Globe artichoke leaves?

Question
Are the leaves a good treat?  After I eat the good part I gave the rest of the leaf to them and they seem to really like it.

One learned to jump up to the counter and helped herself to a couple cucumbers and carrots.  Should I look for any problems?

Thanks.

Answer
Dear Tom,

Since the leaves of artichokes are SO fibrous, I'd be a little bit concerned that they would be difficult to digest, and might even catch on a tooth and cause a problem similar to that we sometimes see with celery "strings".  If your bunnies really love the cooked leaves (weird!!), then I'd recommend you cut them into very thin, horizontal strips (to cut up the longitudinal cellulose/lignin fibers) to be sure they don't cause problems.

As long as there's no butter or other goo on the leaves, I can't see why they wouldn't be safe to eat, since they're basically just big, domestic thistles.  (But be sure to remove the point on the end of the leaves before you give them to bunny.)

For an overview of a healthy rabbit diet, please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

Hope that helps.

Dana