poisonous flowers and animals

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venessa Fort Worth, TX(Zone 7b) Dec 07, 2000

Can anyone tell me if animals like sheep and rabbits automatically know to stay away from poisonous flowers? I am asking because we have wild rabbits that run around the yard and my sheep sometimes find away out of the fence and eat things like my roses or peach tree. I don't want to plant anything that might harm them but there are alot of beautiful flowers that are poisonous.Please help, I love my babies.

Post #272
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Gabrielle (Zone 5a) Dec 08, 2000

I've been worried myself - we have wild rabbits and almost always (though not at the present) pet rabbits that roam the yard. Usually the tame rabbits just take a nip, don't always even eat it. But some things they do eat more of. I also wonder if they do just take a nip, is it a dangerous amount to them? It seems to me that if there are a lot of tasty plants around, particularly herbs or garden plants, etc., that's what they would go for. That's what I've found to be the case so far. Hopefully nature makes the poisonous plants taste and smell bad (at least to animals).

It's funny that most people complain about rabbit damage. I am so used to rabbits that it doesn't bother me. I protect plants when they are young and one nip would end them, and when they are older, there is a plenty for the rabbits to eat. I never even notice the "damage." I do everything I can to encourage the rabbits and other little critters to come - they're just as interesting as the plants. Glad there are others that feel the same as me.

Smiles,
Gabrielle

Post #45797
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gardendragon Ladysmith, BC(Zone 8a) Dec 11, 2000

I too worried about poisonous flowers because of my stupid cat who ate any house plant he could sink his teeth into. We finally moved into a house - from an apartment - and a garden. I was really worried he would poison himself with all the plants outside - especially the Datura. The only thing he ate in the garden was an ornamental grass! Seems they know what is what, even my stupid cat!

Post #45834
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venessa Fort Worth, TX(Zone 7b) Dec 11, 2000

Well I am so glad to hear that because my sheep had lunch on everything I planted last year. I never seen anything open, I would keep watch on the flowers and the day I would think I would have a beautiful flower to look at,well it would be gone. More than once I thought about a BAR B Q(just kidding). I think we finally have the fence fixed but we still have wild bunnies running around to worry about.

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