Daisies are among the most popular flowers. They join ranks with others like roses, irises, orchids, carnation, sunflowers, tulips, and daffodil. Do rabbits eat daisies, and are they safe?
Daisies usually refer to the common, lawn or English daisy (Bellis Perennis), belonging to the daisy, sunflower, aster, or composite family Asteraceae (Compositae).
However, the name may mean a dozen other flowers in the daisy family that include African bush, African daisy (gerbera), Shasta, bush (Brachyglottis greyi and Olearia), crown, Barberton (Transvaal), Dill (marguerite), and Angelita daisies as well as a few in other plant families.
Those not in the aster family that uses the name daisy include Carmel, globe, and Livingstone daisies.
Do rabbits eat daisies?
You want to know whether rabbits can eat daisies or not. The answer isn’t going to be a simple yes or no. It will depend on the specific daises you are talking about.
The Rutgers University’s New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station lists English common, lawn, or English daisies as occasionally severely damaged, meaning that wild rabbits, cottontails, jackrabbits, and hares will sometimes eat and cause severe damage to these ornamental plants.
Similarly, bunnies will eat Transvaal or gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii). Their young shoots, stems, and tender leaves are an attraction to these animals. However, the African daisies and Shasta daisies are relatively rabbits and deer resistant or are seldomly eaten.
Below is a quick summary of the various daisies and whether they are rabbit resistant or not:
| Botanical name | Common names | Status |
| Bellis Perennis | Common, lawn or English daisy | Occasionally severely damaged |
| Osteospermum (genus) | African daisy | Rabbit and deer resistant |
| Euryops chrysanthemoides | African bush daisy | Bunny resistant |
| Shasta Daisy | Rabbit and deer resistant | |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | Oxeye Daisy | Rabbit and deer resistant (1) |
| Tetraneuris acaulis | Angelita daisy | Rabbit resistant (2) |
| Melampodium leucanthum | Blackfoot Daisy | Rabbit and deer resistant |
| Glebionis coronaria | crown daisy, edible chrysanthemum, Japanese greens, garland chrysanthemum, chop suey greens, crowndaisy chrysanthemum | Rabbits don’t like it due to the tangy, peppery flavor that is slightly bitter. Potentially toxic (has dioxin) |
| Brachyglottis greyi | daisy bush | Rabbit and deer resistant |
| Olearia | daisy bush | Rabbit and deer resistant |
| Argyranthemum | Dill or marguerite daisy | Sustain moderate to severe rabbit damage |
| Leucanthemum × superbum | Shasta Daisy | Rabbit and deer resistant |
| Rhodanthemum hosmariense | Morrocan daisy | Rabbit tolerant |
| Leucanthemum vulgare | Dog or oxeye daisy | Rabbit resistant |
| Gerbera jamesonii | Barberton or Transvaal daisy | Occasionally severely damaged |
| Brachyscome (several species) | Yellow tongue, variable, stiff (grassland), Swan River, Cut Leaved (Rock or Hawkesbury), Tufted and Lord Howe (mountain Daisy) | Rabbit and deer resistant |
| Rudbeckia hirta | Gloriosa Daisy | Rabbit resistant |
Other plants not in the daisy family
| Scabiosa prolifera (family Caprifoliaceae) | Carmel daisy | Not resistant |
| Globularia (plantain family Globulariaceae) | Globe daisies | Not rabbit resistant, i.e., sustain rabbit damage. |
| Cleretum bellidiforme family Aizoaceae) | Livingstone daisy | Rabbit resistant (3) and safe to pets. |
Warning
We have noted some daisies as rabbit resistant. However, this doesn’t mean they are entirely immune from any damage. When they don’t have a choice, bunnies tend to eat even some of the plants they wouldn’t pick if they had a better alternative, i.e., those that are least favored.
It is not uncommon for bunnies to eat young shoots, tender leaves, and stems of most of the daisies when they don’t have an alternative. Therefore, whether you have these ornamental plants in your garden, flowerbed, ornamental plant, potted, and so on, protect them if you notice any bunny damage.
Some of the great way to protect them include the following:
- Exclusion – Put a fence around your ornamental using a 1/2 -1-inch chicken wire mesh. It should be buried at least 6 inches deep and be at least two feet tall.
- Deterrents and repellent – Invest in the various bunny deterrents as well as repellents, which will scare bunnies away, frighten them, or make your daisies unpleasant to eat.
- Modifying habitat – Cut any tall grasses, shrubs, and weeds. Also, remove any heaps of debris or any other thing that gives them a place to hide.
Besides these ways, you can consider having a dog (predator), using homemade repellents, going for plants that repel them, shooting, trapping, among other methods.