep bulb plants close to your living environment, do all you can to keep them far away whenever your rabbit is around.
2. Rhubarb and Iceberg Lettuce
The health of your pet rabbit may be in danger from harmful plants like iceberg lettuce and rhubarb. For instance, iceberg lettuce contains a substance known as lactucarium, which can cause stomach problems for your rabbit. On the other hand, Rhubarb also has oxalate salt, which can harm some internal organs in your rabbit’s body.
To avoid the dreadful clinic trips, you must keep these plants away from your rabbit.
Final Thoughts
In summary, pothos is an unhealthy plant that you should keep your bunnies away from. Otherwise, they may develop toxicity signs, including mouth irritation, vomiting, drooling, etc. If you find out that your rabbit’s health is starting to decline as a result of consuming this poisonous plant, do not fail to seek help immediately.