Is Weedkiller Bad for Rabbits?

Weedkiller Dangers

• Several kinds of weedkillers are available, and they work in different ways. For instance, 2,4-D is an herbicide that kills weeds by changing the way their cells grow. It comes in many forms. In high enough doses, 2,4-D can cause skin damage, coughing, eye irritation, aggression, confusion, diarrhea, kidney failure and skeletal damage in humans. Dogs and cats displayed diarrhea, vomiting, drooling, lethargy, loss of appetite, staggering or convulsions after eating or drinking items containing 2,4-D, according to a National Pesticide Information Center general fact sheet on the product. In high enough doses, other weedkiller chemicals, such as the herbicide glyphosate, may damage rabbits’ skin.

Secondary Toxicity

• Applying weedkiller may cause plants to produce high rates of nitrates. Grazing animals, which includes rabbits that roam freely, may eat those plants and become poisoned by the higher-than-normal concentrations of nitrates. Because of that danger, keep rabbits and other animals away from sprayed weeds until they have died.

Weedkiller Precautions

• If you follow the label directions on a weedkiller, applying the correct dosage and keeping the treated area clear for the recommended amount of time, then rabbits -- along with other animals and humans -- probably will not suffer ill effects. Consider every chemical weedkiller a possible toxin, however, and take the necessary precautions when using it as well as after using it. People and animals should be cleared from an area before weedkiller is applied there, and avoid splashing the weedkiller. Wash your clothes immediately after using the weedkiller, bathe and put on clean clothes.

Alternative Methods

• Many alternatives to using weedkiller exist. Pulling weeds manually works well as long as they are dug up by their roots before they set seed. Dispose of those weeds in a yard debris bin, or bury them in a compost pile. Applying a thick layer of mulch discourages weeds from growing. A weedkiller alternative for weeds in otherwise bare soil is solarization, which entails laying plastic on the soil during hot, summer weather; the resulting high temperature under the plastic kill the weeds. The cultivation method involves encouraging weeds to grow in a patch of soil then removing them before they set seed. Afterward, the ground will be weed-free.