Spring or green onions, sibies, or scallions are vegetables with a milder taste when compared to onions that don’t have a fully developed bulb.
Their hollow, tubular green leaves serve as a vegetable eaten raw or cooked, and they are chopped to food just like you do with garlic.
Can rabbits eat spring or green onions?
No. Rabbits shouldn’t eat scallions, spring or green onions, which include the following species or varieties:
- Common onions varieties like White Lisbon and White Lisbon Winter Hardy (a variety of the species Allium cepa), Calçot, A. cepa var. cepa (a variety of the common onion harvested before they fully mature, i.e., they are harvested when they have slightly begun forming bulbs) and shallots, eschalot, or A. cepa var. aggregatum.
- Chinese onions or Allium Chinese (Kiangsi scallions, Chinese scallions, glittering chives, Japanese scallion, or oriental onion).
- Welsh onions or A. fistulosum, which is a(bunching, long green, Japanese bunching or spring onion) which do not form bulbs even at maturing. They are grown in the West for salads while verities in Asia can be cooked or eaten as a salad.
- A. × proliferum or walking or Egyptian or tree onions that have a bulblets cluster
All their parts, leaves, stems, or bulbs are toxic to bunnies, cats, dogs, and other animals because they have sulfur compounds that given them their characteristic aroma.
These sulfur-containing compounds, when hydrolyzed and decomposed, form disulfides, which are potent oxidizing agents that will cause hemolytic anemia as it causes rapture or destruction of red blood cells.
Additionally, scallions have an immunosuppressive effect and may trigger an anaphylactic reaction or allergies that may be fatal.
What to expect if your bunny ingests green onions?
If your bunny nibbles a very tiny piece of any species or variety of scallions, it may not cause any symptoms. However, excessive ingestion and for a prolonged time may cause some symptoms that include:
- Reddish urine due to the presence of hemoglobin
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Fainting or collapse
- Ataxia (uncoordinated movement)
- Jaundice and pale gums
- Death
Some of these signs are typical signs of anemia in bunnies. Talk to your vet if you note any of these symptoms or suspect your bunny has eaten a lot of spring onions.
Do bunnies favor scallions?
No. Rabbits don’t like any of the genus Allium plants that have garlic, onions, chives, leeks, among others. Their strong scent turns them off, a reason why some like garlic may work as a natural homemade rabbit repellent.
Instead, they will go for blackberries, dandelions, grass, sweet cicely leaves, roses, beans, peas, spinach, lettuce, kiwi, and Swiss chard, among others.
However, due to several reasons, including pica, these pets may eat almost anything, including non-food material. Don’t be surprised if you find them eating your scallions.
Last thoughts
Since they are toxic, it is a good idea to ensure you safely store your scallions. In your garden, consider fencing around it or using effective rabbit deterrents and repellents.