Food Tips & Info > Food Safety > FruitMarch 20, 2009

Rabbit Droppings Near Fruit

Is it safe to eat raspberries and strawberries when rabbit droppings are around the plants? Rabbits used my strawberry and raspberry gardens as their personal bathroom over the winter. I had a fence around it, but they were able to get to my garden because of the heavy snow this past winter. Will it be safe to eat the strawberries and raspberries?

M.P. from Michigan

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By
03/25/2009

I'd begin to worry only if you ever find a dead whole bunny somewhere. It could have died from Fusarium
Virus, which comes from the virus on wilting overwatered plants that the bunnies eat. House bunnies droppings are the safest, but I'd eat ANYTHING ANY BUNNY DROPS ON. I have two and they're the cleanest, dearest pets we have if taken care of properly. They never smell bad, and love hay pellets, parsley, cilantro, celery, lettuce, a little
fruit (apples, bananas, papaya, raisens), occasional carrots, and soda crackers as well as Whole Wheat
Mini buiscuits (ALL ORGANIC, of course, if you have extra money. Otherwise you take the chance on any pesticides poisoning them!) They are very affectionate, take a little getting used to, special handling, but overall, PERFECT PETS in a cage, and
provide excellent regular fertilizer.

We also have a Red Slider turtle whose water is used on outdoor plants that seem tired, because it's like "fish emulsion", although gets smelly and should not be used on house plants. He eats turtle pellets from Pet store. Our mouse produces nothing of value and has waste that really smells! Hope this helps.

Remember to wash all fruit/ berries in a bowl so the dirt/ dust can float to the top! Then wash your own hands well, too.

God bless and help you. : )

By
03/22/2009

Thanks to everyone who replied! I was concerned because of the problems they've had with lettuce and other veggies when they get the run off from nearby cattle farms. Also, there was a post on this website about dog droppings - it turns out that dog droppings are dangerous.

I guess the bottom line is that it's ok for now since rabbits only eat plants (it acts as fertilizer, in fact), but it shouldn't be there when the fruit arrives.

By
03/22/2009

Lucky you! Bunny berries are some of the best fertilizer going. Doesn't smell bad, doesn't burn,etc. I'm looking forward to getting some rabbits this summer just for that reason.

By
03/22/2009

yes.

By
03/22/2009

Well, we fertilize our organic garden with cow manure, if that's any help to you?

By
03/21/2009

Rabbits are clean animals and they only eat plants, so their droppings cant be anything but organic. I would say no worries. I'd be more concerned if you had a garden near a highway or road where heavy metals from the car exhaust could reach your crop. Or if your garden were affected by the runoff from farm chemicals, etc. Rabbits are a small concern.

By
03/20/2009

Well, thank them for fertilizing your berries.
I had rabbits once and loved their droppings for fertilizer, but they were contained.

If there are no berries yet, I'd just spray all the bushes with a nice long sprinkle from the hose and lay down straw mulch all around the plants up to and under the leaves. Then try to find some way to make sure there are no more visits.

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