# Is lemon safe for rabbits?



## Azerane (Jul 25, 2015)

Hi all, I know it seems like a weird question to ask, because why would I want to feed Bandit a slice of lemon, and secondly, why on earth would he even want to eat it  I'm asking because I'm looking into possibly doing some homemade banana chips in the oven. All of the recipes I've seen call to dip the banana slices in lemon juice to prevent them from browning during the cooking process. I know oranges are technically on the rabbit safe list, but are lemons as well? Otherwise I could try substituting the lemon for an orange and I would think it would also work.

Any thoughts?


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## Chester1_andblueberry (Jul 25, 2015)

Lemon is okay but only in small amounts since bunnies cant handle citric items also include organges so only a little bit


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## BlazeBunnies (Jul 25, 2015)

I would look it up  as many people have many different opinions on this.


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## Azerane (Jul 25, 2015)

I tried looking it up, and I really only found info for oranges, not for lemons. As I said, it wouldn't be a big amount. The slices only get dipped in the juice to prevent them from browning. Then since it's banana chips, he would only get maximum one or two chips a day, and the juice on 2 banana chips after being dry baked in the oven is going to be very minimal.


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## BlazeBunnies (Jul 26, 2015)

I think is should be fine... I know if he has too much it could hurt him because of the stuff in the lemon but maybe use as treats? 2 every second day?


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## Watermelons (Jul 27, 2015)

Yup youre fine.
You wont find info because a rabbit likely wouldnt eat an entire slice of lemon, too sour. Where as orange is nice and sweet so they would likely gobble that up.


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## Azerane (Jul 27, 2015)

Watermelons said:


> Yup youre fine.
> You wont find info because a rabbit likely wouldnt eat an entire slice of lemon, too sour. Where as orange is nice and sweet so they would likely gobble that up.



Good point, I never thought of it that way 

Thanks


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## Nancy McClelland (Jul 27, 2015)

The lemon is used to seal the cells when dehydrating so the fruit stays the same color--not very much is transferred to the banana. If they have had any from trail mix then they have had lemon blanched banana already. Should be alright as it is a negligible amount and highly doubtful you'll be giving them very much at any one time. We also do the same with strawberries--used to backpack a lot when I was younger.


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## BlazeBunnies (Jul 28, 2015)

What is the recipe for the chips? Would love to make some for my bunnies


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## pani (Jul 28, 2015)

I second that! ^


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## Thumperina (Jul 28, 2015)

interesting, I am wondering the same thing. I need to give my bunny Baytril that is liquid and bitter, and the only thing I have in this house right now is organic lemonade. Would 1cc of lemonade mixed with 1cc of baytril be OK? 
Any other suggestions what to mix with?


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## BlazeBunnies (Jul 28, 2015)

Watered down orange juice (squeezed fresh from the Orange), pineapple juice ummmm could you use Apple juice (I remover being told I could use some in my bunnies water to encourage drinking, this worked so I pretty sure you can use it  )


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## Azerane (Jul 29, 2015)

MC Bunnies said:


> What is the recipe for the chips? Would love to make some for my bunnies





pani said:


> I second that! ^



Here's the recipes I found for both banana and apple chips. I looked up several recipes and they were pretty much the same, the only thing that seemed to vary was the baking time, so it probably just depends on your oven. I haven't tried them yet but presume they work well given the good reviews they had.

*Banana Chips: makes about 60*
2 Bananas (peeled)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon (or orange) juice
Baking paper

Preheat oven to 100oC
Line baking tray with paper
Cut bananas into ½ cm slices
Dip slices in juice and place on prepared baking sheet
Bake, turning over once, until golden brown and crispy, about 3 hours
Allow to cool
Store in an air tight container

*Apple Chips: makes about 4 dozen chips*
2 large apples (peeled or unpeeled)
1 cup lemon (or orange) juice

Preheat oven to 100oC
Line baking tray with paper
Slice apples thin and even (removing seeds)
Dip slices in juice and place on prepared baking sheet
Bake, turning over once, until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 hours
Allow to cool completely
Store in an air tight container


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## BlazeBunnies (Jul 29, 2015)

Thanks gonna try them


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