Weeds to Avoid
All of the information on this list has been researched from scratch or has come from verifiable, trustworthy sources and is then double checked. MANY so called rabbit plant lists are not only inaccurate, but are unsafe and have simply been copied from other lists. One needs to remember that these lists - which are found on websites, various FB groups or Google, are only as good as the person who compiled them. They may not have been researched further after being copied from yet another list.... It's a bit like Chinese whispers and the end result is not necessarily safe, accurate or pertinent to pet rabbits living in New Zealand. All of the plants in these lists are researched and verified by Westley’s World as being safe - or otherwise, to the best of my ability, and are not copied or parroted from other sources.
Something else to consider is that plants included on overseas lists are often growing in very different conditions to those here in New Zealand. Many that are not considered problematic overseas are known to cause issues with stock when fed in NZ. One of the reasons for this is that our climate is very different to that of the ‘home country’ of these plants. In their countries of origin, hard winters often mean the plants are dormant for a good portion of the year. Whereas in NZ, they may grow year round. This is of course why plants such as Gorse and Blackberry are serious pest plants in NZ but are well mannered, useful plants on their home turf. This unchecked growth can also potentially mean that their less desirable constituents may be concentrated to unsafe levels.
Further to this, when looking to ID a plant with a view to feeding it to your rabbit, the use of Plant ID Apps to accurately ID plants is not advisable. These Apps are not trustworthy (I've tested 3 so far with less than impressive results) and can often give an answer that is not only inaccurate, but can be downright dangerous. I do not claim to 'know it all, but I do do my level best to both ID plants accurately and to research them thoroughly to verify that they are safe to feed to a rabbit, because the well-being and safety of your rabbit(s) is my top priority.
You can find further details about some of these weeds in the Unsafe, Toxic & Poisonous Plants file.
