Hides and houses
Shelves and ledges
Foraging and toys
Cage accessories
Kits and bundles
Fairy forest
Spooky mischief
Sweetie stash
Game mode
Forest floor
Castles and cathedrals
| Safe? | No |
| How much | None |
| How often | Never |
| Best served | Not at all |
| Watch out for | Wild fungi in lawns and runs, cooked mushrooms on plates |
Why can't rabbits eat mushrooms?
The RSPCA puts mushrooms on its list of foods not to feed rabbits, alongside onions, garlic, avocado and rhubarb, and notes that many unsafe foods are toxic, from mild problems such as excessive gas upwards. Mushrooms are fungi, not plants, and they are nothing like the grass, hay and leafy greens a rabbit's gut is built to handle. The Rabbit Welfare Association's detailed list of safe vegetables and herbs does not include them.
No charity source we read explains a specific risk from shop-bought button mushrooms. We follow the RSPCA's advice and treat all mushrooms as a no, because there is no benefit to feeding them and a real risk from the wild kinds.
| Type | Verdict | If eaten |
|---|---|---|
| Shop button, chestnut, portobello | No | Ring your vet for advice and watch closely |
| Cooked mushrooms (butter, garlic, salt) | No | Ring your vet; garlic is also on the avoid list |
| Dried mushrooms, mushroom powder | No | Ring your vet |
| Wild mushrooms and toadstools | No, can be poisonous | Ring your vet straight away |
What to do if your rabbit ate a mushroom
- Take away the rest. Remove any pieces and check the area for more.
- Keep a sample. For a wild mushroom, bag a whole one (with gloves) or take clear photos of the top, underside and stem.
- Ring your vet. The RSPCA advises calling a vet as soon as possible if a rabbit eats something unsafe. Say what it was, how much, and when.
- Watch closely. Note any drop in appetite, fewer or smaller droppings, diarrhoea, drooling, wobbliness or hiding, and tell your vet at once.
Keeping fungi out of the run
Mushrooms in a run usually mean damp ground or old wood. Check lawns and runs each morning in autumn, pull up anything that appears, and keep bedding dry. PDSA's advice is never to feed anything you cannot identify, and that applies to whatever grows where your rabbit grazes.
What to offer instead
For a savoury extra, try fennel fronds or a short piece of celery. Our rabbit safe food list and rabbit diet guide show what to feed, our rabbit health guide covers warning signs, and the rabbit care guide covers everything else.
Mushrooms and rabbits: questions
Can rabbits eat cooked mushrooms?
No. Cooking does not make mushrooms suitable, and cooked mushrooms usually come with butter, oil, salt or garlic, which are also on the RSPCA avoid list. Keep plates of cooked food well out of reach of a free-roaming rabbit.
My rabbit ate a shop mushroom. Is that an emergency?
A small bite of a plain button mushroom is less worrying than a wild one, but the RSPCA advises calling a vet as soon as possible if a rabbit eats something unsafe. Ring, say what and how much, and watch closely for changes in eating, droppings and behaviour over the next day.
Are mushrooms growing in my rabbit's run dangerous?
They can be. Many wild fungi are poisonous and are very hard to tell apart. Pull them up, with gloves, as soon as they appear, and bag them. Fungi often mean damp ground, so check the run drains well and the bedding is dry.
Are dried mushrooms or mushroom treats safe for rabbits?
No. Dried mushrooms are just concentrated mushroom, and no rabbit charity lists any mushroom as safe. Stick to the plants on the charity safe lists, such as leafy greens and herbs.
