Potting mix, Protozoa, Bentonite and rabbit’s safety

[Flint]

Hi everyone, I’m a very new bunny parent and this may seem like a very silly question, but here goes…

I recently ventured into growing pots of grass for my bunny. I bought regular potting mix from the store and ryegrass seeds, they’ve sprouted up wonderfully and are almost ready for consumption. However I’m now becoming very paranoid after chancing upon some information about issues with soil, fertilizers and health related issues.

The potting mix I bought listed fungi and protozoa, so I looked up protozoa and found some scary information about protozoan infections.

Please give me some advice. Is the soil safe? Will it lead to an infection? Should I dump the pots of grass, carrot tops and herbs? Is there such a thing as a potting mix without protozoa and fungi? Doesn’t the soil in the garden contain these things too?

Also, the box of grass seeds contains Bentonite – is this a concern too?

Thanks to anyone who can offer some answers! )

[Mimsy]

Hi there. Bentonite is just a clay to keep the seeds from getting moist while still being stored.

Protozoa just means one celled organism. That covers many living things. They would not put a parasite in the soil I’m sure, such as giardia or coccidia. They put things in it meant to make it better for the plants, and that would not be contagious to animals or human type stuff.

Now with that said, I don’t know what they put in garden soil that is not organic types. Do they add harsh chemicals and pesticides? I wouldn’t want my bunny to dig in that if that is the case. maybe someone else can jump in and help with that. I’ve been wanting to grow some too and want to know what a good choice in soil would be.

[tobyluv]

I think that the regular potting soil would be fine, but there are several brands of organic potting soil out there if you would rather use those. You should be able to find them in garden centers or the big box stores.

[LBJ10]

Microorganisms are what make soil healthy and good for the plants. They are part of the ecosystem (there is a whole WORLD of microorganisms in the soil and they all have different roles). I agree, I doubt there is anything harmful in the potting soil. Unless, of course, it has fertilizer or pesticides added to it.

[LBJ10]

Soil protozoa:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053867

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